Nicola Vicentino vs. Ghiselin Danckerts

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction – p. 1

1. 1.1 A necessary preliminary question: Does one need to know the
   exact size of an interval to be a good musician? – p. 2

2 Ghiselin Danckerts’ Sopra una differentia musicale sententiata – p.5

3 First things first: A description of the dispute – p. 7

1. 3.1 General context – p.7

4 The real issues behind the dispute – Sopra una differentia musicale
sententiata, Part 1, Chapter 7 – p. 10

1. 4.1 Questions concerning the validity of the documents by Vicentino – p. 10
2. 4.2 The rules of the three genera – p. 14
3. 4.3 Singing and progressing with the voci – p. 18
4. 4.4 What about the other intervals that are found in diatonic music? – p. 20
5. 4.5 What rules must be observed in chromatic and enharmonic music? – p. 21
6. 4.6 And what are species? – p. 22
7. 4.7 The use of the word “diesis” in 16^th-century Italian sources – p. 24
8. 4.8 Should the semitono in the diatonic genus be maggiore or minore? – p. 25
9. 4.9 Issues related to the use of the major semitone – p. 27
10. 4.10 Can music really be written solely in the chromatic and enharmonic genera? – p. 30
11. 4.11 The application of accidentals – p. 34
12. 4.12 Danckerts’ verdict on the dispute – p. 35

5 Danckerts’ approach to the genres and their intervals, how to
experience them, complete with examples – p. 38

1. 5.1 The signs with which Danckerts designated the chromatic and
   enharmonic steps – Part 2, Chapter 11 – p. 38
2. 5.2 The ninefold division of the tone from a historical perspective – p. 42
3. 5.3 Danckerts’ explanation of how one can understand his examples
   in the various genres without an instrument suitable for the
   purpose – Part 2, Chapter 13 – p. 45

6 The monophonic musical examples – Part 2, Chapter 13 – p. 49

1. 6.1 The monophonic examples – p. 49
2. 6.2 A long digression on why diatonic compositions are better than
   chromatic or enharmonic – p. 49

7 The polyphonic examples – p. 56

1. 7.1 In which tuning system should we perform the polyphonic examples? – p. 56
2. 7.2 Example of the harmony in four voices, using intervals solely from
   diatonic tetrachords – p. 58
3. 7.3 Example of the harmony in four voices, using intervals
   solely from the chromatic tetrachord – p. 58
4. 7.4 Example of the harmony in four voices, using intervals solely from
   the enharmonic tetrachord – p. 59
5. 7.5 Examples which exhibit a mixture of the three genera – p. 60

8 Of the errors of modern composers – p. 62

1. 8.1 Opinions on the errors which many new composers encounter
   in the new style – Part 3, Chapter 2 – p. 62
2. 8.2 Of the errors those make who entitle their songs as
   being Chromatic – Part 3, Chapter 3 – p. 71

9 Conclusions – p. 77

10 Appendices – p. 80

1. App. 1 Comparison of the various manuscripts containing Danckerts’ Sopra
   una differentia musicale sententiata – p. 81
2. App. 2.1 Essempio de la Tirata di semiminime ascendendo
   et discendendo gradatamente – p. 83
3. App. 2.2 Essempio della Harmonia da 4 voci pari per intervalli de i tetrachordi
   del solo genere DIATONICO – p. 84
4. App. 2.3 ESSEMPIO della Harmonia a 4 voci, per intervalli de i Tetrachordi
   Del sol Genere CHROMATICO – p. 86
5. App. 2.4 ESSEMPIO della Harmonia a 4 Voci per intervalli de i Tetrachordi
   del solo Genere ENARMONICO – p. 87
6. App. 2.5 ESSEMPIO della Harmonia a tre voci: Mista de tutti tre i Generi
   in tre diversi Voci – p. 88
7. App. 2.6 ESSEMPIO della Harmonia a 4 voci, Mista de tutti tre i Generi
   per li Tetrachordi et intervalli loro, sparsi per tuttequattro le voci – p. 89
8. App. 3 Preface to Ghiselin Danckerts’ Sopra una differentia musicale sententiata – p. 91

END – p. 98