Bard College Presents Francesco Ciabattoni To Speak About Dante's Divine Comedy On March 5

The Italian Studies Program at Bard College presents Francesco Ciabattoni to give a talk on “Dante’s Musical Design in the Commedia.” The lecture examines the premise that Dante’s journey through the Christian netherworld is not without its own soundtrack. From the cacophonous, failed attempts at presenting sacred music in Hell, the pilgrim goes on to listen to Purgatory’s expiatory performances of Gregorian chants; and from the music of pure innocence in the Garden of Eden, Dante ascends to the complex and bedazzling beauty of polyphony in Paradise. Ciabattoni will explain the musicological and theological underpinnings of Dante’s chosen musical settings. The event takes place on Thursday, March 5, at 5 p.m. in Weis Cinema of the Bertelsmann Campus Center at Bard College.

Ciabattoni is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Italian Department at Georgetown University. His monograph, Dante’s Journey to Polyphony (University of Toronto Press 2010), is a comprehensive study of the role of music in Dante’s Commedia. Ciabattoni teaches two courses on Dante at Georgetown and also teaches courses on Boccaccio, French and Italian love poetry, and other aspects of medieval literature. He received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. With P. M. Forni, he has edited The Decameron Third Day in Perspective: Volume Three of Lectura Boccaccii (University of Toronto Press 2014) and is currently preparing a book on intertextual practice among Italian songwriters.

This event was last updated on 02-05-2015

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