Reconsidering the Figurenlehre in light of the treatises Musica Poetica (Joachim Burmeister, 1606) and Musices Poeticae (Johannes Nucius, 1613)

• Grant number: 25/07761-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Music
• Principal Investigator: Monica Isabel Lucas
• Grantee: Pedro Seara Pastor
• Supervisor: Bettina Varwig
• Host Institution: Escola de Comunicações e Artes (ECA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Cambridge, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/17857-3 - The concept of rhetorical-musical figure in the treatises Musica Poetica (1606) by Joachim Burmeister and Musices poeticae, sive De compositione cantus praeceptiones (1613) by Johannes Nucius., BP.MS

Abstract

The study of 17th-century musica poetica is rooted in the theoretical frameworks of Figurenlehre, a concept from the early 20th century that classifies melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns as markers of textual meaning. They are often seen as having independent emotional significance, supposedly reflecting the Baroque emphasis on codifying affect. Despite its influence, the Figurenlehre approach frequently operates in isolation, neglecting potential intersections with linguistic studies on rhetoric and figures of speech. This research seeks to interrogate and expand the conceptual boundaries of musical-rhetorical figures by engaging with insights from linguistic theory, drawing on the classical foundations and the deconstructive modern approaches. In its methodology, the study centers on the analysis of the two first treatises to present musical-rhetorical figures: Joachim Burmeister's Musica Poetica (1606) and Johannes Nucius's Musices Poeticae (1613), with particular attention to their conceptualisations of musical-rhetorical figures, its relationship to the "non-figure" and their underlying rhetorical models. Key questions include: What are the implications of Burmeister's and Nucius' differing approaches? To what extent were these definitions informed by contemporary rhetorical theory, as opposed to mere terminological innovation? What do these distinctions reveal about the theoretical foundations of the Figurenlehre tradition? By addressing these questions, this study aims to explore the analytical scope of 17th-century musical theory. In doing so, it seeks to critically reassess the conservation of traditional Figurenlehre frameworks in studies of musical-rhetorical figures.