In the visual arts, anamorphosis is a technical term for a distorted image that changes appearance with an altered perspective, usually revealed through projection or as seen through a special lens. As used in the context of this 2019 release by Vincent Dumestre and Le Poème Harmonique, the word has a somewhat ambiguous musical meaning, suggesting the duality of sacred and secular characteristics that became a hallmark of early Baroque music. This metaphorical sense of anamorphosis is illustrated by the Miserere of Gregorio ...
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In the visual arts, anamorphosis is a technical term for a distorted image that changes appearance with an altered perspective, usually revealed through projection or as seen through a special lens. As used in the context of this 2019 release by Vincent Dumestre and Le Poème Harmonique, the word has a somewhat ambiguous musical meaning, suggesting the duality of sacred and secular characteristics that became a hallmark of early Baroque music. This metaphorical sense of anamorphosis is illustrated by the Miserere of Gregorio Allegri, which was originally composed as an austere homophonic setting of Psalm 50, as approved by the Catholic Church after the Council of Trent, but was reworked over time through elaborate embellishments and expressive dissonances that emphasized the emotional power of certain words. Another feature of anamorphosis in Baroque music was the use of operatic material adapted to the needs of the Counter-Reformation, which originated in the Renaissance parody masses, where popular...
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