There was also a good, brief article in the BBC Music Magazine a few years ago that was a gem of clarity. It explained mutations from one hexachord to another well. I have it somewhere in my stack of old BBC Music Magazines. If I get a chance I will have a look.
The following has brief instructions on the hexachords in singing: Bathe, William. A Briefe Introduction to the Skill of Song... . London: Printed by Thomas Este, [ca. 1584]. Facsimile. introduced by Bernarr Rainbow. Clarabricken, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland: Boethius Press, 1982. [ISBN 086314022X] Morley devotes the entire first section to his text to singing in the hexachords. It is clear and easy to follow, though the mutations from one to the other do not seem to have fixed rules. I believe all modern editions are out of print. Steve Immel at OMI (http://www.omifacsimiles.com/) may be able to come up with a facsimile. He has a talent for finding facsimiles one can locate nowhere else. ABE books lists some of the Norton printing of Harman's editions @ prices starting from $11.95 in US funds and two of the earlier British editions starting at $38.22. It also lists, at Travis & Emery, London, the 1937 facsimile @ the equivalent of US$52.99, as well as several on-demand reprints at higher prices. ABE also lists one 1771 reprint, also at Travis & Emery, @ the equivalent of US$287.62. At two book sellers you can acquire THE original edition (1597) for the equivalent of US$8494.11 and $39285.24. I have not checked the Dowland translation or the Bathe book. Nor have I checked Alibris or elsewhere. Harman's modern edition of Morley's Introduction is: Morley, Thomas. A Plain and Easy Introduction to Practical Music. Second Edition, edited by R. Alec Harman; with a forward by Thurston Dart. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., 1973 [ISBN: 0393006824]. Reprint of the 1963 edition. There is also a Norton 1981 edition that I have not seen, but with the same ISBN at the 1973 edition so probably a simile reprint. [Harman's editorial Introduction in the 1973 edition, at least the one I have, is a bit mis-sorted, with paragraphs transposed out of order. I was studying with Harman (in Seattle) at the time, and he was very put out when I showed it to him, He said then that he was not even aware that Norton was reprinting his edition.] The facsimiles are: Morley, Thomas. A Plaine and Easie Introdvction to Practicall Mvsicke... . London: Imprinted...by Peter Short..., 1597. Facsimile. Westmead, Farnborough, Hants: Gregg International Publishers Ltd., 1971. and Facsimile. (English experience, its record in early printed books published in facsimile, no. 207.) Amsterdam: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum; New York: Da Capo, 1969. and Facsimile. London: Oxford University Press, 1937. [If I remember correctly, this facsimile is unclear, due to poor printing contrast.] GJC Gordon J Callon Adjunct Professor School of Music Acadia University Wolfville Nova Scotia Canada B4P 2R6 http://ace.acadiau.ca/score/site-map.htm -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wed 7/25/2007 1:10 PM To: Caroline Usher Cc: [email protected] Subject: [LUTE] Re: Hexachords Dear Caroline, If you mean historical sources, you need Morley's 'Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practical Music,' or John Dowland's English translation of the 'Micrologous' of Andreas Ornithoparchus. The latter is (or was) available in facsimile, I think from Dover editions, and the former is available in a modern edition. Sorry I don't have more details to hand at the moment. Both are essential reading for Renaissance music theory. Best wishes, Denys Quoting Caroline Usher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Supposing one wanted to learn the fundamentals of music as it was taught > in the 16th century, starting with the gamut and hexachords. Are there > any sources which approach this pedagogically? There is an admirably > thorough explanation of the theory at > http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/hex.html, but how would one put it > into practice? > > Much thanks for any suggestions, > Caroline > > P.S. Who's going to Vancouver next week? I'm arriving at 10:58pm on > Saturday evening--anyone want to share a cab to Green College? > > -- > Caroline Usher, Dept. of Biology > Box 90338 > Durham NC 27708 > 613-8155, fax 660-7293 > "So that its subjects will view it with admiration, as a chicken which has > the daring and courage to boldly cross the road, but also with fear, for who > among them has the strength to contend with such a paragon of avian virtue? > In such a manner is the princely chicken's dominion maintained." - > Machiavelli > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > ---------------------------------------------- This mail sent through http://www.ukonline.net --
