Laurence Wuidar#
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE #
Born in 1978, she completed her PhD in Musicology at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) in 2007, a M.A. in Art History in 2003, and a M.A. in Palaeography, Diplomatic, Archives at the School of the Vatican Secret Archives in 2008. She began her PhD with a Research Grant from the Wiener-Anspach Foundation to go to Cambridge University then had a four years research grant from the FNRS-FRS (the Belgian National Trust for Scientifical Research), and research grant from the Collegio dei Fiamminghi at the University of Bologna and one from the Belgian Historical Institute in Rome. She was then Research Fellow at the Warburg Institute from London University and is now Post-doctoral researcher at the FNRS-FRS as well as assistant in Bologna University in charge of the course of Philosophy of Music. She won the price of the Belgian Royal Academy for an essay on music and emblematic literature in 2008, in the same year she organized an international conference on music and esotericism in Rome and published her two first books in French (Peter Lang and Brepols). She is editing the volume Music and Esotericism for Brill (2010) and wrote her third book, in Italian, on philosophy of music, also published in 2010.
RESEARCH ORIENTATION #
My researches focus on the role and status of music within history of sciences, philosophy and theology. On the one hand, I deal with music in relation to astronomy and astrology within the Renaissance episteme of magic from the pythagorico-platonic tradition to the scientific revolution of the 17th century as well as the interaction between music and medicine in demonological treaties. On the other hand, I am working on philosophy of musical enigmas and musical cryptic language. I am now beginning new research on music in philosophical and theological literature starting with musical images, analogies and metaphors in Augustine. The various paths of my research – from patristic literature to scientific revolutions – all tend to deepen the comprehension of the interaction between music, history of science, philosophy and theology.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS #
Books:
- Musique et astrologie après le concile de Trente, Brepols, 2008.
- Canons énigmes et hiéroglyphes musicaux dans l’Italie du 17ème siècle, Peter Lang, 2008.
- L’angelo e il girasole. Conversazioni filosofico-musicali, ESD, 2010.