The Exultet in Southern Italy [Hardcover]

Thomas Forrest Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0195095278 | ISBN-13: 978-0195095272

The Exultet rolls of southern Italy are parchment scrolls containing text and music for the blessing of the great Easter candle; they contain magnificent illustrations, often turned upside down with respect to the text, The Exultet in Southern Italy provides a broad perspective on this phenomenon that has long attracted the interest of those interested in medieval art, liturgy, and music. This book considers these documents in the cultural and liturgical context in which they were made, and provides a perspective on all aspects of this particularly southern Italian practice. While previous studies have concentrated on the illustrations in these rolls, Kelly's book also looks at the particular place of the Exultet in changing ceremonial practices, provides background on the texts and music used in southern Italy, and inquires into the manufacture and purpose of the Exultets--why they were made, who owned them, and how they were used.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a magisterial contribution, a synthesis the scope of which would daunt many scholars....The Exultet in Southern Italy succeeds handsomely in providing a much broader and more satisfying understanding of that distinctive liturgical book and, as well, offers a wealth of description, analysis, summary, primary source material, and cross-reference that will facilitate its fuller integration into medieval studies."--The Medieval Review

"Kelly's wide-ranging study leaves few issues unexamined."--Notes

"The author treats each of these topics in a careful, scholarly way and presents a clear vision of the composite nature of the Exultet rolls of southern Italy...All of this, along with a twenty-eight page bibliography, make this work a master study, bringing together the areas of scholarship which the author proposed."--Church History

About the Author

Thomas Forrest Kelly is at Harvard University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (September 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195095278
• ISBN-13: 978-0195095272
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,159,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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