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- Title
Evidence contrary to the a cappella hypothesis for the 15th-century chanson.
- Authors
Urquhart, Peter; de Savage, Heather
- Abstract
Evidence is presented contrary to widely held assumptions about all-vocal performance of French chansons written before 1500. While some of these concepts have long been known—the linear character of individual lines, and the different nature of the contratenor—the authors bring new evidence to bear on the question: harmonic anomalies and the occurrence of multiple notes. The fact that all three types of evidence here are found only in the contratenor part recalls an old concept, much disparaged in the recent literature, known as the ‘English a cappella heresy’: that the contratenor of the late 15th century, in the hands of Antoine Busnoys and his contemporaries—including much of the music of the five central Loire valley chansonniers—appears to have been created for performance on a plucked string instrument.
- Subjects
FRANCE; CHANSONS (Renaissance music); SACRED vocal music; COUNTERTENORS; BUSNOIS, Antoine, d. 1492; PERFORMANCE practice (Music performance) -- History -- To 1500; FRENCH music
- Publication
Early Music, 2011, Vol 39, Issue 3, p359
- ISSN
0306-1078
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/em/car054