Sesqui means one and one half. So a sesquipedalian likes words that are a foot and a half long.
In a sesquialtera proportion, you want, according to Morley '"three notes are sung to two of the same kinde'" and "Sesquitertia is when four notes are sung to three of the same kinde" And 3/2 is one and one half See also http://www.freefictionbooks.org/books/s/20662-shakespeare-and-music-by-edward-w-naylor?start=14 Now, having said that, there are many exceptions. The direct mathematical proportion is contradicted in sources dating back to the time of Josquin; understandably, musicians wanted leeway in their proportions, and in Mass music proportions were varied to create musical effects. Towards the end of the renaissance you see a blurring of the proportions coinciding with an interest in the theme of transformation in music. But, basically, three notes are sung to two of the same kind, which means those notes will be faster. dt At 09:40 AM 4/8/2011, you wrote: > Could anybody share any information about the execution of the > sesquialtera? I've been working on a recercare by Spinacino p.40, and > I'm still not sure if the execution is correct. > > > > > > -- > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
