The art and science of canon in the music of early 17th-century Rome (2018-2021)

This project aims to investigate the cultivation of musical canons by early 17th-century Roman composers and assess how the spirit of experimentation in these compositions relates to contemporary scientific thought. The project uses innovative computational tools to identify compositional choices in musical canon. It investigates how creative forces arising from early 17th-century scientific thought motivated these choices. The project intends to transform historical and aesthetic understanding of this repertoire and reshape current narratives about the musical priorities of this period. This will significantly benefit understanding of the relationship between advances in the sciences, arts and music in the early 17th century.