Experimental Humanities Program, American and Indigenous Studies Program, and Theater and Performance Program Present
The Language of Music in Early Modern Encounters
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Olin Humanities, Room 102
3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Karen Ordahl Kupperman
As Europeans moved into the Atlantic, they faced the problem of communicating with people in Africa and in the Americas without any language in common. The Europeans' solution was to sing and play musical instruments, and they were delighted to find that the people they encountered did the same. A musical approach was taken to be welcoming, but both sides found the other could also use music to deceive. Ultimately, stories of these encounters led Europeans to ponder the nature of language itself.
For more information, call 845-758-6874, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Location: Olin Humanities, Room 102