Sumite karissimi

[Jason Stoessel]

A page featuring a short discussion of Sumite karissimi can be found here:

 

http://www.examenapium.it/meri/sumite.htm

 

It includes links to previous editions and an image of the original notation from Modena, Biblioteca Estense, [alpha].M.5,24.

 

[Jason Stoessel]

Hello Davide,

One possible way to "simplify" the notation in transcription is to use mensurstricht or "tick" barlines instead of full barlines and to avoid as much as possible ties. Also, subdivided rhythmic groups can be indicated by beaming the notes. Though musicians trained only in contemporary Western notation find this a little unusual at first, my experience is that they can soon learn to think about the division of whole notes across mensurae or, to use an anachronistic term, tactus. If you would like to see an example of how this looks, see p. 119 of the second volume of my dissertation, which is available from here on the DIAMM website. This might give you some ideas for your own transcription.

That all said, I've become more and more convinced that trying to force medieval notation into contemporary Western notation is a fraught with difficulties, even if it does give broader access to the music. But more on this another time.

One other thing: Donald Grieg has written about how the Orlando Consort approached their groundbreaking performance of this song in the journal Early Music, vol. 31, issue 2, published by Oxford University Press. Though his experiences are possibly shared by many performers of medieval polyphony, his is a insightful account of how his fellow singers needed to adapt to this music and implement various tactics for smoothing over the notational complexities into a very elegant performance.

[Davide Daolmi]

I see your posts only now. Thank you for appreciations. Yes, you right: dot instead of rest. But folios are indicated.

I'd like to have your opinions about my proposal of simplify transcription (with real notes on top).

Someone else who understands this notation! I don't feel alone. :-)

 

[Jason Stoessel]

Thank you for noting your earlier posting.

[Oliver Gerlach]

It was me who discovered Davide Daolmi's great work by chance, so I communicated the link in the blog one year ago. He soon joined this platform, so he can read our correspondence (see his page).
It is good to acknowledge his page with some feedback, that it can be improved, because it is not only useful for students, but for all who understand enough Italian, that they can learn the Italian terms from his presentation.

[Jason Stoessel]

That's right: Sumite is "in" imperfect time with major prolation (tempus imperfectum prolationis majoris), so no alteration of black semibreves. I had intended to write "the crotchet/quarter note should be dotted".

The problems with transcription suggest the merit of learning the notation, even if this is a slightly more difficult example (but not the most difficult). The whole issue of transcription is a well discussed one in musicology. See for example, the now classic articulation of this in Margaret Bent, 'Editing Early Music: the dilemma of translation', Early Music, 22 (1994), 373–92.

Magister Zacharias' Sumite karissimi appears on folia 11v and 12r of Mod A (the contratenor extends over onto the facing recto).

An even more curious case is the void red semiminims in m.7. None of the published editions get it "right" by interpreting these as triplets AND altering the second of the preceding two black minims. There simply is no reason to alter that minim. Similarly there is no reason to assume that void red semiminins are the same as red semiminims. Void semiminims happen to be imperfect red semiminims, not 4:3 notes as elsewhere. (Ockham's razor is always at work in this notation, in my humble opinion.) That the author of this web page understands this commended and one of the reasons I posted this link - I also liked the fact that so many resources are provided.

[Oliver Gerlach]

Indeed, a prolatio maior, but two semibreves rectae as long as the tempus is imperfect, spoken with the former terms of ars nova: there is no use for any alteration, even if a change of the colour could have had the same effect as a punctum.

But the real surprise was that not one author quoted here gives the precise data of the facsimile, even when they had used a picture of it.

Thank you very much for the research of the whole signature. If not even the musicologists are precise, how can we expect teachers and musicians to be so?

As an expert, do you know also the folio in order to help Davide Daolmi so that he will also be perfect in his presentation?

[Jason Stoessel]

Naturally, Oliver. The semibreve should be dotted (i.e. perfect) at the beginning of measure 3: similis ante similem perfecta. 

Oliver Gerlach a dit :

True, but in the best sense. Of course, I, student or not, would have a question concerning the alteration between black semibrevis and semibrevis break in measure 3 of the transcription.

Ricossa a dit :

Thank you, very interesting and, I whould say, didactic

[Oliver Gerlach]

True, but in the best sense. Of course, I, student or not, would have a question concerning the alteration between black semibrevis and semibrevis break in measure 3 of the transcription.

Ricossa a dit :

Thank you, very interesting and, I whould say, didactic