Past Conferences
The Neapolitan canzona in the early 19th century as cultivated in the Passitempi musicali of the Guillaume Cottrau August 26-27, 2013
In the early 19th century, Guillaume Louis Cottrau (1797-1847), a composer and song collector of French nationality, began publishing anthologies of vocal chamber music in Naples, in a diverse range of styles whether more traditional (i.e. in the vein of art music) or in contemporary genres. By 1824, these collections or “Passatempi musicali” were widely subscribed to and had seduced Italian salon life. For the first time, the Neapolitan canzona, a longstanding oral tradition, had succeeded in taking primacy in salon life, which had been the domain of the leading aristocratic families and oriented toward Classical genres or traditional “popular” styles such as the waltz or related dances. Cottrau’s collections imitated the traditional arrangement of solo voice(s) with a piano accompaniment.
The resonance of the “Passatempi musicali” affected even the Classical world as no less than Franz Liszt (1811-86) drew on select melodies for his “Tarantella,” the third of three character pieces comprising the collection Venezia e Napoli (1839). This publication was a supplement to the second of three volumes of music by Liszt entitled the Années de Pèlinerage. The success of Liszt’s composition and its relationship to Cottrau increased the visibility and dissemination of the “Passatempi musicali.” From this moment forward, it established a continuum of production for the Neapolitan canzona that has thrived until the present day. Most significantly, Liszt’s subscription encouraged a cross-fertilization between the popular style of the Neapolitan canzona with erudite genres in Italy and on the Continent. The success of the “Passatempi musicali,” undoubtedly due to the lucid vision of Cottrau, moreover, established the bases for the modern publishing industry and the subsequent and widespread growth of popular forms within the mainstream.
Emotions, Passions and Power in Renaissance Italy May 7-8, 2012
Georgetown is happy to host and co-sponsor, along with Georgetown Univeresity and the Universita’ degli Studi di Firenze, this conference. The physical and mental capacity of having emotions is universal. The methods through which these emotions are perceived, expressed, and shared are always depending by the codified rules imposed by the society and the personal background. Emotions depend on language, cultural practices, expectations, and moral beliefs. This means that every culture has its rules for feelings and behavior; every culture thus exerts certain restraints while favoring certain forms of expressivity. Hate, fear, cruelty, and love are always turning history into the history of passion and lust, because emotional life is always ready to overflow intellectual life. The two-day international conference held at the Fiesole campus of Georgetown University at Villa Le Balze (7-8 May, 2012) will show that emotions are built and created by the society in which they are expressed and conditioned by passions.
Translating the Past: A Workshop on Medieval and Renaissance Sources devoted to Art, History and Literature June 2011
Georgetown is happy to once again co-sponsor this workshop. Throughout June 2011, students attending the workshop will acquire both a methodological and a practical introduction to the subjects, through lectures, seminars and hands-on assignments, and will explore the Florentine collections in the famous local libraries and archives, such as the Archivio di Stato, the Biblioteca Nazionale and the Biblioteca Riccardiana. Classes will be held at the Institute at Palazzo Rucellai, which has been among the first and most active sponsors of this initiative, thanks to the efforts of Director Andreina Bianchini and Professor Stefano U. Baldassarri.
Umanesimo e Università in Toscana (1400-1600) May 25-26, 2011
Georgetown University, The Institute at Palazzo Rucellai and The Society for Renaissance Studies are pleased to announce a two day conference on Umanesimo e università in Toscana between 1400 and 1600. Please click here for the complete conference program.
The Culture of Violence In Late Medieval and Early Modern Italy June 2010
Georgetown University, in collaboration with the Society for Renaissance Studies, will hold a 2-day conference on the Culture of Violence in Late Medieval and Early Modern Italy. Organized by Fabrizio Ricciardelli (GU, Fiesole in 2010 and currently at Kent State Florence) and Samuel Cohn, Jr. (University of Glasgow).
Processi di apprendimento linguistico in un mondo che cambia May 22-23, 2009
Poiché negli studi sull’apprendimento di una seconda lingua, si è sempre posta grande attenzione all’acquisizione del verbo e alle categorie del tempo e dell’aspetto, abbiamo pensato di focalizzare le nostre giornate di studio, su un campo quale lo sviluppo del sistema delle espressioni della temporalità, sia sul versante della morfologia verbale sia su quello, più analitico, di una temporalità determinata con mezzi lessicali. Il convegno si articolerà in due parti con i contributi teorici di Emanuele Banfi (professore ordinario di Linguistica dell’ Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, a cui si devono importanti studi sull’italiano/L2 da parte di apprendenti sinofoni) e di Anna Giacalone Ramat (professore ordinario di Linguistica generale presso l’Università di Pavia, che si è molto occupata di italiano L2 anche in anglofoni, attraverso la sua esperienza d’insegnamento in varie sedi universitarie italiane e americane. Seguiranno 4 ‘workshop’, in cui i partecipanti avranno la possibilità di confrontarsi attivamente con alcune problematiche relative al tema generale. Il convegno è rivolto principalmente ad insegnanti di italiano L2 operanti in Italia in ambiti accademici e scolastici pubblici e privati.
The Jesuits & Music: Scholarship, Patronage and Performance August 31- September 2, 2008
The Center for the Study of Italian History & Culture of Villa Le Balze and Georgetown University’s Music Department held a 3-day conference on The Jesuits and Music: Scholarship, Patronage, and Performance. Organized by Anna Celenza and Anthony R. DelDonna, the conference opened with a concert featuring soloists of the American Opera Theatre performing Jesuit Voices: Music from Italy, France, and South America.