3 Motets from the Bamberg Codex

for 3 voices or instruments.

The Bamberg Codex (Bamberg, Staatliche Bibliothek, Ms. Lt. 115) is a beautifully-written manuscript containing mostly polytextual motets. There is no precise date for the compilation of the collection, but the repertoire contained in it is generally thought to date from around 1260-1290. A complete facsimile (minus one page) was included in Pierre Aubry´s Cent Motels du XIIIe siècle, Vol. 1, Paris, 1908. The first of these motets appears in several other contemporary sources: (i) Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Douce 139 (facsimile in Parrish, The Notation of Medieval Music); (ii) Montpellier, Bibliothèque de l´école de médecin, H196; (iii) Turin, Biblioteca Nazionale, MS Vari 42.
Polytextuality, which is a common feature of much thirteenth-century music, is something with which modern performers often find it hard to come to terms. One solution is to perform the piece in two parts at first (motetus and tenor), and then to add the triplum. Some musicians may find a few of the incidental dissonances in this music rather strange, but if the tempo is fast enough, and the tuning on the main beats good enough - with fifths as pure as possible - the passing clashes need not seem harsh. Two of the present pieces (nos. 2 and 3) have a plainsong melody in the tenor, but no. 1 has a secular rondeau which is known from other sources of the time.
The original note values have been divided by eight. Slurs are used to indicate the plica. 1 am grateful to Jeannine Alton for translating the texts of these songs.

Produkt-ID: LPM-EML125

Lieferbar in 3-5 Werktagen

4,10 EUR

inkl. 7% MwSt.
St

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