# Famous medieval musical codices



## Perotin (May 29, 2012)

Medieval music is not very often discussed on this form, maybe it's time to change that.  I listened to music from Rossi codex on youtube and found it very interesting, here. If you have any knowledge on this matter, can you name a few medieval music codices and maybe tell something about them, say, why are they important, what was their place in music history and so on.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Excellent idea for a thread - I thoroughly enjoy listening to this sort of repetoire. An early music group which I have a particular liking for is the Ferrara Ensemble; they have tackled some excellent Gothic French music from the Codex Chantilly. The codex represents the so-clalled _Ars Subtilior _which is notable for its rhythmic complexity. Here is a terrific example:






(If you like this Ensemble, they have also put out a great album of German songs taking from 15th century manuscripts.)

I will also mention one other very interesting piece from the Codex Chantilly. It is a "perpetual canon" called _Tout par compas_ by the composer Baude Cordier. With a trick that many 20th century minimalist composers would probably be proud of, it is composed on a circular staff, which in theory means the piece could go on forever. Here it is performed by the Ensemble Organum:


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2013)

I don't know that many, and those that I do know are primarily from recordings by Anonymous 4. Of those, I really enjoy the Las Huelgas Codex, the Montpellier Codex, and the Codex Calixtinus.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

DrMike said:


> I don't know that many, and those that I do know are primarily from recordings by Anonymous 4. Of those, I really enjoy the Las Huelgas Codex, the Montpellier Codex, and the Codex Calixtinus.


Codex Calixtinus is an interesting one; apparently it contains the oldest surviving piece of three-part polyphony, dating from the 12th century:






...but Wikipedia says the dissonaces are so harsh that the three voices were perhaps not supposed to be sung together!


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## chalkpie (Oct 5, 2011)

Great thread idea! Huge fan of early music here. :cheers:


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Silly me. I have been a Jethro Tull fan too long. I read entirely something different than "codices" in the thread title.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Weston said:


> Silly me. I have been a Jethro Tull fan too long. I read entirely something different than "codices" in the thread title.


Or a fan of Eldridge Cleaver?

http://www.theawl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cleavercodpiece.jpg


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Of course, one of the greatest medieval manuscript collections is the _Cantigas de Santa Maria_ attributed to Alfonso X El Sabio. This is a collection of 420 Songs written in Portugese dating from 13th century. I find some of the melodies irresistible and the instrumentation rather exotic. Of course interpretations of this music vary enormously, but that is one of the reasons it is so interesting! The best known piece is _Santa Maria Strela do dia_






and another excellent piece is this one, _Quen a omagen da Virgen_


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

I like the Robertsbridge Codex.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Weston said:


> Silly me. I have been a Jethro Tull fan too long. I read entirely something different than "codices" in the thread title.


LOL! You must have this one burned into your synapses, from an era which went out of its way to be unbuttoned, pop music stage performers going that much further.....








Medieval, it ain't


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

London MS Add. 29987 held at the British Museum contains 15 pieces from 14thC Tuscany and is about half of all the know medieval dance tunes.

http://erato.uvt.nl/files/imglnks/u...ondon__British_Museum__Additional_ 29987.pdf


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

The other main source of medieval instrumental music is the so called 'Le Manuscrit du Roi' held at Bibliothèque nationale de France. The majority of the work is French songs of the troubadours and trouvères but it also contains a few dances and 8 estampies, which may get their name from a stamping dance performed to them.

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84192440











An interesting review on amazon criticises Savall's interpretation saying current scholarship suggests estampies may be for solo viol and not ensembles as well as not even being dance forms.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Chansonnier Cordiforme (heartshaped songbook) was produced for the french bishop Jean de Montchenu around the 1470s and contains songs by Barbingant, Fedé, Bedingham, Dufay, Dunstable, Binchois, Frye, Busnois, Caron, Cornago, Ghizeghem, Morton, Ockeghem, Vincenet and Anonymous.


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## mnsCA (Jul 30, 2013)

The Codex Speciálník has some lovely gems, such as this example posted by Early Music New York:


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Winterreisender said:


> Codex Calixtinus is an interesting one; apparently it contains the oldest surviving piece of three-part polyphony, dating from the 12th century:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Modern music, step aside!


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