Dear Denys & all,
> this to Dalza's recercar on f. 7, the piece starts in triple time > with each measure having a value of a semibreve. The first three > measures indeed have three minims each. yes > > Over the page on f.7v the time changes with the sign of a broken > circle with a vertical line through it and a numeral 3 set against it. > The broken circle indicates imperfect (i.e. duple) time. The tables > in the Micrologus suggest that the vertical line indicates a 'diminution' > and the numeral 3 indicates that the diminution is of a factor of 3. > The definition of a diminution is a little confusing: apparently 'the > ancients' > considered it to consist of reducing the length of a measure by a third, > whilst > 'the moderns' consider it to be reducing the length of a measure by a half. > But it > goes on to say that a number placed against the diminution sign indicates > the value of the diminution. I am still a bit confused about the signs, but I also went to the bookshelves and found out that there is an "implicit confusion", dating back to the times themselves when the signs were used - with different meanings. But the diminutio, indicated by the vertical line through the C -symbol, is for sure. (Like this, it would be diminutio dupla.) If there follows only ONE number (not a fraction like 3/1 or 1/2 ) it indicates the proportion of the diminuition. In this case we have a C and a three, which means that the music change to imperfect tempus and minor prolatio AND the there is a diminuition by the factor of... well, 3. (There are also examples where this 3 stands for the proportio sesquialtera (3/2).) So, I suggest that we have a proportio of 3 new semibreves corresponding to one of the old ones. In the Dalza case 3 new "measures" take the same time as one of the old, triple ones.This would mean double tempo, wouldn't it. ?! Next try, please? :-) best wishes Bernd To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
