Pietro Pontio on the Performance of Syncopations (1588)
‘Nonetheless there are others who are of the opinion that half of the note value of the syncopated semibreve is deemed to be dead—whereby...
Reimagining Historical Voices
‘Nonetheless there are others who are of the opinion that half of the note value of the syncopated semibreve is deemed to be dead—whereby...
‘Although they are set only in the system of the cantus, these examples of accentus and variation of intervals can be used in the other...
‘I offer you namely my arrangement of the famous Stabat mater by Palestrina, in the original manuscript of which there were no expression...
III. Diminution Diminution occurs when larger notes are broken into many parts by the smaller ones in motion. The which must not...
‘But supper having ended, and music books having been brought to the table, according to the custom: the mistress of the house presented...
Dowland’s Translation: ‘Every man lives after his owne humour; neither are all men governed by the same lawes, and divers Nations have...
‘As for singing on the book in many parts made impromptu, my sentiment is that it is almost impossible to do well… I maintain that it is...
‘What Must be Observed when Improvising a Third Part on Two Given Parts: Skilled contrapuntists occasionally want to improvise a third...
[fol. 22r.] Chapter two: of the definition and the division of melodía Melodía is to adorn and to grace the sounds of plainchant. Melodía...
The time table of daily duty was, 9 to 9.45, scale practice; 10 to 11, morning service; 11 to 12.30 or 1, music practice; 2 to 3.45,...
‘But the greatest Difficulty is to sound every Note according to its due Measure of Time; and here it is that the Singers in most Country...
‘[Alemanno Benelli:] But because of the presumptuous audacity of performers who try to invent passaggi, I will not say sometimes, but...
‘To sing with fidelity... is to sing so that anyone of those singing together should remain in the form of those notes that were...
'As for singing upon a plainsong, it has been in times past in England, as every man knows, and is at this day in other places, the...
‘Singing on the book. A Plainchant or counterpoint in four parts, which the musicians compose and sing impromptu on a single [part]:...
‘Then out the People yawl an hundred Parts, Some roar, some whine, some creak like the Wheels of Carts; Such Notes the Gam-ut yet did...
‘Today, music has such great license in churches that even along with the canon of the mass certain obscene little ditties sometimes have...
‘To teach the art of singing well and elegantly to a boy, I advise first that he choose a teacher who sings pleasantly and sweetly with a...
Question. How can one remedy the fault that a choir, when it sings a well-known church chorale without sheet music, as must often happen,...
'Among the compositions made above a cantus firmus by the masters of the art, those [made] above introits are unique, and are used...