Catullus in Twentieth-Century Music: Lyrics and Lyricism

One of the most famous voices to have survived from the Roman world, Catullus’s poetry is still amongst the most popular and widely read. But what is it that makes this 2,000-year-old voice so relevant, so personal, and so endlessly fascinating? Reinvigorating discussions around the nature of Catullus’s lyricism, Catullus in Twentieth-Century Music takes a completely new approach to Catullus and ideas of lyric. It centres around four musical works from the twentieth century, each one capturing the essence of Catullus in musical retellings and showcasing a very personal response to the original text. Considering how and why these musical composers used Catullus’s poetry as their stimulus allows us to uncover new ideas about Catullus’s poetry. By considering the very process of reception, Stephanie Oade takes a broader view of lyric, identifying traits and characteristics that are common to both music and poetry, thus transcending the boundaries of individual art forms in order to consider the genre in larger, interdisciplinary terms. It offers insights into compositional processes and challenges audiences to think about ways of engaging with music and poetry. More than anything, it shows how ancient voices continue to resound in modernity and offer everlasting expression for our own experiences and emotions.

Stephanie Oade, Teacher of Classics and Head of Quadrivium, Oundle School

Stephanie Oade gained her DPhil in Classical Languages and Literature from Oxford University under the auspices of the Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme. She has first class honours degrees in music from the Royal Northern College of Music and in classics from Manchester University, as well as postgraduate qualifications from the Royal Academy of Music. Before her DPhil, she was a professional musician, performing as a cellist in Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the UK’s leading orchestras. Since 2017, she has been Head of Quadrivium and Teacher of Classics at Oundle School alongside which she continues to pursue her research interests.