Music Notation
A Brief History
Music 253 2010 Eleanor Selfridge-Field 2
Tibetan chant
Info conveyed:1. Pitch contour2. Vocal articulation
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Byzantine chant
Info conveyed:1. Intervallic contour2. Vocal articulation?
Music 253 2010 Eleanor Selfridge-Field 4
Byzantine chant
Info conveyed in transcription:1. Intervallic contour2. Pitch?3. Vocal articulation?4. Meter?5. Barring??
Music 253 2010 Eleanor Selfridge-Field 5
Koto instruction manual (1817)
Info conveyed:1. String number2. Ornament3. Stroke4. Beat (instrument)5. Vocal syllable
Ikta school
Vertical notation
Music 253 2010 Eleanor Selfridge-Field 6
Machaut: rhymed love song (c. 1350)
Info conveyed:1. Specific pitch2. Relative duration3. Lyrics4. Rhyme scheme
Library of Congress
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Josquin: Missa Beata Vergine (c 1500)
Polyphonic music
Four parts in one view
Info conveyed:1. Specific pitch2. Specific duration3. Lyrics (underspecified)
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Illuminated Hymnal
Vatican Library
Info conveyed:1. Specific pitch2. Specific duration3. Lyrics 4. Symbol of patronage
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Ockeghem: Missa Ecce Ancilla (c. 1475)
Vatican LibraryMessage; patronage
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Chant MS (1513)
Vatican Library
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Lute tablature (Capirola Lute Book, 1517)
Info conveyed: 1. String number2. Fret number3. Relative duration
Newberry Library
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Frescobaldi Keyboard Music(Rome, c. 1620)
Keyboard layout
Vatican LibraryTablature-like staves
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Landi: Sant’Alessio (1634)
Info conveyed is for the “chorus”: Music, text, choreography, scenery
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Bach canon (1713)
Canon subject: Monophonic nucleus of polyphonic work
Info conveyed1. Transportable
pitch2. Exact duration3. Instructions for
polyphonic realization
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Vivaldi: Sonata RV 779 (c. 1716)
Score for chamber music (violin, oboe, optional chalumeau, organ)
Chamber sonata
Dresden: Landesbibliothek
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Handel: Jephtha (1752)
Working draft
Info conveyed:1. Pitch2. Duration3. Lyrics4. Dynamics5. Revisions
Opera/oratorio
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Mozart: Sketch of Clarinet Concerto K622 (1791)
Composer’s sketch book
Info conveyed:1. General ideas2. Core thematic
ideas3. Abbreviated
notation
British LibraryConcerto
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Chopin MS (c. 1830)
Univ. So. Calif.
Working draft
Info conveyed:1. Pitch2. Duration3. Note groupings
BeamsSlurs
4. Dedication5. Revisions
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Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture (1830)
Bodleian Library, OxfordOrchestral score
Working draft
Info conveyed:1. Pitch2. Duration3. Articulation4. Dynamics5. Slurs6. Revisions
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Mahler: Unfinished Symphony (1908)
Sketch:
Info conveyed:1. General plan for
orchestration2. Thematic ideas3. Salutation
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Bussotti (1979)
Info conveyed: pitch contour, dynamics, beams, syllables, timbral effects
Analytical score
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Synoptic View
Most important features vary by•Repertory•Period•Performing resources•Intended user