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

An in-depth study of the late medieval chanson.

Thomas Brothers (Author)

9780521550512, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 November 1997

242 pages, 3 tables 48 music examples
25.3 x 17.8 x 1.4 cm, 0.64 kg

"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

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. Thomas Brothers thus explores the way inflections are used by the composer as an expressive tool. The background problem to which this study responds is the conceptual difficulty we have in interpreting pitch syntax in this repertory. 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. In advancing an interpretation of the musical side of the chanson, Thomas Brothers aims to bring standards closer to what has been achieved in study of sister disciplines of art and literature.

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.

Subject Areas: Medieval & Renaissance music [c 1000 to c 1600 AVGC2]