Sharp Practice in the Later Middle Ages: Exploring the Chromatic Semitone and its Implications
Ronald Woodley
KEYWORDS: chromatic; semitone; Tinctoris; Marchetto of Padua; sharp; medieval; fourteenth century; fifteenth century; notation
ABSTRACT: A number of theoretical texts from the 14th and 15th centuries discuss, either explicitly or implicitly, a special heightened sharpening, especially in cadential contexts and sometimes associated with a specific interval termed the 'chromatic semitone'. This article explores the phenomenon from Marchetto of Padua through to Tinctoris, and uses sound files to illustrate and critique some of the theoretical descriptions, as well as opening out the discussion to their implications for other polyphonic repertories of the period.
Copyright © 2006 Society for Music Theory
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Ronald Woodley
Research Department
University of Central England, Birmingham Conservatoire
Paradise Place
Birmingham B3 3HG
England
ronald.woodley@uce.ac.uk
Works Cited
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