§ Rhetoric - Dikmans on Historical Performance

# Rhetoric ![[Rhetoricae-gratos-sermoni.jpg]] Rhetorica – Cornelis Cort (1533?-1578) [^1] Rhetoricae gratos sermoni astuta cólores quo dulcius fluat is ad aureis, adycit Rhetoric adds cunning colors to the speech, making it flow more sweetly to the ears [^1]: Source of *Rhetorica* by Cornelis Cort: [Folger Shakespeare Library](https://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~53562~103991:Rhetoricae-gratos-sermoni-astuta-c%25C3%25B3%3Fsort%3Dcall_number%252Cmpsortorder1%252Ccd_title%252Cimprint?qvq=q:cort;sort:call_number%2Cmpsortorder1%2Ccd_title%2Cimprint;lc:FOLGERCM1~6~6&mi=3&trs=9) A woman wearing classical robes and holding a caduceus is seated on a throne-like chair, beneath her is the label "Rhetorica." To her left is a man seated on the ground writing on a tablet. An old man with a long beard leans over his shoulder. At the woman's feet is a pile of books, each labeled with a name: Cicero, Hortensius, Aeschines, Isocrates, Demosthenes, Quintilianus. Two birds are perched on top of the pile. A courtyard is visible through an open window, where a platform has been set up against a building wall. A few figures are standing on the platform and a crowd of people is grouped below it. A caduceus is an ancient Greek or Roman herald's wand, typically one with two serpents twined round it, carried by the messenger god Hermes or Mercury. #rhetoric --- ## Table of Contents - [[The Performer as Orator]] - The **Performer as Orator** is fundamentally important in any discussion of performance practice, in particular the performance of Western music from the 17th and 18th centuries. - [[The Nature of Rhetoric#Primary or Functional Rhetoric|Primary Rhetoric]] — the _art of persuasion_ — [[Pathopoeia|aims to produce emotion (pathopoeia)]]. - [[The Nature of Rhetoric]] - The differences between **Primary** and **Secondary Rhetoric**, and an explanation of the **Precepts of Rhetoric**. - Primary Rhetoric (Functional Rhetoric) — **the art of persuasion** — [[Pathopoeia|aims to produce emotion (pathopoeia)]] and is the core of a communication. - This is the main concern of the [[The Performer as Orator]]. - [[Sources of Classical Rhetoric]] - Notes on the sources I looked at in my research into Classical Rhetoric. --- > [!quote] *Some people are aware of the importance of rhetoric, but have never bothered to find out how it works, and are content to let someone else do it for them*. > > – Brian Vickers: *In Defence of Rhetoric* (1988) --- > [!external-link] Offsite Links > - [Silva Rhetoricae](https://rhetoric.byu.edu/) > - **Silva Rhetoricae** (‘The Forstest of Rhetoric’) is an excellent resources that is intended to help beginners, as well as experts, make sense of rhetoric. --- This section of the website presents some of the PhD research I undertook at The University of Melbourne many years ago. I never submitted a final thesis (I was far more interested in playing), but the research has sustained and inspired me through most of my career as a performer. © Greg Dikmans