>
> The "transitus irregularis" is described, for example, in the method fo
> figured bass said to be written by W. A. Mozart (which I suppose to have an
> english translation). Well, that book names it "transitus irregularem" but
> this is not a correct Latin...
quite! :-) s/us/um/ !
I bought this booklet 10 days ago in German!
> It is also cited, with a few examples, in an Italian book about figured
> bass. I'm very sorry but I don't know the english language literature on the
> subject.
> The transitus irregularis is used in ancient Italian literature (not very
> often: you know that the Italian figured bass uses very few symbols) and in
> German one (I'm not at home so I can not cite any author... tomorrow if you
> are interested).
There are in fact quite a number authors.
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach mentions it, also
J.D. Heinichen, ...
It will be in Mattheson's essay too, I guess,
and in Tuerk's.
As far as I know even earlier authors like Christoph Bernhard have it.
In German there are different names for this "Durchgangsnote":
"harter" or "schwerer" Durchgang.
The "usual" Transitus would happen on an off-beat (a 'light beat' if you
say so), passing a note which does not belong to the harmony.
The "transitus irregularis" passes a note which does not belong to
the harmony *on the strong* beat (positio instead of levatio),
so the following not is the one which actually belongs to the harmony.
A typical case is the one of the figure 5/2 on the beat: Usually
the bass line would move one step down, resolving in the
six-chord.
JSB (and others) as far as my experience reaches do figure these
"transitus irregulares" on the beat, using figures like:
5/2 , 7/5/2, 7/4/2, even 6/4/2 (signifying the root chord,
being reached from downwards, cf John's Passion (Matthew's?), Choral
"Ach grosser Koenig".)
or even 5/3/2, and 5/4/2, and others.
But in some rare cases I met that slash "/" which Angelo was talking of.
If you want to print it within PMX, Angelo, you have to use
inline-TeX, one of PMX's great features, once you have discovered it!
PMX accepts only the ciphers 0,1,...,9 as figures.
10,11,...,14 (Caccini) cannot *directly* posted to the TeX-file.
But if you use the \Figu{}{}-Macro, anything should be possible.
> The meaning is very simple: suppose you have a "d" with transitus
> irregularis followed by "c" numbered "2". You should execute on the first
> "d" the harmonization of the "c" numberd "2", that is you anticipate on "d"
> the harmony of the following "c". Just the opposite of the continuation of
> the prior harmony over a new bass note.
> It has more than one possible symbol (written under the note at the height
> of the numbers):
> 1 - nothing (alas: this is an Italian use...)
> 2 - a circle
> 3 - an ancient trill sign (^^^^)
ah, I think I remember Carl Philipp mentioning this sign, in his printing
it looks like a "Gothic" 'm', (\mathfrak{m}). He also mentions the
circle, right, and the slash.
But in 'actual music' I have not come across these signs, only the slash,
which has CPE's preference, if my memory tells me right.
> 4 - a \cup sign
> 5 - a slash
> So, my problem is to have the effect of the continuation "0", but instead of
> a line to see a circle, or a trill sign, or a \cup or a slash.
See above: Does this give you some help?
You would have to code *before* the transitu irregulare
(Ablativus locativus, if I am not mistaken ... :-)
"\Figu{4}{/}\ "
or
"\Figu{4}{$\circ$} "
(Leave out the quotation marks '"', of course.)
there first argument ('4') being the height the figure should be appear at.
Just try different numbers instead of 4, and see the difference.
If you try to use $\cup$ you will run into difficulties, because
this control sequence has been redefined by MusiXTeX,
printing a dotted eighth with stemp up, which might surprise you
as a figure ....
But why not introduce a new symbol for the Tr.irr.???? :-)
>
> I hope this description is sufficientely clear, but English is not my mother
> tongue...
neanche la mia ...
Spero che ti possa aiutare con questi 'hints'.
Ciao,
Eckart Begemann
Saluti a La Serenissima! :-)
--
Quality Control | Eckart Begemann
--------------- | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
A Professor of Skills Scientific |
Said, Don't confuse GOOD with PROLIFIC |
Put quality second: |
What's usually reckoned +------------------------------------
Is how much, and not how terrific. Michael M. Stewart, MD, Elmhurst, NY
