Rachel Golden, Ph.D. 2000

Advisor: John Nádas and James McKinnon

Dissertation Title: Devotion to the Virgin Mary in Twelfth-Century Aquitanian Versus

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Dissertation Abstract:

Twelfth-century Aquitanian versus, collected at the abbey of Saint Martial in Limoges, have won musicological attention as early representatives of freely-composed, practical polyphony. Recent studies focus on transcription methods, manuscript transmission and musical style, but rarely textual content. I posit that additional insight into the significance and function of the versus can be gained by studying the texts as their compositional inspiration. The versus deal largely with the Virgin Mary and stand among the first musical repertories of the twelfth-century Marian cult. This fact has been noted occasionally by scholars but has not been explored systematically. I analyze versus portrayals of Mary through poetic imagery and biblical allegory and contextualize the texts in terms of patristic thought. 

In chapter 1, I explain my methodology and review previous research. I present three reasons to read versus texts closely: the texts reveal the theological concerns of the monks who wrote them; music and text compellingly interact in the versus; and the tone of the texts suggests the versus’ possible function. In particular, I believe that the exploratory, sometimes unconventional, nature of the poems supports James Grier’s notion that versus are monastic, paraliturgical inspirations. Chapter 2 discusses treatments of Mary’s virginity, the most popular topic of Marian reverence in the versus. I focus on several common biblical allegories for virginity: Gideon’s fleece, Daniel’s mountain, the burning bush, and Jesse’s rod. In my analyses, I suggest that chronological distinctions in poetic style parallel recognized trends in musical construction. Specifically, I assert that the more intricate musical settings of later versus, as recognized by Leo Treitler, were created to conform to a corresponding poetic artifice. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 consider presentations of Mary as mother, mediatrix, and bride, respectively. Chapter 6 explores ways in which Marian appellations of mother, daughter, and bride merge, in keeping with developing Marian exegesis. The symbol of the lily exemplifies overlapping imagery between Mary and Christ, demonstrating how selected versus elevate Mary’s importance to rival that of God himself. Volume 2 of the dissertation contains my transcriptions and translations of the Marian versus. 

Dr. Golden has been Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she also serves as coordinator of musicology. Her research focuses on medieval music, through which she explores issues of monastic devotion, song of the Crusades, gendered expression, and words-music relationships. In 2020, she published the monograph Mapping Medieval Identities in Occitanian Crusade Song, and she is in the process of co-editing a volume entitled Gender and Voice in Medieval French Literature with Katherine Kong.