“Sowndys and melodiis”: Perceptions of Sound and Music in Late Medieval England

The perception of sound by individuals and the meanings that they attributed to sounds heard and unheard are revealed in various texts from the later Middle Ages. Many writers incorporated reference to ‘heavenly’ or ‘hellish’ sounds into their religious writings, often as a metaphor for the divine or as representative of more earthly, morally corrupting delights. This chapter draws on texts by mystics and religious commentators whose writings were considered unorthodox, in order to examine how sound was understood by individuals living on the fringes of official religious doctrine. Examples include the spiritual song of Richard Rolle, sounds experienced by Margery Kempe, and the description of performance found in the reforming tracts of John Wycliffe. These were individuals whose personal spirituality was both informed by the teachings of the Christian church and in some ways positioned in opposition to it. My purpose is not to attempt a recreation of the sound of a specific piece of music, nor to summarise the different musical sounds (vocal, instrumental, percussive) familiar to members of medieval society in their daily lives. Rather, I interrogate the issue of what musical sound meant to religious writers of the age

Fourteenth-Century Music

Review of several newly released recordings of fourteenth-century music

Medievalism, music and agency in The Wicker Man (1973)

The community of Summerisle is characterised by contradiction and ambiguity. The pseudo-pagan rituals in The Wicker Man (dir. Robin Hardy, 1973) are enacted through elaborate trickery and deception, and ostensibly draw upon a set of local beliefs, rooted in occult historical practices related to springtime, fertility, and harvest. The villagers are framed as modern-day peasants, subject to the ultimate control of their feudal Lord, whose leadership of the community culminates in his role as master of ceremonies in the three-day ritual that provides the film’s narrative frame. The villagers are ultimately responsible for the sacrificial murder of policeman Sergeant Neil Howie, and seem unfazed by the brutality of their communal act. An ancient past, whose practices were revived by Lord Summerisle’s Victorian grandfather, is pitched against the urgency of the present in which Sergeant Howie searches for missing girl Rowan Morrison against the ticking clock of a murderous Mayday rite. The significance of medievalism found in The Wicker Man’s score lies in its role not only of underpinning the narrative through its blend of music history and folklore—both of which were genuinely revived in the nineteenth century—but also in its contribution to crafting a sense of moral legitimacy to the final, brutal climax, justifying the act of murder itself. The music of The Wicker Man possesses its own agency, but its placement and synthesis with the visuals makes it very difficult for the audience to know whether music signals something positive or negative; the effect is frequently unsettling

Music, text and structure in fourteenth-century English polyphony: the case of Ave miles celestis curie

The present article demonstrates the complexity of musico-textual relationships in Ave miles celestis curie, a fourteenth-century polyphonic song whose generic markers relate it to both English troped chant settings and to the motet. Ave miles celestis curie was written in honour of the St Edmund, King and Martyr, whose cult flourished in England, particularly in East Anglia. Through a fresh analysis of the tenor parts, lyrics, and structural elements, I argue that previous discussions of Ave miles celestis curie have overlooked some of the musical and textual troping on which it is based. Furthermore, Ave miles celestis curie is used to interrogate assumptions about the limitations of analysing English music in comparison with contemporary French motets; rather than being only generic in sentiment, I argue for fresh investigation into individual pieces to reconsider the presence subtle relationships between music and text

Activation of matrix metalloproteinases following anti-Aβ immunotherapy; implications for microhemorrhage occurrence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anti-Aβ immunotherapy is a promising approach to the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) currently in clinical trials. There is extensive evidence, both in mice and humans that a significant adverse event is the occurrence of microhemorrhages. Also, vasogenic edema was reported in phase 2 of a passive immunization clinical trial. In order to overcome these vascular adverse effects it is critical that we understand the mechanism(s) by which they occur.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have examined the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) protein degradation system in two previously published anti-Aβ immunotherapy studies. The first was a passive immunization study in which we examined 22 month old APPSw mice that had received anti-Aβ antibodies for 1, 2 or 3 months. The second is an active vaccination study in which we examined 16 month old APPSw/NOS2-/- mice treated with Aβ vaccination for 4 months.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There is a significant activation of the MMP2 and MMP9 proteinase degradation systems by anti-Aβ immunotherapy, regardless of whether this is delivered through active vaccination or passive immunization. We have characterized this activation by gene expression, protein expression and zymography assessment of MMP activity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Since the MMP2 and MMP9 systems are heavily implicated in the pathophysiology of intracerbral hemorrhage, these data may provide a potential mechanism of microhemorrhage due to immunotherapy. Increased activity of the MMP system, therefore, is likely to be a major factor in increased microhemorrhage occurrence.</p

Interdisciplinary Transgender Veteran Care: Development of a Core Curriculum for VHA Providers

Purpose: The Veteran\u27s Health Administration (VHA) has created a training program for interdisciplinary teams of providers on the unique treatment needs of transgender veterans. An overview of this program\u27s structure and content is described along with an evaluation of each session and the program overall. Methods: A specialty care team delivered 14 didactic courses supplemented with case consultation twice per month over the course of 7 months through video teleconferencing to 16 teams of learners. Each team, consisting of at least one mental health provider (e.g., social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist) and one medical provider (e.g., physician, nurse, physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, or pharmacist), received training and consultation on transgender veteran care. Results: In the first three waves of learners, 111 providers across a variety of disciplines attended the sessions and received training. Didactic topics included hormone therapy initiation and adjustments, primary care issues, advocacy within the system, and psychotherapy issues. Responses were provided to 39 veteran-specific consult questions to augment learning. Learners reported an increase in knowledge plus an increase in team cohesion and functioning. As a result, learners anticipated treating more transgender veterans in the future. Conclusion: VHA providers are learning about the unique healthcare needs of transgender veterans and benefitting from the training opportunity offered through the Transgender Specialty Care Access Network-Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes program. The success of this program in training interdisciplinary teams of providers suggests that it might serve as a model for other large healthcare systems. In addition, it provides a path forward for individual learners (both within VHA and in the community) who wish to increase their knowledge