Teaching code

4S007394

Teacher

Eleonora Rocconi

Coordinator

Eleonora Rocconi

Credits

6

Also offered in courses:

• Metrics and Poetry in Ancient Greece of the course Master’s degree in Tradition and Interpretation of Literary Texts

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-FIL-LET/02 - GREEK LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Period

CuCi 2 A, CuCi 2 B

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course offers a comprehensive insight of the metres and the rhythms of the Greek poetic tradition, with specific attention to: (a) the relation existing between metrics and textual interpretation; (b) the literary analysis of the texts. The course focuses on: - Prosody - Greek lyric metre - The textual transmission of poetry and its philological and exegetical tradition - The ancient sources on metrics - Ancient Greek music and rhythms. Students will become familiar with the specific vocabulary of the discipline, and will apply it to the textual and metrical analysis. They will also be able to recognize the main poetical forms, considered under a critical perspective and placed within the frame of the history of the discipline on a case-by-case basis (with special reference to companions, monographs, essays, and lexica focused on the topic). Knowledge of Greek language is mandatory.

Prerequisites and basic notions

Advanced knowledge of Ancient Greek is required.

Program

The course aims to illustrate the fundamental theoretical principles of metre and rhythm developed in ancient Greek culture and their relationship with musical performance, with the aim of providing useful tools and skills for reading and interpreting Greek poetic texts.
More in details:
• the fundamental concepts of metre and rhythm (metre, rhythm and word; prosody and strophic verse; recited verses and lyric verses; metres/rhythms and poetic genres);
• theoretical reflection: the birth and development of metrical science (derivational system vs. metra prototypa) and rhythmic science (Aristoxenus of Tarentum), production of related treatises;
• from theory to practice: metre and rhythm in Greek musical documents;
• case studies: the metres and rhythms of ancient drama (selection of passages with reading, analysis and commentary).
Among the useful handbooks, we recommend:
• C. Martinelli, Gli strumenti del poeta. Elementi di metrica greca, Bologna, Cappelli Editore, 1995.
• B. Gentili, L. Lomiento, Metrica e ritmica. Storia delle forme poetiche nella Grecia antica, Milano, Mondadori Università, 2003.
The following critical essays must be read:
• M. Ercoles, La metrica greca oggi: principali tendenze. Aggiornamento, in P. Maas, Metrica greca, Cesena, Stilgraf, 2016, pp. 197-267.
• E. Rocconi, Metro e ritmo nelle fonti di scuola aristossenica, «Lexis» 26, 2008, pp. 283- 294.
• L. Lomiento, Ancient Greek Metrics and Music: Is It Time for a New Dialogue?, «Greek and Roman Musical Studies» 10.2, 2022, pp. 357-382.
The lecture slides will also be made available on Moodle.
Non-attending students are required to read an additional essay, to be agreed upon with the professor.
The musical documents that will be analysed during the course are contained in:
• E. Pöhlmann, M.L. West, Documents of Ancient Greek Music. The Extant Melodies and Fragments, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001 (text for consultation only).
Further reading, aimed at exploring specific topics in greater depth, will be indicated during the course.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Frontal teaching.
After an introductory section on the fundamentals of the discipline, several case studies will be examined, involving the seminar-style participation of course attendees.
IMPORTANT: Students interested in attending the course are kindly requested to register on Moodle to facilitate communication.

Learning assessment procedures

The examination will consist of an oral interview.

Evaluation criteria

In the oral interview the students must demonstrate:
1. knowledge of the texts listed in the bibliography and of the topics discussed in class;
2. the ability to critically reflect on the main topics covered, especially the most problematic ones;
3. the ability to read the main recited verses metrically (hexameter and iambic trimeter) and to describe the lyrical verses;
4. the ability to relate metrical aspects to musical documents.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

Each of the parts described in the examination procedures will be awarded a score, divided as follows:
1. (up to a maximum of) 20 points
2. (up to a maximum of) 5 points
3. (up to a maximum of) 3 points
4. (up to a maximum of) 2 points
The sum of the scores will form the final mark, expressed in thirtieths.
The exam procedures are the same for both attending and non-attending students. Non-attending students are required to read an additional essay, to be agreed upon with the professor.

Exam language

Italiano

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