Polyphonic music in thirteenth-century France

Thesis

The investigation of primary sources of thirteenth-century polyphony has been closely related to questions of the date and provenance of the surviving manuscripts. Previous studies have taken a single book and attempted to place it chronologically and topographically within the history of music of the thirteenth century. This thesis considers surviving material related to thirteenth-century polyphony and evaluates the patterns of production found there. These considerations are supported by a review of chronology in the period.

Using techniques derived from the fields of paleography, codicology, and art history, the manuscripts are loosely divided into Parisian and non-Parisian, and the contrasting types of book-production are placed in the context of the contemporary production of other types of book. At the most basic level, Parisian books betray a professional and organised system of production which relates to the generation of books which preceded the establishment of the pecia system whilst provincial manuscripts seem to suggest a more informal and ad-hoc construction and circulation. The data obtained from such source-critical inquiry are then used to ask questions concerning the distribution of genre with the discussion focused primarily on the motet and its various sub-species: bilingual motet, rondeau-motet, etc. Conclusions as regards distribution of the music suggest a distinction between Parisian practices and provincial, particularly Artesian, musical cultures. It is argued that concordance-bases and origins of surviving sources suggest the exclusive cultivation of some genres in Paris, and, of others, in Artois or the provinces.

Authors: Everist, M; Everist, M. E.

• Alternative title: aspects of sources and distribution
• Publication date: 1985
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-zg1ejmk2k
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Subjects: Manuscripts; 13th century; France; Music