Mesomedes’ Hymn to the Sun (2nd c. AD): the precipitation of logos in the melos
Mesomedes was a renowned composer in the court of the Roman emperor Hadrianus (2nd c. AD). The manuscript tradition has transmitted to us, along with a number of other works of his, the relatively extensive Hymn to the Sun, practically complete as regards both word and music texts. The present paper attempts to associate the semantic content of the words with the melo-rhythmic forms selected by the composer, which “develop” it in the area of musical expression.
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