Abstract

In a EU-funded project at the University of Bristol, musicologists, an historian and a music palaeographer explored the theological and compositional aspects of the Old Hispanic liturgy, sung on the Iberian peninsula until c.1080. Old Hispanic notation cannot be transcribed and performed. Instead, the team of academics collaborated with composers, sharing research findings that inspired the composition of new works that attempted to recreate something of this medieval liturgy’s devotional or cultural impact in a modern context.

This paper examines how composer Litha Efthymiou used the un-pitched Old Hispanic notation as well as particular dramatic elements within the liturgy, as a springboard for her multidisciplinary work Myisi. It focusses on the process of collaboration with colleagues on the Old Hispanic Office project and the artists involved in its creation. These experiences will be illustrated through video footage and photographs of the performances of the final work at the Tete a Tete opera festival. Please see a short film of the final work here: https://vimeo.com/135793871