Remi Chiu, Assistant Professor, Musicology, Loyola University Maryland
Room 209, 80 Queen's Park
Free
The Music of Plague Processions and Contagion in the Renaissance
This talk takes a dual-focus look at the connections between the ritual of the plague procession and the problem of contagion, and the role of music in each at both the practical and theoretical levels.
One of the most frequently held rituals when plague struck was the anti-pestilential procession, in which the participants publically expressed their contrition to God. The ritual not only addressed spiritual needs, but also strengthened civic bonds; many of the ritual elements--from the processional route, the configuration of the penitents, to the relics used, to the music performed—worked together to reinforce the civic identity of the participants.
Coming back in the end to the conflict between public ritual and contagion, I will describe an ingenious solution offered by Carlo Borromeo during the Milanese plague of 1576-78, wherein he encouraged citizens under curfew to use music to virtually create processions with their neighbours from the safety of their own homes.
Biography
Remi Chiu is assistant professor of musicology at Loyola University Maryland, specializing in early music, the history of medicine, and disability studies. He is the author of Plague and Music in the Renaissance (Cambridge University Press, 2017).