Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/485

Sometimes the old writers, dispensing with the actual Point, used, in its stead, two black notes, which, it will be remembered, lost, in Perfect Time, one third of their value. Thus the second clause of the following example precisely corresponds with the first; since the black Breve, being, by virtue of its colour, equal to two Semibreves only, serves exactly to complete the measure begun by the black Semibreve (which, in this case, retains its full value). Examples, both of the Point and the black notes, will be found, not only in works of the 15th century, but even in those of Palestrina, and most of his contemporaries.

Written; or thus. Sung.

The Point of Division, sometimes called the Point of Imperfection, exercised a contrary effect. When two Semibreves were placed between two Breves, in Perfect Time, or two Minims between two Semibreves, in the Greater Prolation, a Point of Division inserted between the two shorter notes generally on a higher level served to shew that the two longer ones were to be considered Imperfect.

Written. Sung.

As these notes were already Imperfect, by Position, the Point made no real difference, but was merely added for the sake of preventing all possibility of misconception. Joannes Tinctoris, writing in the 15th century, expressed his contempt for such unnecessary signs by calling them Ass's Points (Puncti asinei). Nevertheless, they were constantly used by Palestrina and his contemporaries; who, however, sometimes dispensed with the Point, and wrote the two last notes of the passage black, with the understanding, that, in this case, they were to retain their full value. The effect of this arrangement was, that the several clauses of the following example were all sung exactly in the same way.

Written; or thus; or thus. Sung.

While the Virga, and Punctus, of the earlier system were thus developed into the detached notes of Measured Music, the more complicated Neumæ gradually shaped themselves into Ligatures—that is to say, passages of two or more notes, sung to a single syllable. As the most important of these have already been described, in a former article [see Ligature], we shall content ourselves with rapid sketch of the changes through which they passed, at different periods of their history. In Plain Chaunt, they were always black, and more or less angular in form, whereas the older Neumæ were, for the most part, rounded. In Measured Music, they were white; and formed of square or diagonal (not lozenge-shaped) figures, placed in close contact with each other, and sometimes provided with Tails, the varied position of which regulated their classification into Larges, Longs, Breves, and Semibreves; notes shorter than the Semibreve not being 'ligable.' In the 15th century, the number of notes contained in a single group was often very considerable; and their duration was governed by many complicated laws, of which the following were the most strictly enforced, especially by the earlier Composers of the Flemish School.

The first note of every Ligature was a Long, provided it had no Tail, and the second note descended—a Breve, if it had no Tail, and the second note ascended. In the first of these cases, it was called a Ligatura cum proprietate; in the second, a Ligatura sine proprietate.

If the first note had a Tail, descending, on the left side, it was a Breve, and sine proprietate. If it had a Tail ascending, on the left side, it was a Semibreve, and the Ligature was said to be cum opposita proprietate.

If the last note descended, it was a Long; if it ascended, a Breve. In the first case, the Ligature was said to be Perfect, in the second, Imperfect. But, when placed obliquely, whether ascending or descending, it was a Breve, unless it had a Tail descending on the right side, in which case it was a Long.

All intermediate notes were, as a general rule, Breves: but, if one of them had a Tail, ascending on the left side, it was a Semibreve.

Lastly, a Large, in whatever part of the Ligature it might be placed, was always a Large.

In the 16th century,, these laws were very much simplified. The Ligatures used in the time of Palestrina seldom contained more than two notes; or, if more were included in the figure, they were treated as if not in Ligature. The following easy rules will serve for most Music of later date than the year 1550.

Square notes, in Ligature, without Tails, were almost always Breves: but, if the second note descended, they were sometimes Longs; or, the first might be a Long, and the second a Breve.

Square notes, in Ligature, with a Tail descending on the right, were Longs; those with a Tail descending on the left, Breves; those with a Tail ascending on the left, Semibreves.

Black notes were sometimes combined with white ones; and, occasionally, figures were made half white, and half black. In these cases, each colour was subject to its own peculiar laws.

Points attached to a Ligature affected it as they would have affected ordinary notes.

In the 15th century, the F, C, and G Clefs were used on a great variety of Lines. Before the invention of Ledger Lines, their position was frequently changed, even in the middle of a Melody, in order to bring the extreme notes of the Scale within the compass of the Stave. This being the case, it was impossible to assign a distinctive