Ludo ad Alludo: Exploring Emblematic Techniques in 17th- and 18th-century Keyboard Music

European keyboard music of the 17th and 18th centuries bears traces of games playing with multiple emblematic techniques. These techniques, often rich in symbolic meaning, were not only confined to music but were also prevalent in literature, visual arts, and architecture. By intertwining these emblematic elements, composers were able to create intricate layers of meaning and expression within their works.

Is it possible to detect which techniques keyboard composers used? Did the techniques and their allusions inspire new musical solutions as the composers produced their work? And how does their discovery inspire us to change the way we perform this keyboard music today? Welcome to a day conference exploring the emblematics of the “serious game” and the cultural environment in which it flourished.

Michael Dodds Associate Professor of Music History, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, US, Harald Vogel Professor Emeritus of Organ at the Hochschüle für Kunst Bremen, DE, Annette Richards Professor of Music and University Organist, Cornell University, US, Renée Barbre PhD candidate in Music Theory at Yale University, US, William Porter Professor Emeritus of Organ at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester NY, US, Tomasz Górny Assistant Professor at the Institute of Musicology of the University of Warsaw, PL, Ruth Tatlow Affiliated Researcher and Joel Speerstra Senior Lecturer in Music, both at the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg.

In collaboration with Göteborg International Organ Academy
and Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg