New Sources and Tools in lauda Research

20–21 October 2026, Rome

Call for Papers

International Conference

The lauda is a poetic and musical genre that originated before 1200 and flourished, through adaptations, transformations and reinterpretations, until well into the 19th century. Used by laY confraternities and religious orders to accompany paraliturgical prayer, it employs the vernacular language and easy-to-sing melodies as a means of devotion and for spreading religious values. In this context, the project ERC AdG LAUDARE aims to investigate the Italian lauda in its intrinsic intermedial dimension, through the collection and analysis of the whole corpus of preserved texts with musical notation up to the mid-16th century. Specific attention is paid to the composition and transmission of texts and melodies, examined in the light of the processes rooted in orality. The project also envisages the creation of a database effectively capable of capturing the multimodal complexity of the repertoire and providing a cross-cutting analytical tool.

The IBIMUS-Institute of Musical Bibliography in Rome, the University of Trento and the ERC AdG LAUDARE project – in collaboration with the National Central Library of Rome – are organising an international conference to be held in Rome, hosted by the National Central Library, from 20 to 21 October 2026, to be followed by the publication of a peer-reviewed volume. The initiative aims to broaden the scope of studies on the genre, considered throughout the chronological evolution from its origins to the 18th century, and welcomes original contributions that address the topic through a fruitful interdisciplinary approach centred on – but not limited to – the following areas:

• New lauda sources, historical and documentary evidence, and their context;

• Dissemination of lauda culture and its key figures;

• Forms of popular devotion;

• Connections with other genres (liturgical chant, hymnography, oratorio,

• secular music);

• Performance practice and organisation of the sound space;

• Digital humanities and new tools for research and analysis;

• Digital resources for education, promotion and dissemination;

• Methodological, analytical and historiographical models.

The official languages of the conference are English and Italian. Each proposal should include an abstract (maximum 300 words), a short biographical note (maximum 100 words) and any audio/visual equipment requirements. Proposals must be submitted to lauda.conference2026@gmail.com no later than 15 July 2026. Acceptance of the proposals will be communicated by 31 July 2026.

The conference will take place in person; format of presentations: 20 minutes + 10 minutes Q&A.

Contact

Full CfP

Musicologie.org, 56 rue de la Fédération, 93100 Montreuil. 06 06 61 73 41.

ISSN 2269-9910.

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Dimanche 6 Septembre, 2026