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The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained Russell McNeil, PhD Editor, Malaspina Great Books In 1862 the English literary critic and poet Matthew Arnold described Marcus Aurelius as "the most beautiful figure in history." The Stoicism of Aurelius is grounded in rationality and rests solidly on an ethical approach rooted in nature. Stoicism promises real happiness and joy in this life and a serenity that can never be soured by personal misfortune. This philosophy has universal appeal with practical implications on problems ranging from climate change and terrorism to the personal management of sickness, aging, depression and addiction. I truly believe that the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius has much to offer us now...(Click on book cover for more)

Category:	Medieval Music
Name:	Philippe de Vitry - Math Series
Birth Year:	1291
Death Year:	1361
Representative Image:
Biography, Lectures, and Research Links:	Biography - Math Series Blog Philippe de Vitry Artist Song Name Composer Composition Instrument Philippe de Vitry was one of the most prominent figures in medieval music. Not only do we know of his existence, but the dates of his birth and death are relatively certain. Vitry was the author of an important music theory text, Ars Nova, which has been taken up as the name of that entire period of music history. In the Ars Nova, Vitry is primarily concerned with expanding the rhythmic resources offered to composers. He introduces new rhythmic schemes, along with a new mensural notation which was to play an important role for more than a hundred years after his death. The main result of his innovations is that the different lines of polyphony are given much greater independence than had been done previously, during the so-called Ars Antiqua. These new rhythms included, quite significantly, the emancipation of binary rhythm which was considered not only "imperfect" but musically impossible until this time; for us, such a situation is certainly hard to believe. At any rate, Vitry was known as one of the greatest intellectuals of his time and is credited with profound knowledge in mathematics, philosophy, and rhetoric. Vitry is credited with a large role in the development of the motet. Vitry's use of rhythm occupies an intermediate place between the older style exemplified by Perotin in which voices show little rhythmic independence (instead operating as a kind of decorated monody in which chordal progression give a kaleidoscopic effect), and the more modern style of Guillaume de Machaut in which rhythmic devices are integral to a composition. Vitry's music provides much of the new technical means which would lead to the increased melodic invention and cosmopolitan subtlety of the following generations of composers, from Machaut to Guillaume Dufay. Though we do know something about Philippe de Vitry's life and his positions at the French court, less is known about his actual compositions. The only surviving works (some with greater evidence of authenticity than others) are motets. [Adapted from Karadar] The Great Books: Philippe de Vitry Please browse our Amazon list of titles about Philippe de Vitry. For rare and hard to find works we recommend our Alibris list of titles about Medieval Music. Post Comments, Questions or Suggestions! This database is maintained by Malaspina Great Books.
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Records from Related Period and Category:	Medieval Music

About this Database:

This web page is part of a biographical database on Great Ideas. These are living ideas that have shaped, defined and directed world culture for over 2,500 years. By definition the Great Ideas are radical. As such they are sometimes misread, or distorted by popular simplifications. Understanding a Great Idea demands personal engagement. Our selection of Great Ideas is drawn from literature and philosophy, science, art, music, theatre, and cinema. We also include biographies of pivotal historical and religious figures, as well as contributions from women and other historically under-represented minorities. The result is an integrated multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary database built upon the framework of the always controversial Great Books Core List published in 1940 by the late Great Books Pioneer Mortimer Adler (1902-2001). Most of the works on that list are available in the 60 volume Great Books of the Western World.