Music and the Moderni, 1300-1350 - The Ars Nova in Theory and Practice

Challenges current accounts of the French ars nova, a musical art that was both criticised and heralded for its modernity.

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. Subtilitas and the ars nova; 3. Jean des Murs, Quadrivial Scientist; 4. Arts old and new; 5. From trees to degrees; 6. Notational dots and the line of musical time; Epilogue; Appendix 1: list of transitional ars nova motets and concordances; Appendix 2: key dates in the biography of Jean des Murs; Appendix 3: key dates in the biography of Philippe de Vitry; Appendix 4: sources of Jean des Murs's notitia and conclusiones; Appendix 5: edition of Apta/Flos; Appendix 6: works list for Jean des Murs.

About the author

Karen Desmond is Assistant Professor of Music at Brandeis University, Massachusetts, and in 2018 was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Harvard University. She has published her research on thirteenth- and fourteenth-century music, theory, and notation in the leading journals of her field. Desmond was awarded an NEH Research Fellowship and an SSHRC Banting Fellowship for this book project.

Summary

Through a close reading of the words of fourteenth-century musicians and theorists, Karen Desmond explores the crucial contributions of mathematician Jean des Murs to the ars nova, the 'new art' of its time. This book will appeal to scholars of early music, medieval studies and late medieval intellectual history.

Product details

• Authors: Karen Desmond, Karen (Brandeis University Desmond, Desmond Karen
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.08.2018
• EAN: 9781107167094
• ISBN: 978-1-107-16709-4
• No. of pages: 322
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Music > Music history; History, HISTORY / General, MUSIC / History & Criticism, MUSIC / Instruction & Study / Theory, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Classical, CE period up to c 1500, Archaeology, Theory of music & musicology, Music reviews & criticism, Renaissance style, Music reviews and criticism, History and Archaeology, C 500 CE To C 1000 CE, Art music, orchestral and formal music, Theory of music and musicology, Medieval & Renaissance music (c 1000 to c 1600), Medieval style, Western "classical" music