Tinctoris and signa congruentiae: a new perspective

Whittaker, Adam (2019) Tinctoris and signa congruentiae: a new perspective. Early Music History, 38. pp. 269-303. ISSN 0261-1279

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Abstract

The notational treatises of Johannes Tinctoris are among the most important texts on late fifteenth-century musical practice. His monumental treatise on the art of counterpoint, De arte contrapuncti, affords modern scholars a great insight into the intricacies of counterpoint practice on the cusp of the era of music theory printing. In the examples for this text, Tinctoris regularly uses additional markers to raise the visual profile of specific moments of a musical demonstration. These signs often closely resemble signa congruentiae, though their function in these theoretical contexts is somewhat different from the deployment of such symbols in practical music sources. This article re-examines the historical justification for the term signa congruentiae, offering a new perspective on Tinctoris’s usage of such signs to explicate the rich text–example relationship underpinning his theoretical arguments and drawing attention to some novel uses of these signs to consolidate text-example relationships.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1017/S0261127919000056
Dates:	Date Event 6 March 2019 Accepted 11 September 2019 Published Online
Subjects:	CAH25 - design, and creative and performing arts > CAH25-02 - performing arts > CAH25-02-02 - music
Divisions:	Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > College of Education and Social Work
Depositing User:	Adam Whittaker
Date Deposited:	12 Mar 2019 08:08
Last Modified:	03 Mar 2022 15:54
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/7173

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