TEXTS ON MUSIC IN ENGLISH
School of Music
University of Nebraska--Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0100
(phone: [402] 472-2507; Internet: plefferts1@unl.edu)
Data entry: Peter M. Lefferts
Checked by: Peter Slemon
Approved by: Peter M. Lefferts
Fn and Ft: OPINRC1_MOBB842
Author: Cutell, Richard
Title: Opinio ricardi cutell
Source: Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bodley 842, f. 48r-v.
[-f.48r-] [SM,1.,M,3.,S,4.,B,8.,Bcdsn,18.,2Bcdsn,32.,MX,64.]
opinio Ricardi cutell de London
It is to wit that ther are ix acordis in discant that is to say 1 3 5 6 8 10 12 13 15 of the whilke ix. 5. are perfite [are perfite del.] acordis and 4 inperfite the 5 perfite are 1. 5 8 12. 15. and of these 5. 3 er ful acordis. that is to sey 1. 8. and 15. and 2 or lesse perfite that is to sey 5 and 12. And iiij inperfite acordis are theis 3. 6. 10 13. it is knawn by the old techyng that a man [by the del.] shalt take bot on perfite of a kynd togedyr. as on 5. on 8. on 5. bot it is leuyd to take 2 perfite acordis togedyr of diuerse kyndis as a 5 and one 8. or a 12. and a 15. bot neuer 2 of on kynd. And of all inperfite acordis it is leueful to take iij. iiij. or 5. of a kynd and the pleynsoung ascend or descend. bot neuer and it be iij on lyne as fa fa fa or soll sol sol then shal a man take diuerse acordis of diuerse kyndis whedirsu euer they be perfite or inperfite Also the old techyng was that a mon shul neuer take noun inperfite acord. bot yf he hade a perfite after hym as after a 3 a 5. and after an 8 a 12. and after a 13 a 15. bot now it is leuyd by the techers of descant that after a 3 a man may take a 6 or after a 6 a man may take a tent. he may not do wrang so that he kepe rewll afare seyd Also it is to wit that if thu haue a pleyn soung that descendis as fa ut or fa re. or fa my or la re and thu be an inperfite acord with the hear note thu shalt neuer descend out of the hear not out of the inperfite acord into a perfite acord with the louer note then neuer ascendyng of the same wyse. [-f.48v-] And also it is to wit that there are 3 degres of discant. that is to say Mene Treble and quatreble The mene bygynnis in the .5. abowynn the playne soung in voys and with the playn soung in seyght And the quatreble bygynnis in the 12. abowynn the playn soung in voys and with the playnsoung in syght To the mene langis propyrly 5. acordis that is to say the vnisone 3. 5. 6. and the 8. To the treble langis propyrly 5. acordis also the 5. the 6. the 8. 10 the 13 To the quatreble langis propyrly 5 acordis also that is to sey the viij. the x. xij. xiij the xv Also it is to wit that all the acordis of discant benn abowyn the playnn soung in voys saue one that is the .1. Neuer the lesse the sight of discant is somtyme beneth the playn sounge and sumtyme abowyn and sumtyme with the playnn sounge And so the discant of the mene sal begynne hijs discant with the playnn sounge in syght as I sayd before and the v. abowyn in voys And the v beneth in syght is euynn with the playn sounge in one sond the secund abowyn the playnn sounge in syght is the vj abowyn in voys and the iiij abowyn in syght is the viij abowyn in voys Also [vndirsan del.] vndirstand wele that ilke a discanter in what degre that he settis a perfite acorde agayne a fa. hym bus synng that perfyte acorde a fa. And whene he settis a perfyte acord ageynis a my hym bus synng that perfyte acorde a my. Also it is skylful that ilke discanter bygynne and end in a perfyte acorde The mene shal end in a v yf the playn sounge descend hafyng a iij before [yf the playne songe descend del.] the trebil in a viij hauyng a vj. byfore the quatrebill in a xij hauyng a x byfore Also it is feyr synngyng to synng many inperfite acordis togedyr descendyng or ascendyng with the playnsong and a perfyte acorde folnande as for to synng iij 4 or v. thyrdis togedyr with a v folnand.