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

Brothers, Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521550513 ISBN 13: 9780521550512

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1997

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

"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

Book Description:

An in-depth study of the late medieval chanson, from Gace Brulé through Guillaume Du Fay. It is concerned with the way accidentals function, at the level of local detail and a part of the overall design, it also explores the way inflections are used by the composer as an expressive tool.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0521550513
• ISBN 13: 9780521550512
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 242