The twelfth-century Aquitanian repertory of versus is preserved in nine versaria, which today form parts of four codices: Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds latin MSS 1139, 3549, and 3719, and London, British Library, Additional MS 36881. Pieces in this repertory that survive in two or more versions exhibit a significant number and diversity of variants. These indicate that the versaria were copied visually from written exemplars; the oral tradition, nevertheless, contributed materially to the musical texts of these pieces. The variant readings can be classified in two groups: copying errors and substantive alterations of the musical text. These in turn fall into several categories. There are five types of errors: omissions, incorrect pitches, incorrect distribution of notes above the text, intrusions, and alterations by the scribe generated by a perceived stylistic difficulty. Variants, too, may be grouped in five categories: level of embellishment, melodic structure, tonal structure, harmony, and voice leading. Each category is illustrated with an example that is discussed in regard to the stylistic and paleographic evidence that permitted the error or variant to be identified. Finally circumstances in the transmission and practice of this music are adduced as possible explanations for these phenomena.
Resolving Tensions between Outer Form and Inner Form in Fugue: A Comparative Analysis of J. S. Bach’s Fugue in D minor (WTC I)
