Chromatic Beauty in the Late Medieval Chanson: An Interpretation of Manuscript Accidentals

by Thomas Brothers

Overview

This book provides an in-depth study of the late medieval chanson, from Gace Brulé through Guillaume Du Fay. It is largely concerned with interpretation of the way accidentals function, not only at the level of local detail but also as part of the overall design, and explores the way inflections are used by the composer as an expressive tool. Support for this approach comes from reference to causa pulchritudinis ("by reason of beauty"), a justification for chromatic writing first encountered at the beginning of the fourteenth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521028882
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/02/2006
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.69(w) x 9.65(h) x 0.59(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction: Musica ficta, causa pulchritudinis; 1. Trouvère manuscript O; 2. Machaut's polyphonic songs; 3. MSS Chantilly Musée Condé 564 and Oxford, Bodleian Library, Canonici Misc. 213; 4. Du Fay: mid-century developments; List of works cited; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"I like this book. It is well written and edited, and it is argued both subtly and strongly...it presents a point of view that has always been present in our field though rarely discussed clearly." Peter Urquhart, Notes

From the Publisher