Medieval music theory lesson in song

This blog is where I share resources for each Imaginary Song Hunt session, along with a catch-up Zoom video. Feel free to use the ‘comments’ box below to share feedback, fun facts, or just say hello!

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24th April 2024:

A medieval music theory lesson… in song!

With the medieval ‘interval song’ Diapente et diatessaron (‘the fifth and the fourth’) as our inspiration, in this session, we looked at manuscript evidence that gives us clues about how medieval music-makers learnt (and understood) their craft. If you’re wondering what an ‘interval song’ is, then look no further than this brilliant one, by Django Bates ā€“ it’s a song that helps music learners get used to identifying the different leaps and steps between tones.

Slides from the session

Catch-up video

Score

Diapente et diatessaron, for 2 voices
As always, this is available for your personal use ā€“ please don’t share or distribute it. šŸ™‚

Further listening

An album of music from the ‘Cambridge Songs’ manuscript:

  1. Sequentia: Boethius, Songs of Consolation; part of Sam Barrett’s Restoring Lost Songs project

From the Song Hunters…

Anything to share? I’d love to see it! x

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