Intro to White Mensural Notation Jadwiga Krzyzanowska Prepared for KWDMS 20 ! Clefs ( "lef % "lef " "lef #he line through #he line the $lef #he line the $lef is ( $urls around is % through the $lef &elow Middle " is Middle " a&o'e Middle " Mensurations More ,or *ess- Note Name Modern ./ui'alent Rest *onga Modus Perfectus Modus I+perfe$tus Perfe$t I+perfect )re'e #e+pus Perfe$tu+ #e+pus I+Perfectu+ Prolatio Ma0or Se+ibre'e Prolatio Minor Mini+ Se+imini+ ,"rotchet) (usa 2 Mensuration Signs Sy+&ol #e+pus Perfectu+ Perfectu+ I+Perfe$tu+ I+Perfectu+ Prolatio Major Minor Ma0or Minor Divisions 1e$$o++ended Modern #ime Signature Special Mensuration Signs *ine through Mensuration Sign "alled Alla )reve 2lla )re'e Still I+Perfectu+ Minor Italian for 32t the )re'e4 ! Indi$ates Mini+s are in groups of ! Sa+e Mensuration, &ut twi$e as fast6 Other Stuff to Know "ustos (lat 1epeat Sign Signu+ "ongruentiae 7$$urs at the end of a line. So+etimes one "adence Point ,2ll 'oi$es #ells what the pit$h of the like this is at the $o+e together- or end of a piece.666 Sign for where to start or note on the ne8t line is6 Sharp end a $anon. ! Ligatures 2pel5 Willi , 9: -6 #he Notation of Polyphonic Musi$5 900– 600 * < *ong 1ule of Thu+&= Don't $hange syllables on a ligature6 ) < )re'e S < Se+i&re'e Punctis Aug+entionis Only in Imperfe$t Mensurations Dots act like in Modern Notation: 2dds one half the length of the note If I+perfect Mensuration, this would ha'e the 'alue of ! "rot$hets I+perfection @ In #empus Perfe$tum, )re'es are &y default worth ! Semibre'es In #e+pus Perfe$tu+5 )re'es are Sometimes worth 2 Se+i&re'es In the following e8a+ples, the modern notation has been hal'ed for clarity6 < < < Tempus Perfe$tu+ Prolatio Minor If a Breve is followed by a note or rest that has a length of a Bre'e or greater5 the Breve is Perfe$t?worth 3 Semi&reves6 If a Breve is followed by 3 Se+i&reves5 the Bre'e is Perfe$t6 If a Breve is followed by a group of smaller notes that e/ual ! Semi&reves5 the Breve is Perfe$t6 If a Breve is followed by 2 Semi&reves5 the Breve is Perfe$t6 ,#he se$ond Se+i&re'e turns into an I+perfe$t )re'e6 #his will &e e8plained later6- If a Breve is followed by 1 Se+i&reve5 the Breve is Imperfe$t?worth 2 Semi&reves If a Breve is followed by 1 Se+i&reve worth of notes5 the Bre'e is Imperfe$t?worth 2 Se+i&reves If a Breve is followed by more than three Semi&reves5 the Breve is Imperfe$t6 If a Breve is pre$eded by 1 Semi&reve5 the Breve is Imperfe$t If a Breve is pre$eded by more than three Se+i&reves5 the Bre'e is I+perfe$t6 If a Breve is pre$eded by and followed by a Se+i&reve5 the Se+i&reve following the Breve does the I+perfe$ting6 1ests cannot be Imperfe$ted6 1ests can I+perfe$t Bre'es6 These are Guidelines6 They are not hard and fast rules6 I+perfection A #e+pus Perfe$tus Prolatio Ma0or #e+pus I+Perfe$tum Prolation Major Minims can I+perfe$t Semi&reves6 Mini+s can Imperfe$t Breves and Longas6 #his is $alled Partial I+perfe$tion6 %eneral Assumtion: 2 )reves to a Longa6 #his leads to weird co+&inations5 espe$ially in Tempus Perfe$tus Prolatio Ma0or6 (or e8ample5 you can get re$ursi'e Imperfe$tion #he weird stuff doesn't happen often in a$tual musi$5 but it's written a&out at length in musi$ treatises6 2lteration 2lteration o$$urs when there are two Semi&reves following a Breve6 #he se$ond Semi&reve turns into an Imperfe$ted Bre'e6 Punctis Divisionis In Perfe$t Mensurations (.verything E8$ept Tempus Imperfe$tus Prolation Minor-5 a dot after a note can indi$ate that the rules of imperfe$tion are to done differently than e8pe$ted6 (or E8ample= )y default indi$ates indi$ates #he Dot indi$ates that the Semi&re'e before the dot Imperfe$ts the Breve before the dot6 #he two Semi&reves form the alteration dis$ussed a&o'e5 thus the se$ond Semi&reve be$o+es an Imperfe$t Breve6 What>s Not Co'ered In This Handout : Sometimes in musi$ written in white notation some of the notes are $olored Coloration &la$k or red6 #his is a way of $hanging the meter midCpie$e6 #o find out more5 $he$k the Re$o++ended Reading6 Sometimes there will &e num&ers or fra$tions written in the musi$6 #his is Proportions another way to alter the meter midCpie$e6 #o find out +ore5 $he$k the 1e$ommended Reading6 7ften there will &e notes in the musi$ that need to &e altered even though no Musica Fi$ta a$$identals are written in the +usi$6 2 general rule of thu+& is if there's a tritone &etween the $antus firmus ,usually &ottom line with lots of long notes) and an upper line5 alter the upper line note to fi8 it6 7K alterations: ) ; )fD (C(sD .C.fD "C"s6 There>s a bit more to it than this5 but this will get you pretty far6 Where to (ind (acsimiles http=EEimslp6orgEwikiE"ategory= AthC$enturyFfa$similes *a&orde Chansonnier "hansonnier Cordiforme http=EEimslp6orgEwikiE"ategory= :thC$enturyFfa$si+iles .arly .nglish Books Online http=EEee&o6$hadwy$k6$o+Eho+e Gou may ha'e a$$ess through your University *ots of English Madrigals Digital Ar$hive of Medieval Musi$ http=EEwww6dia++6a$6uk/ %)C*&l Add6 3 922 http=EEwww6dia++6a$6uk/0spEDes$riptionsIop<S7H1".Jsour$eKey< 2!K 1eco++ended 1eading #he Notation of Polyphoni$ Musi$ 900 – :00 by Wili 2pel #he &ook that all of the other sour$es /uote6 Gou Should pro&a&ly own it if you want to do trans$ription6 Availa&le on Amazon new for under $!0 at the time of this writing6 http=EEstdionysius6lo$ha$6s$a6orgE$ollegepro0e$tsEtwmnlt6ht+l Was originally going to use this as the “te8t&ook” for the class6 http=EEieee6uwaterloo6$aEpraetzel/+p!C$dEinfoEray&roEinde8 6html http=EEen6wikipedia6orgEwikiEMensural_notation http=EEanaigeon6free6frEeFmensurFintro6html #he Notation of Western Musi$ by Ri$hard Rastall Dis$usses these topi$s6 If you have to pi$k one &ook, I re$ommend Apel's &ook. Tools Used for Handout *i&re7ffi$e I+press *ilypond 7oo*ilypond Plugin Galliarde 29 from "laude Gervaise>s (ourth Book of Dances M Hpper Part from 2ve 1egina "aelorum N Dufay K 9 10 .