A fresco

More about the book

Internationally renowned musicologist Etienne Darbellay, celebrated for his critical editions of Girolamo Frescobaldi, is also a connoisseur who values painting as much as music, a sentiment captured in our title page. The term "fresco," referring to a mural painting technique, also alludes to Frescobaldi. The essays in this collection span various disciplines, focusing on Darbellay's preferred composer and encompassing music notation, editions, organology, music performance history, aesthetics, rhetoric, and perception. This diversity is crucial, as philology lies at the core of Darbellay's extensive work, driven by a rigorous critical approach. He views musical form as an embodiment of thought that engages the whole person and serves as a vehicle for knowledge. A comprehensive musicological reflection must integrate reason and sensation, thorough textual analysis (and even examination of paintings), alongside attentive listening to performances. This publication, honoring Darbellay, is a collective fresco that reflects his influence throughout. It features essays in German, French, English, and Italian.