Cambridge Introductions to Music James Grier Musical Notation in the West Musical Notation in the West Musical notation is a powerful system of communication between musicians,usingsophisticatedsymbolic,primarilynon-verbalmeans toexpressmusicaleventsinvisualsymbols.Manymusicianstakethe system for granted, having internalized it and their strategies for readingitandtranslatingitintosoundoverlongyearsofstudyand practice. This book traces the development of that system by combining chronological and thematic approaches to show the historical and musical context in which these developments took place. Simultaneously, the book considers the way in which this symbolic language communicates to those literate in it, discussing howitsfeaturesfacilitateorhinderfluentcomprehensioninthereal- timeenvironmentofperformance.Moreover,thetopicofmusicalas opposed to notational innovation forms another thread of the treatment, as the author investigates instances where musical developments stimulated notational attributes, or notational innovationsmadepracticableadvancesinmusicalstyle. james grier is Professor of Music History at the University of WesternOntarioandFellowoftheRoyalSocietyofCanada.Hehas written The Critical Editing of Music (Cambridge University Press, 1996; Spanish translation 2008), and three books on the music of AdémardeChabannes,eleventh-centuryAquitanianmonk. Acompletelistofbooksintheseriesisfeaturedatthebackofthisbook. Musical Notation in the West james grier UniversityofWesternOntario UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom OneLibertyPlaza,20thFloor,NewYork,NY10006,USA 477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,VIC3207,Australia 314–321,3rdFloor,Plot3,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre, NewDelhi–110025,India 79AnsonRoad,#06–04/06,Singapore079906 CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge. ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence. www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521898164 DOI:10.1017/9781139034821 ©CambridgeUniversityPress2021 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2021 PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJBooksLimited,PadstowCornwall AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. ISBN978-0-521-89816-4Hardback ISBN978-0-521–72642-9Paperback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain, accurateorappropriate. To Dr. Victoria L. Cooper Contents ListofFigures [pageix] ListofTables [xii] ListofMusicalExamples [xiii] Preface [xv] 1 Introduction:MusicalNotationasaSymbolic Language [1] 2 PlainsongandtheOriginsofMusicalNotation intheWest [8] TheEarliestNeumes [15] TheEarliestNeumes:Directionality [17] TheEarliestNeumes:GroupingandLigation [22] TheEarliestNeumes:MelodicNuances [28] TheEarliestNeumes:ACommonAncestorandItsDissemination [35] Pitch [37] LaterChantNotation [40] Interlude1:TheProblemwithPitch [53] 3 PolyphonyandRhythmicNotation [61] TheRhythmicModes [63] TheRhythmicModes:Proprietasetperfectio [71] TheRhythmicModes:OppositeProprietyandthePlica,Fractioetcollectio, IndividualNotesandRests [78] SixModesorTwo? [81] MensuralNotation:LambertusandFranco [85] Thearsnoua [96] ColorationandProportion [111] DevelopmentsoftheFifteenthandSixteenthCenturies [121] TheTransitiontoModernRhythmicNotationinthe SixteenthandSeventeenthCenturies [128] RestsandNoteNames [132] Interlude2:RhythmandMetre [135] vii viii Contents 4 TheTransitiontotheModernEra:InstrumentalMusicand PerformingIndications [142] KeyboardTablatures [143] LuteTablatures [151] TheAdoptionofVocalNotationbyInstrumentalists [160] FiguredBassNotation [162] IdiosyncraticNotationforInstruments [163] BibliographyofNotationalTechniques [164] Accidentals,Mode,KeyandSignatures [166] Dynamics,TempoandExpression [176] Interlude3:TheScore [181] 5 NotationalNuanceintheTwentiethCentury andtheMotivesforNotationalInnovation [190] PerformingTechniques [193] Rhythm [194] Pitch [196] AleatoricNotation [197] TheTensionbetweenCompositionandPerformance, andNotationalInnovation [200] Coda:TheMeaningofMusicalLiteracy [206] Bibliography [224] Index [265]