Late Medieval Liturgies Enacted: The Experience of Worship in Cathedral and Parish Church (Music and Material Culture)

This book critically explores ways in which our understanding of late medieval liturgy can enhanced through present-day enactment. The book seeks to address the complex of ritual, devotional, musical, physical and architectural elements that constitute medieval Latin liturgy, the interaction of which can be so difficult to recover other than through practice. In contrast with previous studies of reconstructed liturgies, enactment was not the exclusive end-goal of the project; rather it has created a new set of data for interpretation and further enquiry. Though based on a foundation of historical musicological, textual, architectural and archaeological research, new methods of investigation are explored, tested and validate throughout. A distinctive feature of the work is that it seeks to understand the experience of different groups within the medieval church – the clergy, their assistant, the singers, and the laity – as they participated in different kinds of rituals in both a large cathedral and a small parish church. Some of the conclusions challenge interpretations of these experiences which have been current since the Reformation. In addition, some consideration is given to the implications of understanding past liturgy for present-day worship. – Provided by publisher.

• | Author: Sally Harper, P. S. Barnwell, Magnus Williamson
• | Publisher: Routledge
• | Publication Date: Mar 07, 2019
• | Number of Pages: 392 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 0367202417
• | ISBN-13: 9780367202415