Description
This study examines Wilhelm Tell's function as a musical symbol during the transformative period of 1750-1798 in the Swiss Confederation. Drawing upon Braudel's conceptualization of the Mediterranean as "a sea ringed round by mountains," I investigate how Tell's musical representations negotiated complex political and cultural identities within Switzerland as a critical Alpine-Mediterranean borderland. The research traces how musical narratives about Tell circulated transnationally, mediating between revolutionary French influences, Italian traditions, and Germanic cultural expressions. Following the French occupation and establishment of the Helvetic Republic in 1798, Tell's musical embodiments reflected heightened political tensions and competing national narratives. Through analysis of key works, particularly Grétry's 1791 opera "Guillaume Tell," I demonstrate how Tell functioned simultaneously as French revolutionary music and Swiss patriotic symbol. Methodologically, this research emphasizes mobility over fixed national categories, examining archival materials from Swiss and French collections to trace Tell's sonic journey across political boundaries. My analysis of political songs and ritual music reveals how distinctively Alpine musical gestures encoded Tell's narrative while adapting Mediterranean republican ideals. This research contributes to our understanding of late 18th-century transnational musical networks, illuminating how the Alpine-Mediterranean nexus functioned as a dynamic space of cultural exchange during this pivotal historical moment.
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