
The Sound of Medieval Song
Ornamentation and Vocal Style According to the Treatises
Timothy J. McGee(Author)
Randall A. Rosenfeld(Co-Author)
Clarendon Press
Published on 2. April 1998
Book
Hardback
216 pages
978-0-19-816619-1 (ISBN)
Description
The Sound of Medieval Song is a study of how sacred and secular music was actually sung during the Middle Ages. The source of the information is the actual notation in the early manuscripts as well as statements found in approximately 50 theoretical treatises written between the years 600-1500. The writings describe various singing practices and both desirable and undesirable vocal techniques, providing a fairly accurate picture of how singers approached the music of the period. Detailed descriptions of the types and uses of improvised ornament indicate that in performance the music was highly ornate, and included trill, gliss, reverberation, pulsation, pitch inflection, non-diatonic tones, and cadenza-like passages of various lengths. The treatises also provide evidence of stylistic differences in various geographical locations.
McGee draws conclusions about the kind of vocal production and techniques necessary in order to reproduce the music as it was performed during the Middle Ages, aligning the practices much more closely with those of the Middle East than has ever been previously acknowledged.
McGee draws conclusions about the kind of vocal production and techniques necessary in order to reproduce the music as it was performed during the Middle Ages, aligning the practices much more closely with those of the Middle East than has ever been previously acknowledged.
Reviews / Votes
Far too little work is being done on medieval performance practice and McGee is one of the few authors to have entered this arena (the gladiatorial image is chosen advisedly). McGee's work will be received with considerable interest. * Christopher Page *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Oxford University Press
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
8 pp plates, 1 figure, tables, maps, music examples
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
527 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-816619-1 (9780198166191)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Studied at Universities of Notre Dame, Yale, Connecticut, Pittsburgh; Founding Director of The Toronto Consort
Author
Professor of MusicProfessor of Music, University of Toronto
Co-Author
Content
Preface ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction ; 1. Vocal Style and Technique ; 2. Written Ornaments ; 3. Graces ; 4. Passaggi ; 5. Conclusions ; Appendix - Quotations from Theoretical Sources ; Bibliography