European Rhetoric for South American Indians? On the Musical Poetics of Jesuit Missionary Music in the 18th Century

LEONARDO J. WAISMAN

Cambridge

Seminario; Faculty of Music Colloquium; 2015

Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge

The only role of music in the South American Jesuit Mission was to facilitate conversion of the Indians. In spite of this utilitarian view, can we talk about aesthetics? Does rhetoric play any role? How could Latin song move the Affections of peoples who did not understand Latin, or Spanish? The talk employs both analysis and reflection to sort out these questions.