They are a kind of triplet or hemiola, depending on how you look at it. So if you have a bar of two half notes, then you will play three half notes in the time of two. If they are double size bars, then you have six in the time of four, which is the same, just repeated.
In polyphonic music, you can have one part in three and the other part in two at the same time, then the proportion must be even. Of course, it depends on the time signature. dt At 10:41 PM 4/8/2011, you wrote: > Hi David, > > > > Can the sesquialtera be performed as triplets? In Spinacino there are 6 > notes in a bar (duple time). > > > > Thanks for the info. > > 2011/4/9 David Tayler <[1][email protected]> > > 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 > [2]http://www.freefictionbooks.org/books/s/20662-shakespeare-and-mus > ic-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 > >[3]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- > >References > > 1. mailto:[email protected] > 2. > http://www.freefictionbooks.org/books/s/20662-shakespeare-and-music-by-edward-w-naylor?start=14 > 3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
