St. Martial and Santiago de Compostela: An Analytical Speculation Author(s): Theodore Karp Source: Acta Musicologica, Vol.

39, Fasc. 3/4 (Jul. - Dec., 1967), pp. 144-160 Published by: International Musicological Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/932350 . Accessed: 01/06/2013 11:32
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144

St. Martial andSantiago de Compostela: an analytical speculation

THEODORE KARP (DAVIS/CAL.)

have often observed that the smallerthe number of facts availablewithin Scholars literature a given field,the richerthe cropof disputation. A surveyof the secondary providesa concerningthe polyphonyof Saint Martialand Santiagode Compostela case in point.' Here our crop of hard facts is vexingly small. We know that Paris
Bibl. nat. MSS lat. 1139, 3549, and 3719 had entered the library of the abbey of St.

Martialby the early 13th c., but we are not certainof their exact place of origin. We are still less certainwith regardto the provenance of BritishMuseumMS Add. 36881 and the Codex Calixtinusof Santiagode Compostela. We know that these five sourceswere not all writtenwithin the same decade,but our dates for the individualsourcesarevagueat best. Evenwereweprovidedwith a precisedate for each of these MSS,we wouldhave only a partialgaugefor the date of originof the individualworkscontainedtherein. ManymedievalMSS-e. g., those containingthe Notre Damerepertoire, the LasHuelgasMS,andthe Montpellier MS,to nameonly a fewwere compiledlong after the compositionof the earlierportionsof their contents. the Of still greaterimportis the unsatisfactory conditionof our evidenceregarding musicitself. Our controlsoverMSaccuracy in matterof note pitches,note groupings, and even the number of notes are very slight.2Yet thereis no reasonto supposethat at other times the scribesof these MSSwere any less fallible than their counterparts and places. Often we can only guess whetherwe are dealingwith an unexpected only in passtyle trait or a meremistake.We are certainof the harmonicstructure writing,and we are almostentirelyin the darkregarding sages of note-against-note rhythm. amountof interesthas been shown in the During the last decade a remarkable This authorhas the temerity polyphonyof St. Martialand Santiagode Compostela. andrhythm of opinionregarding bothharmony to addto thealreadygreatdiversity by acto a that the of the for theory pretends community scholarly judgment presenting and harmonicsystemof the combined countboth for the basic rhythmic repertoires of this and for the originof the modalsystem.It will be noted that manyfragments
1 Excellent surveys of the secondary literature in this field are provided by BRUNO STABLEIN.See and Modale Rhythmen im Saint-Martial Repertoire? in: Festschrift Friedrich Blume (ed.by A.A. ABERT W. PFANNKUCH, Kassel, 1963), 340-362; and Saint-Martial in: Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, XI, 1271. 2 For example, the reading in Brit. Mus. Add. 36881 of the eleventh verse, vox organalis, notes 4-7 of Veri solis radius produces a strange harmonic structure; comparison with the reading of Paris Bibl. nat. lat. 3549 indicates that these notes are a third too high. Usually one must wrestle with similar problems without the aid of musical concordances. Ligatures in these MSS often consist of unconnected graphs; when these follow one another closely and lack lateral separation it is often difficult to tell where one ligature leaves off and the next begins. Lastly, there are occasions when one suspects that the scribe has entered one or more notes too many or too few; again musical concordances are normally lacking.

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theory have already been stated by others, principally by Bruno Stdiblein,sbut the theory itself was reachedindependently and not as an amalgam. My greatest indebtedness is to the work of Friedrich Ludwig,4Higino Angles,5 and Leo Treitler,6 for it was their transcriptions that provided the catalyst for my thoughts. Before retracing the path that I have followed, I shall digress for a moment to consider some very elementary observations regarding normal interrelationships between certain musical functions and the conventions of modern notation. I beg the reader's indulgence. If we consider the possible structural functions of any pair of notes in the abstract, we realize immediately that these are four in number. 1) 2) 3) 4) The first note may be structurally importantand not the second. The secondnote may be structurally and not the first. important Both notes may be structurally important. Neither note may be structurally important.

Present needs do not require that we explore more than the first two of these possibilities. With regard to the first, we may say that normal rhythmical and notational practice involves either a progression from a strong beat to a weak beat or a progression from the beat itself to a position between beats. With regard to the second, we may say that normal practice involves either a progression from a weak beat to a strong beat or from a position between beats to the beat itself. In interpreting the rhythmic structure of any medieval work it is extremely desirable that our transcription should follow the conventions of modern notation. If one must avoid the normal connotations of present rhythmic symbols, then this fact must be made clear to the reader. What is the correlation between rhythmic interpretation and structural function in past transcriptions of St. Martial and Santiago de Compostela polyphony? Let us compare the famous transcription of Congaudeant catholici which Friedrich Ludwig provided for his contribution to the Adler Handbuch der Musikgeschichte7 with a facsimile of the original.8 Surely one of the prerequisitesto a sound interpretation of the rhythm of the work is a knowledge or concept of its architecturalstructure; surely the interpretation of the placement and nature of the cadences has a vital influence on the details of rhythmic interpretation. What then is the structural framework of this piece? Where do the cadences occur and what are their relative
3 Modale Rhythmen, 343 ff. 4 Die geistliche nichtliturgische, weltliche einstimmige und die mehrstimmige Musik des Mittelalters bis zum Anfang des 15. Jahrhunderts, in: GuIDOADLER, Handbuch der Musikgeschichte (2nd ed.,Berlin, 1.929), 157-295. 5 Die Mehrstimmigkeit des Calixtinus von Compostela und seine Rhythmik, in Festschrift Heinrich Besseler (Leipzig, 1962), 91-100. 6 The Polyphony of St Martial, in: Journal of the American Musicological Society XVIII (1965), 29-42. 7 P. 182. The transcription is available also in: GUSTAVE REESE, Musik in the Middle Ages (New York, 1940), p. 268; The New Oxford History of Music, II (ed. by DOM ANSELM HUGHES, London, 1954), LEUCHTER, Florilegium Musicum (Buenos Aires, 1964), 13. 3O5; and ERWIN MUIR WHITEHILL and DOM GERMAN PRADO, s Facsimiles of the original are available in: WALTER Liber Sancti Jacobi, Codex Calixtinus, II (Santiago de Compostela, 1944), pl. XXIX; HIGINI ANGLiS, El C'dex Musicale de las Huelgas, I (Barcelona, 1931), 65; and CARLPARRISH, The Notation of Medieval Music (New York, 1957), pl. XXIII.

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Th. Karp:St. Martialand Santiagode Compostela

strengths? Turning for the moment to the facsimile, we find that our initial impression of structure is governed by the presence of vertical lines that run partly or entirely through each system. It is difficult to avoid the thought that perhaps these vertical lines indicate the beginnings and ends of musical sections. It is to be hoped, however, that a degree of caution will speedily assert itself; we may be in danger of unjustifiably attributing a modern attitude to a medieval mind. Probing slightly further, we find that preceding each of these lines is a harmonic progression that suggests a strong and natural cadence, and that the succession of these progressions reveals a powerful tonal drive. While the second and fifth of these progressions terminate on g, all of the remainderterminate on d. We have, therefore, one logical interpretation of the musical structure, although it will be observed that this interpretation conflicts at times with modern notions concerning the matching of musical and poetic structures.Turning to the transcription, we find a rather curious situation. Normal barlines are not employed; instead there are two kinds of dotted barlines, heavy and light. While the three barlines with heavy dots correspond in placement to vertical lines in the MS, not all vertical lines in the MS are indicated by dotted barlines in the transcription-either heavy or light-and there are two lightly dotted barlines in the transcription that have no counterpart in the original. Presumably, therefore, the barlines are employed to orient us with regard to the structure of the piece. The opening measures seem to follow a 4/4 pattern, but then the grouping of beats becomes irregular, following a 2, 1, 3, 3, 5, 4 succession. Apparently an upbeat rhythm is suggested for the opening. We may conclude that the main interior cadence occurs on the notes setting the last syllable of celici and that the next most important cadence occurs at the last syllable of catholici. The structure of the concluding melisma seems extremely diffuse. There seems to be little correlation between melodic and harmonic functions on the one hand, and the suggested rhythmic drive on the other. The points regarded as of greatest structural importance according to the first interpretation often correspond here to the points of greatest rhythmic weakness! Turning for the moment to the transcription of Ad superni by Leo Treitler,9 we find an interpretation in which the cadence structures are clear and logical. Furthermore, the transcription is easily singable, especially with regard to text underlay. However, it is difficult to reconcile the beat structure that is proposed in this transcription with harmonic functions of specific intervals. Basic agreement regarding the relative placement of consonant intervals within the 12th-c. spectrum of consonance and dissonance seems to obtain among most scholars.10That is to say, we feel that the unison and octave were regarded as the most consonant intervals, with the fifth being almost equivalent in degree of consonance. By the time of the Calixtine and St. Martial repertoires, the fourth seems to have dropped sharply in degree of consonance, while the third was apparently several degrees lower still, although accepted as a consonance. The basic premise for
10

9 The Polyphonyof St. Martial, 36 f. in: Journalof the American See, for example,RICHARDCROCKER, Discant, Counterpoint, Harmony,

Musicological Society, XV (1962), 1-21.

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my rhythmic interpretation of these works is that the music may be classed as tonal, using tonal to denote an awareness of and a basic drive towards definable tone centers."l From a harmonic point of view, there is an expectation that a strongly dissonant interval will progress either directly or indirectly to a consonant interval and that a lesser consonance will normally progress towards a greater one. From a rhythmic point of view, it is to be expected that these progressions will gravitate towards the beat rather than away from it, and towards the strong beat, rather than away from it. If, however, we examine Professor Treitler's transcription, we find that these expectations are not fulfilled. In the melisma concluding the first four couplets, we consistently find a major third placed on the beat progressing to a unison placed between beats. At the opening of the third couplet, a major second placed on the beat progresses to a perfect fifth between the beats; a minor third placed on the beat progresses to a perfect fifth between the beats, etc.. This is true also for the opening of the fourth couplet and elsewhere as well. I believe that a more convincing transcription with greater claim to historical accuracy may be obtained by following the customary notational practice of our standard concert repertoire. The first step is to alter the position of the paired eighths with respect to the beat. Those eighths that in Professor Treitler's transcription fall on the beat will be transferred to a position between beats, while those that fall between beats will be transferredto a position on the beat. The next problem to be faced involves the decision whether to make the components of these pairs equal or unequal in length. In other words, is the basic grouping whether we shall ever obtain a definitive binary or ternary?12 I strongly answer to this problem, but I am,doubt decidedly in favor of inequality and the resultant both for ternary rhythm, practical and historical reasons. In the first place, it is a frequent practice (though by no means a mechanical or universal practice) for composers to emphasize functional importance by according the structural notes greater length. In the second place, the hypothesis of a 2-1 relationship fits perfectly with our present knowledge of stylistic developments, specifically with employment of modal rhythm in the succeeding or closely contemporary music of Notre Dame. Thirdly, the same hypothesis yields the normal transcription of a binaria in the Notre Dame organa. On the basis of structural functions, it is possible to formulate a few simple rules of thumb.
11

Polyphony of St. Martial, 32; Tone System in the Secular Works of Guillaume Dufay, in: Journal of the American Musicological Society, XVIII (1965), 132ff.
12

Cf. ProfessorTreitler'sremarksregardingawarenessof tonality among medievalmusicians:The This problemagain brings us face to face with Odington'scryptic remark,,,Longaautem apud

priores organistas duo tantum habuit tempora,sic in metris." (Cf. EDMOND DE COUSSEMAKER, Scriptorum

de musicamedii aevi nota series. I [Paris,1864], 235.) It may be that in some futuretime we shall decidein favourof a binaryinterpretation of Calixtineand St. Martialrhythm.I can only say briefly that I am in generalagreement with the interpretation of the abovepassagegiven by WILLIAM WAITE
(The Rhythm of Twelfth-Century Polyphony [New Haven, 1954], 24) and that the relevance of this

has yet to be demonstrated. passageto presentconsiderations

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Th. Karp:St. Martialand Santiagode Compostela

1) A binaria opening a phrase normally progresses from a point of structural importance to a point of lesser importance; such a ligature is to begin on the beat and end either between beats or with the beginning of the following beat. (If, however, one encounters the exception, moving from a point of lesser importance to a point of greater importance, the phrase may begin on the upbeat and progress to the downbeat.) A ternaria opening a phrase also normally begins with a point of structural importance and therefore follows a similar principle in transcription. However, a greater variety of possibilities exist with regard to rhythmic detail owing to the greater range of structural possibilities for the notes following the first. 2) A binaria in the interior or at the end of a phrase normally progresses from a point of lesser importance to a point of greater importance; such a ligature is to begin before the beat and move to the beat itself. For purposes of this rule, a fifth - and occasionally even a fourth - may be regarded as equivalent in strength to a unison or octave for the sake of a uniform rhythmic progression. Occasionally even a third or a dissonance may occur on the beat, although the justification for such transcription is not as strong as one would wish. A ternaria occurring in the interior or at the end of a phrase is subject to similar treatment. Again, a wider range of possibilities obtains. First we must decide whether a rhythmic expansion equivalent to extensio modi has taken place or not. Assuming a negative reply for the moment, the question arises whether such a ternaria should begin on the second or final third of the beat. I do not believe that we shall attain a definitive answer to such a question; even an assumption to the effect that any one solution must hold for all cases is quite risky. Analysis may suggest that the first note of any given ligature represents a point of renewal of motion within a phrase. In this event, the transcription of the ligature follows rule 1. 3) The portions of a work that are in syllabic style are chiefly or entirely isochronous.13 In melismatic sections, the standard time-unit associated with the steady progression of text syllables devolves approximately on the individual ligatures instead. Here a very wide range of transcription possibilities obtains and the choices between the equivalents of extensio and fractio modi become still more difficult and more liable to question. Applying this system to the transcription of Ad superni, the following results are obtained.

Ad supernt
Ad Cere - gis per- nt bre-mws te -ti, de - cus, tu- o-,

a)
con- cotbe,

Cod.ex Calitixnus net oL s,

s Le -

a. qu

am - ni Lemp- t-

....
-lSe-cus -

S e- uens" chis- tum

- tus

Domino in the Las 13 Cf. our discussionof the settings of the Mass Ordinaryand the Benedicamus HuelgasMS, infra.

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Th. Karp:St. Martialand Santiagode Compostela

149

6.pre- di ,

con pro Pr - ss St st US- im - pe -rt p -tep -s -Cas-U IL

Le- e

aC

c)

a
cU-

Sed nuc -or-

Tt

pe

fts - tL

se 'es,
-

tan- ta

it

co

Cthris-t~unt tunc se

te

Che -

.U

u,.
ris-..

US

,er-!

s
-

re po - to
--

de-r -thro P~o

- tir mar-

- -s fu-Le d- o o - de er tL -n fU -s 5e hos dsgo in - te - hore- se

absrpm,

ue
- cat

, rNE ...I1 ?

e_-7.r-,4

p-

"-so " " I I

,

Io
wpm I

,mI

OFo
r

a) e f e,
b) eTr,

seconda time
first time

c) V0 ,

first time

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150

Th. Karp:St. Martial and Santiagode Compostela

be judged?I suggestthat we must look may this transcription By what standards becauseI first and foremostfor musicalcriteria.I have proposed this transcription with regardto musical believe that it is superiorto alternatives proposedelsewhere clearer that the a I transcription provides insight into the details of logic. suggest accountof harmoniclogic without arbitrarily the musicaldrive, a more reasonable similaritiesthat are twistingMS evidence,and that it clearlypoints out structural for example,lightly masksthe maskedelsewhere.(Professor Treitler'stranscription, fact that the final portionsof the melismasconcludingthe first four strophesare makes excellent identical or nearly so.) In short, I believe that the transcription musicalsense and is easily singable. froma historicalpoint of view. The style We may then examinethe transcription fits smoothlywith our knowledgeof the to be inferredfromthe above transcription music of Leonin, who apparentlyworked either at a somewhatlater or roughly time. The aspect of historicaldevelopmentwill be discussedin contemporaneous somewhatgreaterdetail towardsthe end of the article. This is clearlythe weakest Next we may examinethe aptnessof the text underlay. either that we abandon demands musical solution the The of transcription. aspect rule that only one syllable may be associatedwith a ligature the well-established for the placementof text syllableson the or that we abandona strongpredilection beat ratherthan in syncopatedfashion. Shouldwe adopt the latter alternative,the musicalsolutionpostulatesalso that syllablechangesoccurat differenttimesin the two voices, also an awkward feature.4 These objectionsare indeedstrong,but I do not believe that they are fatal to the theory. In the first place, I assumethat the were created by musiciansrather than by Calixtine and St. Martial repertoires dilettantepoets, and that these musiciansplaced a considerably higher value on In the secondplace, our knowlconsiderations. musicallogic than on extramusical is extremelyscanty;it is well withinthe edge of medievalpracticesin text underlay withinthis areawas realmof possibilitythat the actual rangeof practicesobserved far widerand freerthan is indicatedin the writingsof the theorists. What logical musical alternativesexist? We might, for example, considerthe Ad superniin the equivalentof the second mode. This possibilityof transcribing
14 Of course, the nature of the harmonic solution that engenders these difficulties of text underlay is BUKOFZER (Interrelations by no means new, having previously been strongly advocated by MANFRED

I [1953], 75; and The Rhythm of between Conductusand Clausula,in: Annales musicologiques,

(Cantusfirmus, in: Die HUSMANN Twelfth-Century Polyphony, in: Notes, XII [19551, 237), HEINRICH Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, II, 788; Medieval Polyphony [Anthology of Music, Cologne, SCHMIDT, (Strukturprobleme der Mehrstimmigkeit im Repertoire von St. 1962], 7), and GUiNTHER Martial, in: Die Musikforschung, XV [19621, 29 ff.). In speaking of problems involving a ligature in the upper voice against a nota simplex in the lower, both Bukofzer and Husmann assert that the syllable change in the upper voice preceded that in the lower. While this is perhaps the more likely of the two alternatives in text underlay open to us in the present situation, I am not yet prepared to deny all possibility of assigning more than one syllable to a ligature. I am therefore adopting for present purposes the visual solution in text underlay followed by Professor Bukofzer in the transcriptions in the above-mentioned article and review: the text-syllables will be placed on the beat. I might further suggest that the ease of performance involving a ,,syncopated" text-underlay is dependent upon the strength of the ,,beat" and on the tempo. I believe that there is comparatively little awkwardness provided that the beat is not overly emphasized and the tempo not too fast.

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Th. Karp:St. Martialand Santiagode Compostela

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would solve our difficulties with regard to text underlay. And we could postulate that the composer regarded the added length of the second member of the foot as sufficient compensation for the presence of a "strong-beat dissonance." If we restrict the scope of inquiry to a single piece or even to works with a single MS, this interpretation may indeed hold strong appeal. But if we seek to place the interpretation within a historical continuum, we encounter serious musical objections. If we follow this interpretation, we will find passages where we are forced to postulate as many as nine "strong-beat dissonances" in a row (cf. Example 3). The fact of dissonance in Europeanpolyphony from the time of our earliest records is, I think, unquestionable. Our main concern pertains therefore not to the mere presence of dissonance, but to the manner in which it is treated. To the best of my knowledge, there is neither historical precedent nor historical sequel for a dissonance technique producing the results just postulated. Perhaps those clausulae and motets in the second mode that I have investigated do not illustrate the full range of practice; if so, the above remarks may have to be reconsidered. However, while "strong-beat dissonance" appears to be somewhat more frequent in clausulae and motets of the second mode than in similar works in first mode, at no time does this form dissonance o'f use become characteristic of an extended passage; "strong-beat consonance" remains the rule rather than the exception. It is my impression that the use of dissonance at points of rhythmic strength increased only gradually as the rhythmic framework itself became increasingly secure during the 13th c. and that the peak was not passed until the 14th c. . Until we are offered a sound basis for the postulate of a sudden rise in prominence of strong-beat dissonance, followed immediately by a sharp drop in prominence, I believe that we must reject any rhythmic interpretation resting on such a dubious hypothesis. If we then return to wrestle earnestly with the problems of text underlay engendered by the rhythmic interpretation that I propose, we shall uncover several kinds of evidence tending to reinforce the position adopted here and to render the possible solutions of underlay more plausible. Unfortunately, little of this evidence occurs within the Calixtine and St. Martial repertoires, but I believe that the sum total is relevant to present concerns. We may begin by remarking on the curious sort of asymmetry that occasionally obtains within the Calixtine and St. Martial repertoires with regard to the relationships between the musical and poetic structures on the one hand, and between the respective musical structures of the two voices on the other. If, for example, we examine the setting of Catholicorum concio in Paris MS lat. 1139, we find that the text is composed of four strophes of two lines each, the first having 8 syllables, the second, 10. This structure is reflected in the structure of the vox principalis, which employs a musical rhyme for the last five syllables of each textline. But the structure of the vox organalis is 10-8 rather than 8-10! Here we also find a sort of musical rhyme, but one what suggests an entirely different tonal concept. With the exception of a single added note, the pitch contour of the melody setting the last six syllables of the final segment is identical with the pitch contour of the melody setting syllables 4-10. The second segment

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Th. Karp:St. Martial and Santiagode Compostela

begins a second lower than the first and, because of the added note just referred to, ends a third lower. The harmonic structure suggested in the transcription by Leo Treitler,14 coupled with the strictness of the isochronous treatment of the vox principalis heavily masks this fact. Any rhythmic solution for melismatic sections not employing regular ligature patterns is still more speculative in this repertoire than a solution proposed under similar circumstances within the Notre Dame repertoire. If, however, I were constrained to offer a rhythmic solution for this work, it would run somewhat as follows. cthoicort
I f iI

colco

Poris MSltct. 1139

F I F F I p w 0 PluFi PE ..i-I 1 .nI

/BF |

~A 10 rnL LSi,- Cot fl L co - lco

F '
A
SILM

--ft

.
m
I I I i I ? '

"

-...

_
SUM)

1
m lOP n I I

m
I IJ I i

7--I

- --I I

'
I

r"
i

The structure of the upper voice clearly suggests an overall progression d-f-d, rather than the simpler parallelism, d-d-d, of the lower voice. A simpler repetition pattern was of course open to the composer, but he boldly disregardedtextual considerations for the sake of a more sophisticated musical architecture. Continuing in the same vein, I would point out that it appears that cadences occur in the middle of words not only in Congaudeant catholici, but also in the Kyrie, Cunctipotens genitor, in the Codex Calixtinus. (In the latter, the syllable "De" of Dei begins on a cadential binaria and carries over to the renewal of motion brought on by the succeeding phrase.) In short, there is evidence to show that text and music did not always fit hand in glove during the Middle Ages. If we then turn to the repertoire of Notre Dame organa dupla, we shall find both evidence of a similar vein and evidence bearing directly on the relationships between ligatures and problems of text underlay. To begin with, a change of syllable often occurs in these works at a cadential binaria, the cadential consonance occurring at the final note. Often we postulate that a perfect long rest follows, separating the
15

The Polyphonyof St. Martial, 35.

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change of 1syllablefrom the phrase that the new syllable is to govern. Surely this practice is far from normal according to present conceptions of proper textualmusical relationships. According to my impression of the text and transcriptions of The Rhythm of Twelfth-Century Polyphony, William Waite is among the numerous scholars who feel that the two voices of the organa dupla changed syllable simultaneously and that no ligature was assigned more than one syllable. Yet he does not maintain this position uniformly in the transcriptions, either in melismatic or in discant passages. 16 Obviously, if one wishes to adopt a textually-oriented solution at any cost, it is simple enough to shift harmonic alignments and alter rhythmic solutions without regard for the musical consequences. I suggest, however, that any attempt to avoid in the passages cited below the exact counterpart to the difficulties of text underlay that we are debating with regard to the Calixtine and St. Martial repertoires will result in a very serious loss in musical and notational logic. If we are to avoid this loss and to accept the musical solutions proposed by Professor Waite for these passages, we shall be faced immediately with another dilemna: once we have established the existence of a dozen violations of our "laws" of text underlay, do we dare claim that these instances are the only ones in existence? How are we to deny the application of the selfsame musical principles in identical or closely similar situations in other works and in other repertoires? I believe that we have already paid too high a price for adherence to these so-called laws. If, for example, we find two phrases identical in pitch contour and in notation, one without a syllable change and one with a syllable change affecting the final ligature, I am most reluctant to conclude that the presence of the syllable change effects any basic change in rhythm.'7 Should we not ponder on the fact that the patterns of modal notation for modes 1-3 make no provision whatsoever for a change of syllable on the strong beat within the body or at the end of a phrase? Thus, when-as frequently happens-a syllable change occurs at the end of a phrase, we must choose between: 1) a reversal of modal pattern as postulated by Professor Waite; 2) a uniform application of extensio modi, postulating also the consistent presence of appoggiature (as in the first alternative);18 3) the selfsame uneasy choice in text underlay. If, at such a point, there is a consistent notational pattern, I would hesitate to deny the possibility of a consistent rhythm, which would be permitted only under the third alternative. Lastly, I suggest that the Las Huelgas MS contains evidence relevant to present concerns. It is well known that this MS is retrospective in content and that at least
5:5:3; 22:1:4; 113:1:1; 133:5:6; 190:4:5; 240:3:5; 253:3:2. Concerning exceptions occurring within discant sections, see 153:3:6; 141:4:7; 233:5:4; 236 = 238:2:4; 241:5:4. (The first of each set of numbers refers to page, the second to system, the last to measure.) 17 To cite only one example, compare the interpretation offered by Professor Waite for the phrase beginning 5:2:5 (Judea et Jerusalem) and 199:5:1 (Alleluya Nativitas) with the interpretation for the same phrase beginning 225:4:4 (Domine) and the closely similar phrase beginning 253:4:4 (Alleluya Per manus autem). 18 The cadence form employing extensio modi was undoubtedly used frequently, but I doubt whether it was the only cadence form employed in conjunction with syllable changes.
"1 Concerning exceptions occurring within melismatic sections, see 4:2:2;

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one work contained therein dates back to the 12th-c..19 The reader is undoubtedly aware of the presence in this source of a number of two-voice settings in discant style of sections of the Mass Ordinary and the Benedicamus Domino (both troped and untroped). These works exhibit note-graphs having the shapes of ligatures with and without propriety and perfection and with opposite propriety. In his edition, Higino Angles claims that these notational forms are without mensural significance.20 I hold an opposite opinion.21 I wish to suggest briefly that: is more reasonablefrom the abstractpoint of view of 1) A mensuralinterpretation of specific in the employment notation,even thoughthere are occasionalinconsistencies symbols. 2) A mensural interpretation producesa more logical harmonicstructure. If these conclusions are adopted, it will be found that the resultant musical style will correspond exactly with that postulated above for Saint Martial and the Codex Calixtinus. Although, lacking concordances in early MSS, it is hazardous to claim that these works in the Las Huelgas MS were created during the twelfth century itself, one may reasonably assert that they follow directly in the tradition of this period, at least in terms of harmonic practice. If we examine the troped sections of certain of these works we again are faced with the dilemna in text underlay that provided the point of departure for the present digression. Now, however, the mensural character of the notation puts our claim for an interpretation reached on purely musical grounds on a much more substantial basis, and possibly even on a reasonably secure one. Returning again to our examination of the proposed transcription of Ad superni, there is still another point to be considered. Is the transcription consistent enough to be acceptable? Armand Machabey,22for example, fastens on this point in discussing the transcription of Nostra phalans by Dom Anselm Hughes.23He observes that at one point four different rhythmic solutions are offered for four successive binariae equivalent to the clivis and that a ternaria equivalent to the porrectus is transcribed in two different ways. I do not agree with Dom Anselm's transcription, but I do not agree either with the criterion as stated by Professor Machabey.24In the first place, I would repeat the well-worn observation that man is not a perfectly consistent being, no matter how frequently he pays lip service to the goal of consistency. We should therefore not expect a uniform consistency in his use of notation. Secondly, I would note that among works employing modal rhythm but not a fully mensural
Music in the MiddleAges, 306. 19 Cf. GuSTAVE REEsE, 20 El C'dex Musical de las Huelgas, I (Barcelona, 1931), 115. to Msgr. Angles' 21 I hope to discuss these works in greater detail in another study. Opposition APEL in his book, The Notation of Polyphonic Music 900-1600 interpretation was expressed by WILLI (Cambridge, Mass., 1942), 308. 22 Notations musicales non modales (3rd ed., Paris, 1959), 38 ff. 23 Music in the Twelfth Century, in The New Oxford History, II, 295. 24 Actually, Dom Anselm's transcription is consistent, but the consistency is based on textual rather than musical considerations. In the end, however, a musical justification must also be advanced in support of the transcription, and I agree with Professor Machabey that the musical justification in the present instance is insufficient.

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notation, the significance of a ligature varies according to its context within the modal pattern. In the case of premensural notations, a change in significance is not necessarily indicated by a change in form. It is possible to transcribe correctly a binaria occurring in the repertoire of Notre Dame organa dupla in four or five different ways, depending upon context. The question of context is also a determining factor in the system that I propose; within these limits, the system is, as far as I am able to see, consistent. If the reader is willing to grant the suitability of the proposed method for the transcription of Ad superni, the question arises whether the method itself is valid only for a tiny handful of works or whether it has much broader applications. Although the claim for a broad application of this theory25 cannot be adequately documented within the framework of an article, I wish to offer one additional the application of the theory. example ,demonstrating Domino F Benedicamus Code Calitinus

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I do not wish to imply that the theory proposed here will necessarily explain the harmony and rhythm of every work within the St. Martial repertoire, let alone all early non-modal polyphony. (With regard to the latter, for example, the theory does not account for works transcribed by ARNOLD GEERING in: Die Organa und mehrstimmigen Conductus des deutschen Sprachgebietes [Bern, 1952].) However, I believe that the theory does apply to a very broad spectrum of the combined repertoires being considered here and to a number of works contained in other sources. (We might perhaps wish to reconsider certain transcriptions of works in British libraries offered by H. E. WOOLDRIDGE [The Oxford History of Music, I (Oxford, 1901)], in the light of remarks made above.)

25

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Th. Karp:St. Martialand Santiagode Compostela

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Because a reproduction of Paris MS lat. 3719 has not been available to me for purposes of this article, I cannot offer a complete summary of St. Martial and Calixtine harmonic practice at present. However, a recapitulation of the theory from the standpoint of harmony rather than rhythm may serve a useful purpose. Through an examination of passages in note-against-note style, employing binariae in both voices, we came to the conclusion that the main harmonic motion was usually towards the final note of each ligature and that this note represented relative repose. This observation holds true for a major portion of the St. Martial and Calixtine repertoires, both in sections of syllabic and melismatic style.26 I suggest that the observation provides us with a norm for the handling of most ligatures employed either in the interior or at the end of a phrase, and that we may justifiably employ this norm in the transcription of neume-against-note passages, as demonstrated above. Passages in neume-against-neume style are somewhat more complex, but here too, I suggest that a harmonic and rhythmic drive towards the final note of a ligature exists, a drive more regular and powerful than has been envisaged by many previous scholars. I suggest also that it is n o t in our best interests to treat rhythmic and harmonic problems as separate and independent entities, for I view the solutions for one as being inextricably entwined with the solutions for the other. The rhythmic solution that I have proposed derives naturally from the solution proposed regarding harmony, and I believe that the two mutually strengthen one another. One final problem remains, that of historical context. To begin with, is the rhythm of Calixtine and St. Martial polyphony modal, as suggested by Bruno Staiblein?27
If we focus attention on passages in which binariae in one voice are set against binariae in the other in series of two or more, we shall find the following situation. Among the Calixtine works there are 5 intervals of the unison/octave category occurring between the first notes of the respective ligatures as against 43 occurring on the last. The number of fifths is equal in both positions: 17. There are 27 fourths, 8 thirds, and 6 dissonances occurring on the initial position and only 3 fourths and no thirds or dissonances on the last. In discussing the contents of British Museum MS Add. 36881, I shall ignore Noster cetus, which, as pointed out by Professors Treitler and Stdiblein,is the model for Ad superni in the Codex Calixtinus and therefore a duplication for present purposes. In equivalent note-against-note passages, there are 89 unison/octaves and 102 fifths in initial position compared with 168 unison/octaves and 118 fifths in final position. (The reader will of course notice that in the former instance the unison/octave category is smaller than that of the fifth, while in the latter, it is considerably larger.) There are 46 fourths, 49 thirds, and 23 dissonances in initial position, as compared with 7 fourths, to thirds, and 6 dissonances in final position. These comparisons would be even more favorable to the arguments presented above were we to include Noster cetus. Comparison of passages employing binariae against simplices in series of two or more will show that the postulate of an alignment with the first note of the ligature will produce a far more dissonant style than the postulate of an alignment with the last. Passages employing ternariae against ternariae are normally non-directional; these usually begin and end with stable consonances. However, passages with ternariae against simplices are again strongly directional; the consonance normally occurs on the final note of each ligature. 27 Modale Rhythmten,passim.
21

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At present I would answer, "No." In his searching article, Professor Staibleinconfines himself to the citation of passages in melismatic style that employ regular ligature patterns. He does not offer answers to broader questions that concern individual works as complete entities. I suggest that each rhythmic style offers a spectrum of possibilities to the composer. But while the composer will often use different segments of this spectrum in different sections of a composition, I would not postulate the existence of two different rhythmic styles within a single work if a logical alternative were available. I believe that Professor Stidblein'ssolutions for individual passages are likely to be correct in principle, although I often prefer other alternatives with regard to matters of detail.28 The rhythm of these passages is clearly equivalent to modal rhythm, but I feel that it is dangerous to view the simplest, syllabic portions of these settings as modal, postulating a consistent employment of extensio modi. Unless further evidence is unearthed, I would describe Calixtine and St. Martial rhythm only as deriving from an isochronous base with probable ternary subdivision; the nature of the isochronous character is altered in melismatic sections. In his book, The Rhythm of Twelfth-Century Polyphony, William Waite postulates that the modal system was created chiefly by Leonin and that Leonin took as a model for his rhythmic system the writings of St. Augustine. Although Professor Waite maintains that this thesis is demonstrable as fact, Manfred Bukofzer stoutly asserted an opposite view: that the thesis is speculative and can never be proven conclusively.29With this in mind, I wish to offer a speculative alternative to Professor Waite's theory. Assuming the correctness of the main postulates of this article, I suggest that the concept of modal rhythm did not come into being as the result of a single, bold, creative thrust, but that it evolved only gradually from the systematization of rhythmic principles such as those outlined in the main body of this article. Leonin may indeed have played a particularly vital role in this evolution towards greater consistency. It is possible that the crucial moment at which vague rhythmic procedures crystallized into a generative concept occurred during his productive years either as a direct result of his own thinking or as the product of abstractions based on his music, but formulated by others. I feel that a hypothesis such as this places less strain on the postulate of a historical continuum and that it accounts for a development in musical style in a directly musical rather than in a theoretical fashion. I would not attribute to Leonin the range of technical developments in notation that I infer from Professor Waite's book. Rather I believe that he took over principles in the use of ligatures that had already been inherent in the music of Santiago de Compostela and St. Martial and modified these only slightly in search of greater
28 The reader will undoubtedly note several instances in which Professor Stiblein suggests the equivalent of second mode while I, because of the nature of the harmonic progressions, suggest the equivalent of first mode with upbeat. The same sort of reasoning leads me to prefer first mode with upbeat for the transcription of the clausula, Tamquam sponsus, which opens the verse of the WI

version of Descenditde celis.

29

The Rhythm of Twelfth-Century Polyphony, in Notes, XII (1955), 233.

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notation.Accordingto this view, the technicalfeaturesof modal clarityin rhythmic notation--includingthe tendency to equate the final note of a ligature with the value of a long-came into being not as the result of an abstractlogical exercise thinkin the manipulation of the composers' of ligatures,but as a directexpression the resultant musical details of musical drive and the structures.30 I ing regarding the further that final of modal notation codification (includingpractices suggest involvedin the notationof the firstand secondmodes)took place only afterLeonin's in the notationof Notre death.I do not believe that the irregularities to be observed towards Dameorganaare to be attributed to a lax attitudeon the part of composers in Ratherthey reflect a moderatelyfaithful reproduction rules alreadyformulated. best use to late MSSof earlieroriginals;in these originalsthe composers soughtto its finalform. a notationthat had not yet assumed advantage The pursuitof possibleimplications to be drawnfromthe main postulatesstated throw in this article leads well beyondthe marginof safety. I shall momentarily the for inherent in all cautionto the wind and indulge a flight of fancy, partly joy that may be foundin such a flight,partlyin the hope that an idea tossedabouthere may developin the fruitfulsoil of another'sgarden.BecauseI make no claim for I ask the soundnessof the speculationto be offered in the following paragraphs, codetta and the the main the article that the readerjudge forthcoming body of independently. the use of modalrhythmboth in the well informedconcerning We are reasonably Indeed, 13th-c. motet and in a definablesegmentof medievalsecularmonophony. the develinfluenced many scholarspostulatethat rhythmsemployedin polyphony of manyto accept In view of the reluctance opmentof rhythmic style in monophony. the interpretation for the of the hypothesisof the universal modes validity rhythmic of secularmonophony,and in view of the thesis that the rhythmpostulatedhere for St. Martialand Santiagode Compostela polyphonywas a prototypefor modal rhythm,one may inquirewhetheror not St. Martialrhythmhad any relationship The fact that southern to the rhythmicstyle that developedin Frenchmonophony. France served as the cradle for the developmentof the vernacularlyric lends addedpertinenceto such an inquiry.I have a hunch that such a relationship may between the isochronousstyle in fact have existed. Perhapsthe loose resemblance observedin syllabic sections of Calixtineand St. Martialpolyphonyand Johannes de Grocheo'sdescriptionof the rhythm of the cantus coronatusis not entirely coincidental.After praisingthe cantus coronatusas a type of work noted for its excellence in both poetry and music, fit for kings and nobles, Grocheodeclares,
"Est enim cantus iste de delectabili materia et ardua, sicut de amicitia et caritate, et ex omnibus longis et perfectis efficitur."'31This sentence has been subjected to
of the plica in the notation of 12th-c. polyphony reflects the com3O It is even possible that the use posers' desire to obtain greater precision in the delineation of structural function, albeit at the expense of vagueness in pitch. 3' ERNST ROHLOFF, Der Musiktraktat des Johannes de Grocheo (Leipzig,1943), 50. "This song is indeed of delectable and lofty material, such as friendship and love, and is performed throughout in WOLF, Die Musiklehre des Johannes de perfect longs." Grocheo's treatise is also available in JOHANNES

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a variety of interpretations. deduce that Jean Beck32 and FriedrichGennrich33 Grocheois speakingof the fifth mode, suggestingthat each syllable of text has the value of a long. Beck uses a binary division in assigningtime-valuesto notes in ligatures,while Gennrichuses a ternarydivision. Jack Westrup,on the other hand, feels that Grocheo was referringonly to the tempo at which the cantus to both interpretations. There is a certainawkwardness was performed.34 coronatus about the use of fifth mode in monI, for one, would feel much more comfortable ophony if there existed some reasonablecorrelationwith polyphonicpractice, as does exist for modes1, 2, and 3. However,in polyphony,the fifth mode is used for voices having only tags of texts, not full texts. Furthermore, the architectural are normally the clausula and motet tenors of principlesgoverning composition different the structures from those of troubadour and trouvere vastly governing in the fact that melodies.The difficultyin ProfessorWestrup's lies interpretation and quesGrocheofurnishes conflictingcomparisons involvingthe cantuscoronatus tions of tempo.On the one hand, he links the performance of the cantuscoronatus with that of the Gloria,which he says is to be performed On the other slowly.35 of the Offertorywith both that of the cantuscorohand, he links the performance natus and that of the ductia;36 yet the latter had previouslybeen describedas Both dilemmasare avoided if one cares to postulate that Grocheowas rapid.37 referringto a rhythmicstyle similarto that which we have discussed.Then one assumesonly a normal interrelationship between polyphonyand monophony,an that might extend also to monophonicsettings of Latin religious interrelationship of ligatureswould be quite differentfrom that proposed poetry.The interpretation eitherby Beck,Gennrich, or Sesini,38 who also employsan isochronous interpretation. For the sake of curiosity,I have experimented with the applicationof my systemto the transcription of a handfulof troubadour melodies.In my opinion, the results have been consistentlyinterestingand, despite difficultiesin text underlay,fairly musical.I appendherewitha sample;39 the readermay wish to try his ingenuityon other test cases.
Grocheo, in: Sammelband der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft, I (1899), 69 ff. Le Chansonnier Cangi (Corpus cantilenarum medii aevi, Premiere Srie, Numero 1, Paris, 1927), II, [47] ff. 53 Chastelain de Couci, in: Die Musik in Geschidite und Gegenwart, II, 1144. 54 Medieval Song, in: The New Oxford History, II, 227 f. 35 "Isti autem cantus cantantur tractim et ex longis et perfectis ad modum cantus coronati . . ." (These chants moreover are sung slowly and in perfect longs, in the manner of the cantus coronatus.) ROHLOFF, Musiktraktat, 64 f. 36 "Et cantantur ad modum ductiae vel cantus coronati, ut corda fidelium excitet ad devote offerendum." (It is sung in the fashion of the ductia or cantus coronatus so that it may arouse the hearts of the faithful to make offerings piously.) ROHLOFF, Musiktraktat, 65 f. 37 "Ductia vero est cantilena levis et velox in ascensus et descensu.. ." (In truth the ductia is a cantilena [that is] light and rapid in ascent and descent.) ROHLOFF, Musiktraktat, 51. 38 Le Melodie trobadoriche nel Canzioniere provenzale della Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Turin, 1942). Available also in: Studi Medievali (Nuova Serie), XI (1939), 1-101; XII (1940), 1-107; XIII (1941), 31-105; XIV (1942), plates. 39 The text given here follows the reading of the MS. For the preferred reading, see CARL APPEL, Bernart von Ventadorn (Halle, 1915), 67 ff.
32

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In constructing the theoryof St. Martialand Calixtinerhythmthat I have outlined above, I have soughtto presenta flexiblesystemratherthan a closed and dogmatic set of directives.I hope that the main sense of the theory may be judgedaccurate and that it may be foundworthyof providingthe basis for furtherwork. If I have contrasted my ideas with those of other scholars,it has been chiefly for the purpose known definitionfor these ideasby pointingout alternatives of obtainingmaximum of personalconvictions,I do not presumeto demandthe abanto exist. Regardless It has been stated that the questionfacing us is not donmentof these alternatives. but rather"Howcan we sing it?". Is it not, "Howmustthey have sung this music?" to ask "Howmay however,possibleto seek still anotherpath?Is it not preferable To be we sing this music with the greatestfidelity to the ideas of the composer?" Yet I fact. historical of the sure, a logical possibilityis not necessarily equivalent suggestthat while the solutions offered above may not representperfect fidelity, they do take a majorstep in that direction.In view of the breadthof stylistic data close to historical accountedfor by the theory,the resultsmay even be reasonably feel truth.However,shouldeither an individualreaderor the scholarlycommunity in the I then strongest urge proposed, hypotheses impelledto rejectthe fundamental terms that more acceptablealternativesbe put forth. It is perhapsstill useful for us to remindourselvesoccasionallythat one of the most importantgoals of our must representan A transcription studies is the revival of music in performance. takes place if that even as as actual performance accurately possible, performance only in the minds of the editor and his reader.Normallyour analysis of musical structuredependsheavily on our firm knowledgeof time-values and harmonic and St. Martialwe are In analyzingthe music of Santiagode Compostela structure. But the very real tools. valuable most two of our in of in or whole part, deprived, of the us of relieve face us not that uncertainties and do hazards responsibility music. the nature of the basic makingthe most active possiblestatementregarding

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