Il trattato di musica nell’enciclopedia De proprietatibus rerum di Bartholomaeus Anglicus
abstract
The De proprietatibus rerum by Bartholomaeus Anglicus is an encyclopaedic compilation written in Latin between 1230 and 1240. Seven translations were made in the 14th-15th centuries, in French, in Occitan, in English, in Dutch, in Spanish and in Italian. The last chapter is dedicated to music, with descriptions of fourteen instruments. The author’s main sources are the Etymologies of Isidore of Seville and Boethius’ De institutione musica. Translations into romance languages often abbreviate and alter the text, changing the names of instruments, adding or removing details. The article aims to illustrate the problem of translation from Latin to vernacular and to analyse the nomenclature and description of musical instruments.
Keywords: Medieval Musical Instruments • Latin Terminology • Vernacular terminology • Bartholomaeus Anglicus • Treatise on Music • Medieval Encyclopaedia