Exposing the play in Gregorian Chant: the manuscript as an opening of re-presentation

The purpose of this thesis is to review some of the concepts that are at the foundation of Gregorian chant scholarship – particularly those related to the notion of formula and concepts closely related to it, such as that of variant, identity, the oral and the written in chant transmission and the concept of meaning – and to propose a radical view that presents us with a different way of interpreting the extant evidence: one that sees the manuscripts as an opening of re-presentation, as an active and continuous process of change and innovation. The thesis incorporates post-modern/post-structural ideas developed by eminent philosopher Jacques Derrida, and comprise the concepts of play, différance, iterability, undecidability and supplementarity, which, during the course of the work, are deeply embodied in the musical realm that is the subject of the present work. The implications/consequences of the theories proposed throughout the investigation are summarised at the end of the work, and correspond to some of the types of current chant scholarship and contemporary performance practice.