Theodore Karp proposes a fundamental reinterpretation of two major repertories of twelfth-century sacred music, that associated with the long-destroyed abbey of Saint Martial de Limoges and the manuscript preserved in the Cathedral Archive of Santiago de Compostela. Together, these comprise the most important collection of polyphonic music before the celebrated School of Notre Dame. Scholars have disagreed about the rules for transcribing this early medieval music. Karp's commentary in Volume One, along with an edition of the music in Volume Two, offers a new set principles for the understanding of its harmony, rhythm, notation, and text underlay. Professor Karp's interpretation, though likely to prove controversial, is scrupulously and convincingly defended. The transcriptions themselves will be welcomed by performing musicians, to whom an important repertory now becomes readily available.

The book follows the activities inherent in music editing, including the tasks of the editor, the nature of musical sources, and transcription. Grier also discusses the difficult decisions faced by the editor such as sources not associated with the composer and necessary editorial judgement.

First published in 1998, this volume brings together the most part of the author’s work on medieval polyphony. The most significant advance in music during the period in the High Gothic was the development of a system of rhythm and of its notation, the modern understanding of which was to a considerable extent obscured by an undue emphasis on the so-called rhythmic modes. The investigation of this topic forms the centre of this book, and a related essay deals with rhythmic Latin poetry. Other pieces survey the accomplishments of Europe’s first great composer and the flourishing of the medieval motet, whose rise he stimulated, while several essays focus on English polyphony, and on what remains of the motets of Philippe de Vitry, a major figure in Parisian intellectual circles of the 14th century.

Spanning a millennium of musical history, this monumental volume brings together nearly forty leading authorities to survey the music of Western Europe in the Middle Ages. All of the major aspects of medieval music are considered, making use of the latest research and thinking to discuss everything from the earliest genres of chant, through the music of the liturgy, to the riches of the vernacular song of the trouvères and troubadours. Alongside this account of the core repertory of monophony, The Cambridge History of Medieval Music tells the story of the birth of polyphonic music, and studies the genres of organum, conductus, motet and polyphonic song. Key composers of the period are introduced, such as Leoninus, Perotinus, Adam de la Halle, Philippe de Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut, and other chapters examine topics ranging from musical theory and performance to institutions, culture and collections.