Chapter Ten - Editorial Methods

Summary

These be necessary good rules and easy to be understood.

Thomas Morley, A Plain and Easy Introduction to Practical Music (1597)

Since most of the concordances for Arbeau's Orchesographie tunes are fairly straightforward, few changes were needed to transcribe them into modern notation. Note values are changed only in the case of certain tablature examples where the rhythm is given in stems above the staff; in these cases the values are changed to match Arbeau. His original tunes appear in the Critical Report. Parts for vocal and instrumental ensembles retain the names found in the original source. Those without such designations have them provided in brackets.

For vocal or instrumental works that are reprinted in several volumes, the volume chosen for transcription is the one chronologically closest to Orchesographie. Editorial tempo markings are not given; for those interested in reconstruction, the dance descriptions in Chapter Eight may serve as a guide. The pavane and passamezzo, for instance, exhibit very similar musical and choreographic characteristics, but Arbeau makes it clear that the latter's tempo is twice as fast as the former’s. The same applies to the gaillarde and the tourdion. In the latter, the footwork is closer to the ground, avoiding leaps, and therefore moves more quickly.

Locations within each piece are identified as follows: measure number (m, mm), voice part (Cn=Cantus, Al=Altus, Ct=Countertenor, Ct2=Countertenor 2, Qn=Quintus, Tn=Tenor, Tn2=Tenor 2, Bass=Bassus, Bass2=Bassus 2, Su=Superius), original note durations (br=breve, sbr=semibreve, min=minim, smin=semiminim), rest durations (brr=breve rest, etc); modern note durations (4^er=quarter note, 8^th=eighth note, 16^th= sixteenth note). Major musical sections are marked with boxed letters, as necessary.

Clefs

The sources use a variety of clefs, which are indicated in the incipits. Original clefs that conform to modern usage remain as such. C-clefs on the lowest treble staff line are transcribed as G-clefs. Fourth line C-clefs are transcribed as G-clefs basso. Third line C-clefs are transcribed as either G-clef treble or G-clef basso, depending on the range of the line. F-clefs on the third line are transcribed as fourth line F-clefs.

Barlines

Although Arbeau's tunes contain what appear to be barlines, they are more accurately designated “phrase” lines because they mark phrases of the choreography. Therefore, they cannot be used to determine appropriate barring in a modern edition. Barlines are added as appropriate to the meter and phrasing suitable for the dance rhythms.