Zacconi’s Theories of Tactus and Mensuration Ruth I, DeFord The Journal of Musicology, Vol. 14, No. 2. (Spring, 1996), pp. 151-182. Stable URL hitp:/flinks.jstor-org/sicisici 177-9269%28199621%2914%3A2%3C1S1%3AZTOTAM%3E2.0.CO%3SB2-P The Journal of Musicology is currently published by University of California Press. Your use of the ISTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at hup:/www,jstororglabout/terms.hml. ISTOR’s Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. 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DeFORD Volume XIV + Number #« Spring 1996 ‘The Journal of Musicology © 1996 by the Regents ofthe Universiy of Califo * Will Ape, The Notation of Pabphonic Music, 900-1600, 5th ed, (Cambridge, MA. 1953), 190, presents the classic version of this view: "Additonal evidence in support of the princpie of tempo-stabily i found in the fifteenth and sixteenth century theory of proportions, which i essendally based upon the idea ofa fundamental and unchange- Eble uni of me, the tatu.” Ur152 THE JOURNAL OF MUSICOLOGY challenged? alternative interpretations of the musical funetion of tac- tus have not been explored. Ludovico Zacconi offers such an alternative in his Pattca di musica (part I, 1592; part II, 1622),3 a work notable for its wealth of observa tions about performance practices and the aesthetic effects of different types of music.+ A former student of Andrea Gabrieli and singer in the Bavarian court chapel under Lassus at the time part I of the treatise was, published, Zacconi approaches his subject from the perspective of a practical performer. In his view, tactus i only loosely related to tempo, but intimately connected to the metric and rhythmic character of the leyden’s theory is found in De ae canends (Nuremberg, 1540) face, Moma ments of Music and Muse Lterare in Facsimile, ser, no. 139 (New York 196; {ta by Clement A. Miler, Musicological Studies and Documents 26 (np Ameria Insite of Mesicology, 1972) Aldwough there evidence hat Heyden was more com ered about tempo rlatnships atin pices than ith ingle tempo for ll Gement Miler “Sebald Heyden's De are cand Background and dina XXIV (1970), go-ge,nerprets Heyden aah an aol ‘stimates cto be approximately MM 95 TTA. Bank Forts, Temp, and Notation in Menara Music fom te 13th he 17 Contry (tower, ag72), interprets the tempo implications of tat ay strict, at onchides thatthe theory of one tacts of variable sped cannot be sustained” (259), {Gat Dah, "Zar Theorie des Tacs im 16. Jahrhundert” Are fr Masher XVI (1g), 12-30, gues that before the tine af Heyden, dhe tac could have ee diferent wales, one a and the other 3/2 of the baie value. Daas takes more flexible poston “Die Tact und Proportonenlee des bis 17-Jahehunder”n en, Hsin und Recon in der fren Nowe, ed. Frieder Zamine’, Geschichte der Musktheoie 6 (Dara, 1987), 394-01, claiming that although mensuraton ign {id cary tempo implications, they cannot be reduced oa simple tem in which eve things compared t single standard of reference Dale Bonge,“Galfrius on Plse and ‘Tempo: A Reinexpreation,” Musica ducpna XXXVI gin, 067-74. claims that the analogies between Tatu and pte nthe writings of Ramos and Gafuran should be interpreted ax humaniicatempls to relate mse physiology, not as tempo prescrip. 1 Part hereafer Pte, 1598) was published by Girolamo Polo (Venice, 1992) and reisued in 1596 by Bartolomeo Carampelio. Only the ie page and the other al afte same sheet the hast ao of the taal) were reprinted. Patil (herealter Prati, 1622) wat published by Alewandro Vincent (Venice, 162). aceon oigialy regarded past a te complete creative andl didnot cal it rina pare nthe print, but when he {Eccded! o pink adioal wok thi years ter, he called i Prati d ms, se ‘onda pot nd refered to the cake treatee a the at past of is Pain d musta in the tee Facs-eds of both part, (Hildesheim, 1982) and Bibliotheca Musca Bononien $8. sen tl m1 (Bologna 1967, rep. 1983) * Fetch Chryeander, “Lvtovico Zacconi als Lehrer des Kunsigesangs.” Vint Jjokncht for Muster IX (1893). 249, called atenion to the importance and 1 Garacer of Zacon's work 2 century af. calming that it contains dhe most {Complete and mos vakable information onthe a of singing Wansmited by any wer tthe second hal of the steenth century. Chryander summarizes much of the content Sr'he tease, but ores the portions dealing with ehyhm and tacks, iid, vos. 7 {ison sap-g6:9 (igs) aygegiovand 10 (1894) 3-07 More rece, James Har, {x Shtednth-Centry Attempt Mus CHa Jura! of te Ameren sell Sac XXXVI (19H) 191-809, has analved Zaccon's description of composes personal ‘Seas unig examples of satentcenury "music et.”