Microtones in a Sixteenth Century Portuguese Manuscript

Author(s): Hoyle Carpenter

Source: Acta Musicologica, Vol. 32, Fasc. 1, (Jan. - Mar., 1960), pp. 23-28
Published by: International Musicological Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/931819
Accessed: 12/06/2008 03:46

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 23

MISCELLANEA

MicrotonesinaSixteenthCenturyPortuguese
Manuscript
HOYLE CARPENTER (GLASSBORO/NEW JERSEY)

The library of the University of Coimbra possesses a collection of manuscripts that are
of great importance to the history of keyboard music. One of these, Manuscrito musico n. 48 1,
contains a repertory consisting largely of literal transcriptions of both sacred and secular
choral music of the first half of the sixteenth century by Flemish and Hispanic composers.
Some of the composers represented are Josquin, Morales, Gombert, Clemens non Papa, Soto,
Baston, Verdelot, and Torres. There are, also, several ricercari by Jacques Buus.
The contents of the manuscript suggest that it was compiled shortly after mid-sixteenth
century. The likelihood of this dating is confirmed by the following statement that appears
on the verso side of the final folio, "Em os seis dias do mes de Junho 1559 comeeei a dar
licao de tanger aos Irmaos dom Bras dom Bernardo e dom Joam."
The notation used throughout the manuscript is that of the keyboard partitura with a
separate staff for each part. Regularly spaced bar-lines are used. Most of the pieces have
incipits and other key words written at the appropriateplaces.
On f. 54v there is an anonymous piece without title or text that is of more than usual
interest. Besides the modern signs for sharp, flat, and natural that are used throughout the
manuscript, there are many notes preceded by the sign "x". The "x's" can hardly be an
alternate way of indicating the normal sharp, since a note with "x" sometimes immediately
follows the same note with a sharp2. It seems highly probable that microtones are indicated
by the "x".
The following passage from THOMAS MORLEY'S A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practi-
call Musicke3 confirms this interpretation of "x".
Enharmonicumis that which riseth by diesis, (diesis is the half of the less half note),
and ditonus; but in our music I can give no example of it because we have no half of a
less 'semitonium,' but those who would show it set down this example:

o xo o

of Enharmonicum and mark the diesis thus, 'X,' as it were the half of the apotome or
greater half note which is marked thus,' 'g '4

1 For a descriptionof the manuscriptand a list of its contentssee SANTIAGO

KASTNER:
"Losmanuscritos
musicalesnums.48 y 242 de la BibliotecaGeneralde la Universidadde Coimbra,"AnuarioMusical,
V (1950) 78 ff. In this article Senhor KASTNER
states that, according to MARIOSAMPAYO the
RIBIERO,
universityreceivedthe manuscriptfromthe monasteryof SantaCruzin Coimbra.
2 E. g., measure7, tenor.
3 Modern edition by R. ALECHARMAN (New York, n. d.) 102.
p.
4 HARMAN
pointsout severalerrorsin this passage.The usualsign for the sharp," ," is usedin the
musicalexample.The A in the exampleis redundantand the final note is D insteadof E. "X" is half
of the less half-note,not half of the greaterhalf-note.Nevertheless,the sense of the passageis clear.
5 Immediaterepetitionis not counted.Repetitionafter a rest is includedin the count.Durationis not
considered.
24 Hoyle Carpenter:Microtonesin a 16th CenturiesPortugueseMS

A count of the notes reveals the following distribution5:

A 53 C 32 Ex 4
Ax 1 C-sharp 10 F 24
B-flat 5 Cx 2 F-sharp 17
B 35 D 33 Fx 2
B-sharp I D-sharp 1 G 24
Bx 4 E 49 G-sharp 23
No use is made of A-sharp, Dx, Gx, nor of any flat except B-flat. This single piece is not, of
course, sufficient evidence to rule these signs out of the system if, indeed, the composer had
a fully-developed system in mind. The above table shows that the notes preceded by "x" are
used sparingly. Usually these notes are introduced and left as smoothly as possible. Occasion-
ally larger intervals are involved 6.
"X" may be interpreted in either of two ways. It can represent fixed pitches as do the
signs for sharps or flats. PRAETORIUS describes such a notation for the clavicymbal universale,
upon which all three of the Greek genera could be played7. Fx, for example, would be a pitch
between F-sharp and G, Ex a pitch between E and F. The other interpretation makes "x"
an upward inflection of the previous note, whatever its inflection may be. Cx coming after C
would represent a pitch between C and C-sharp. On the other hand, if Cx comes after C-sharp
the pitch representedby Cx would be between C-sharp and D. This system resembles the usage
of VICENTINO in his L' antica musica8, in which a dot over a note raises it a small diesis,
which is approximately equivalent to a quarter-tone.
The latter system seems preferable in the present instance. If interpreted in this way,
every use of "x" makes good musical sense. The alto part in measures 19-21, for example,
becomes a convincing series of rising inflections. If the former system is applied, this passage
is made into a kind of aimless wandering. VICENTINO'S usage also makes possible a reasonable
accounting for the apparently extra quarter-note in the tenor of measure 39, which consists
of a half-note, E; a half-rest; and a quarter-note, B; followed by Bx in the next measure. If
the "x" is dependent on the preceding note for its pitch, then the B can be regarded as a sign
for an unplayed note which is present for the sole purpose of giving tonal definition to Bx
entering after a rest. If the former interpretation is applied, the measure is necessarily faulty.
The texture is mostly contrapuntal with considerable use of imitative entries. A six-note
subject built around the interval of the perfect fourth is used at the beginning, with tonic,
dominant, dominant, tonic relationships. As the piece progresses the subject undergoes con-
siderable modification. These alterations at times involve enharmonic changes which, how-
ever, do not destroy the characteristic rising inflections of the first notes9. Stretto is a
prominent feature10. At times the bass is a simple harmonic support for the more complex
movement of the voices above 1.
The score is full of corrections and changes, many more than in any other piece in the
collection. This suggests that the piece is not a copy from some other source, but rather that
it was worked out in this manuscript. If this assumption is correct, the composition is of
Portuguese origin. It is not, at any rate, one of the enharmonic pieces in VICENTINO'S L' antica
musica nor one of the microtonal chansons of ANTHOINE DEBERTRAND 12

6 Measures 7-8, 29-30, 43-44.

7 MICHAEL Syntagmamusicum,Vol. II: De Organographia(Wolfenbiittel,1619) p. 64 f.
PRAETORIUS,
Facsimile reprint: Kassel, 1958.
8 NICOLO VICENTINO, L' antica musica ridotta alla moderna prattica (Roma, 1555).
9 E.
g., measures 19-27, tenor and soprano; 65-70, bass.
10 E. g., measures 1-8, 45-55.
n E.
g., measures 19-28, 45-55.
12 Moderneditionby H. EXPERT,Les monumentsde la musiquefrancaiseau tempsde la Renaissance,
Vol. VI (Paris, 1927).
Hoyle Carpenter: Microtones in a 16th Centuries Portuguese MS 25

One wonders whether or not the piece has any connection with LUSITANO, the Portuguese
musician who bested VICENTINO in the famous debate on the latter's theories about ancient
Greek music. LUSITANO was a composer13as well as a theorist 14.
Another possible composer is JACQUES Buus, who is credited with the invention of the
clavicymbal universale described by PRAETORIUS15.The fact that two of Buus' ricercari
immediately follow the piece in question may be significant. However, since it was probably
worked out in this Portuguese manuscript and Buus is not known to have been in Portugal,
he is not likely to be its composer.
Considerable interest was shown by sixteenth century musicians in experimenting with
the chromatic and enharmonic genera and with instruments capable of playing them. There
is the well-known two-part chromatic piece, Quidnam ebrietas, by WILLAERT, VICENTINO'S
teacher. ZARLINO had a gravicembalo made for him that was designed to play in all three
general6. In addition to his archicembalo, VICENTINOalso had built an archiorgano17 and
LUZZASCHI
is said to have been a skilled performer on them18. SALINAS mentions the archi-
cymbalum as an instrument that can divide the whole step into five parts, but does not know
who invented it 9. Also reported is the clavicembalo built by VIDo TRASENTINO in 160120. There
are pieces such as JOHNBULL'SUt, re, mi, fa, sol, la21 with enharmonic notation probably
meant for such an instrument.
The question arises, was it possible to perform such a microtonal piece at the place of its
origin, or was this a purely theoretical exercise without any thought of actual performance?
There does not appear to be any indication that there was a suitable instrument in Portugal
at that time.
Questions about performance and authorship are, for the time being, unanswered. The
piece in question is the only one in the manuscript using the sign "x". No other microtonal
compositions of the sixteenth century have come to light from this region. If the piece is
microtonal, as it appears to be, it may very well be a unique example of its kind in Hispanic
music of the Renaissance era.

13
LUSITANO[Vicente de Olivenca], Epigrammataque vulgo motetta dicuntur, cum 5, 6 et 8 v. (Roma,
1551).
14 LUSITANO, Introdutione facilissima et nouissima de canto fermo (Roma, 1553).
15 GUSTAVE REESE, Music in the Renaissance (New York, 1954) p. 667.
16 ALFRED EINSTEIN,The Italian Madrigal, Vol. I (Princeton, 1949) p. 411 f.
17 NICOLO VICENTINO, Descrizione dell' archiorgano (1561).
18 ERCOLE BOTTRIGARI, II Desiderio (1594) p. 40. Facsimile reprint in Veroffentl. Bibl. Paul Hirsch,
No. 5 (1924).
19 FRANCISCO DESALINAS, De musica libri VII (Salamanca, 1557) p. 164.
20 The Italian Madrigal, Vol. II, p. 705.
EINSTEIN,
21
J. A. FULLER-MAITLAND and W. BARCLAY SQUIRE(eds.), The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, Vol. I (Lon-
don, 1894) p. 183.
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