Translation and/as Accompaniment
A Program in Translation Lecture about Translation and Music
Abstract:
How might we think about music – supposedly a universal language - in terms of translation? I will consider the translator as a kind of accompanist - engaged in playful dialogue with the lead author - and the accompanist as a kind of translator, who facilitates and enables the reception of the soloist’s performance. My remarks will thus dwell on the relationship between language and music, between notions of single authorship and collaboration, between reading and performance. These considerations will draw on recent work in translation studies and music history, citing examples from Renaissance poetry, Chopin’s cello sonata, Katy Briggs (This Little Art) and Gerald Moore (The Unashamed Accompanist).
Co-Sponsored by the Program in Translation, Department of Music, Program in Linguistics and the Program in Italian Studies