Re: Humble question, text at the second note in a ligature

[Phil Holmes]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Kastrup" <address@hidden>
To: "Phil Holmes" <address@hidden>
Cc: "Son_V" <address@hidden>; <address@hidden>
Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2014 4:42 PM
Subject: Re: Humble question, text at the second note in a ligature


> "Phil Holmes" <address@hidden> writes:
>
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "David Kastrup" <address@hidden>
> > To: "Phil Holmes" <address@hidden>
> > Cc: "Son_V" <address@hidden>; <address@hidden>
> > Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2014 4:17 PM
> > Subject: Re: Humble question, text at the second note in a ligature
> >
> >
> > > "Phil Holmes" <address@hidden> writes:
> > >
> > > > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > >
> > > > > > Well, that makes no sense at all.  You can't sing two syllables to a
> > > > > > single note.
> > > > >
> > > > > Well, when singing Monteverdi's Vespers, I remember having to fit 
> > > > > about
> > > > > a dozen of syllables to some single notes.
> > > > >
> > > > > Take a look at
> > > > > <URL:http://imslp.org/wiki/Special:ImagefromIndex/311853>, page 10. 
> > > > > Or
> > > > > probably more convincingly interspersed with "normal" syllable
> > > > > distributions several times on page 11.
> > > >
> > > > I don't personally see examples of two syllables per note there: there
> > > > are a few where the words could be hyphenated better, that's all I can
> > > > see.
> > >
> > > Page 11.  There is a single note for all of "Donec ponem inimicos".
> > > Similarly "Tecum principium in die virtutis".  Again with "in
> > > splendoribus sanctorum ex utero ante luciferum".
> >
> > I would assume that's simply chant.
>
> As opposed to page 10, it is interspersed with syllable-timed music, and
> it needs to obey the total note value in order to keep in synch with
> instruments.  Also it's not a single singer but multiple voices.  So
> it's rather chanty than chant.
>
> > Furthermore, note that, simply because a printer does something in
> > 1610 doesn't make it correct notation in 2014.
>
> We did sing from modern transcriptions using the same style of notation.
>
> --
> David Kastrup


I'm struggling to understand your page numbers to some extent: are you 
referring to the one labelled (at the top) 12?  The words Domine ad 
adiuuandum?

In this case, it looks like a return to older styles of notation, where the 
scribe simply wrote the words out and the singers knew which syllable to fit 
to which note.  No way should you try to fit multiple syllables to a single 
fusa here.  Nor putting Domi (from Domine) onto that semi minima rest at the 
start, either...

--
Phil Holmes