Performing Shakespeare: from symbolic notation to sonification

We present an ongoing project using Joshua Steele’s symbolic notation to represent prosody in Eighteenth Century dramatic performances. We discuss the sonification of the original notation to simulate the work and how it can be used to support other experiments. Drawing on two experimental models and their different methodologies, we consider how the digitised version relates to the historical work and the challenges that they bring. The framework and challenges for marking up the current work using semantic web technology, such as the PROV ontology, we demonstrate a notebook tool that links user annotations to the generated audio model, to store revisions and edits for re-use. This project demonstrates sonification’s use as an experimental Humanities tool and as a way of thinking about historical prosody models.