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    Marking Mensural Time Graeme M, Boone Music Theory Spectrum, Vol. 22, No. 1. (Spring, 2000), pp. 1-43. Stable URL: fttpflinksjstor.orgsici?sici=0195-6167% 28200021 %2022%3 | AC I%3AMMTESE20.CO%SB2-D Music Theery Spectrum is currently published by University of California Press Your use of the ISTOR archive indicates your acceptance of ISTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at flip: feworwjtor org/aboutterms.htmal. ISTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in par, that unless you fave obtained pcior permission, you may not dowaload an cnt isus of @ journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content inthe ISTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial uss. Please contact the publisher cegarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at bhupsferw.jsto.org/joumals‘ucal hel. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transtnission. ISTOR is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of scholarly journals. For more information regarding ISTOR, please contact support @jstor.org- hup:therwwjstor.orgy ‘Tue Ape 25 15:10:50 2006 Marking Mensural Time Graeme M. Boone ‘When discussing chythm in common-practice music, wentich- century writers have often relied on punctual temporal markers as organizing principles, Schoenberg, for example, defines rhythm as, the marivie ordering of “stressed and unstressed attacks”; Cooper and Meyer define meter as "the measurement ef the number of pulses berween more of less regularly recurring accents"; Lerdchl and Jackendaff define meter as invelving "2 regular alternation of sirong and weak bests at a number of hierarchical levels."' Beat, accent, pulse, attack: such terms suggest points of reference thet ‘mark time but, in themselves, tke no tie, I is self-evident shat punctual abstractions, in themselves, are insufficient 9 any representation of the fullness of musical shyuhm.” But ic is equally evident tha, distilling as they do che ‘Amo Schocaberg, The Matic! Ides and the Lagi, Technine, and Art of lx Protemaion cated and (anated, with commentary, by Paricia Cot pene and Seveise Neff (New York: Columbia Universi Pess, 1985), 198-89; Grosvenor Caoper ae Leonatd Meyer, The Rhuhnie Seactare of asic (Cesge: Universty of Ciesgo Pres, (90), Fed Lenton Bay ackondot, A Generate Theory of Tonal Music (Cambdas, Mass: MIT Press 1988), 8, Throughout ite prevent stele, unspecified anions of uated mater o English are ay om. CE Letdall al Jackendf, “Tees be emphasized at be ese! a bes, asst, do not ave dation A Generative Tory, 18. Janata Kiar "s best fsa uimepoict.. cer tha 3 dation nese" ae Jonatian Reamer he Time of Huse (New Yor: Sehiemer Books 1988), 97. CE also Ane Kora, ‘Theory of Susponaons (Panczars roeatoa aloes Pes, (971), 52. “CE. Critopner Hasty, fer at Riot «Reve Yorks Oxford Ovary Pres, 1957). 059, 16-18, 69-76 Tome memory of Adetyn Peck Leveret scholar and deat fiend cevemtfulness of ariculative moments, chey play a useful and fun damental role in analysis, This makes it interesting to observe the iffculey that punctual abstractions encounter when applied +0 ‘musical traditions historically or culturally distant from commen practice traditions to which the foregrounding of such abstraction {s partially ar completely unknown, and which may be accompa ied by their own, distinct chythmic theorizations. Under what conditions, if any, would it be appropriate to highlight points of time as a means to rhythmic orientation and incerpretation in ‘music that is not hough of, in its own culture, in such & manner? Ieis remarkable thac We find just such a “distane” music wishin che Western art music tradition sel, in the vase period preceding the commen-practice era, when music was written in mengural nota ‘ion (raughly the later vhisteenth dhrough the catlier seventeenth centuries). Mensural theory is 2 rich and complex. fie of sical ‘thought. Unlike modern theory, however, it makes relatively litle use of puncwal concepts, What happens when we apply these (2 mensusal music? T shall argue that such application is easily made, but also that it encourages a fresh perspective on mensural shychm, one that should go Some way toward clearing up basic is- sues that have remained unnecessarily clouded or controversial for the last hundred years. Discussion of these marters necessarily begins with an exam nation of punctuality in music, and of its relationship ¢o basic rhythmic issues. AS means toward lucidly grounded analysis, T first define four abstract terms, namely, pulse, iets, pulse 2 Musie Thaory Spectrum Jramenork, and teittum, that bel illustrate the relevance of punc- ‘ual marking to the ordering that governs mensural notation (see- tion 1). [then argue, despite theit relevance, that punctualy oriented approzches to mensural iythm are either absent or mized in contemporaneous theoretical discussions (Section 2). Next, an analysis of four polyphonic examples from the four- teenth and fifteenth centeries confers chat, the silence of early theory notwithstanding, mensural points of time correspond 10 basic rhythmic grouping in che music and, furthermore, are asscci- fated with the equivalent of what we think of as strong and weak function (sections 3 and 4). This finding disagrees with numerous authoritative moders-lay investigations of mensoral ebythim, Which, following the lead ef mensural theory itself. imalicitly oF ‘explicitly dismiss the nation of systematic hierarchy, The concept cof tacras, used a a means of temporal orientation in later mensu: ral music, provides insight into this curious state of affais. AL though the term has often been cited as evidence for the profound distinetions berween mensural and common: practice ¢hythm. is earliest full ledged definition can be interpreted as evincing, be yond the obvious chasm between them, the commonalities that bid shem together ¢section 5), Analysis of a ft musical exam- ple, dating from the rid-sixteenth century, then illustrates che ways it which enythmic padersing ix later rveasural music does, and does not, conform to the expectations we might bring (9 based on the mensural tie signature and on r2etus. These obser- vations lead to 4 set of provisary hypetheses on the nature of rhychmic hierarehy in mensural music (section 6), Sinee the inter pretation of mensural shythm depends, to significant degree, on ‘one’s analytical and ideological graund, 3 diversity of opiztons on the subject is likely ta remain (section J}. My own conclusion is based on the following idea: only by embracing a diversity of perspectives, rather than receating to a eelatively superficial, his Coricizing authenticity, can we hope to cut the Gordian knot of riystery and controversy thal entangles our understanding of men. sural rhythm, and begin to model that rhythm in comprehensive, effective ways. 1. PULSE, ICTUS; PULSE FRAMEWORK, WETIIM ‘Asa frst step, ic is essential co distinguish penctual marking, per se, from other rhythmic functions that bring with them hierar ‘chical distinctions and categories. To that end, we aust determine. 4 punetual eoncept that marks time and only marks time. { shall, therefore, make use of the concept of pulse, defined here as a reg: ularly occurring temporal point thet reflects or lows forthe evar ination of ehythenic activity, bee implies no further interpretation ‘of that aetivity* With regard te this concept, three clarifications are necesscry, 1. As a temporal point, the “mark” of pulse cakes up no tire: pulse nonetheless entails temporal duration as well 2s punctvality. for the duration following a given pulse mark is essendal 10 separating each pulse. mark from the nexc and allowing pulses t© ‘cceur al regulat, precise imervals. Ibis significant that, despice the cessenial presence of duration in pulse, is de punctual mark that conscutes its salient feature. OF course, such marking is essential in defining che pulse and expressing thythmie position; but duca tion could just a8 easily have heen emphasized aver punctual imatk, as often happens, for example, when we speak of an “inch” Tuer ae many ways of conceiving or deserting mesdeal guise; David Epuein, nay, cefnes i ately difeeny im Shaping ane ew York ‘Sehmee Books, 1995). 29-20 My wage i locr tx dein ach th piven n Wallace er, Seca Facto Me (Englewnd Clie Nh Prenice-Hal (976, 205,04 Usefl diene of pulse m music ae (om 4 perceptual stndpomt) Rican Purest, The Percepien cf Pulie et Masi Rhyhit Acton and Percoaion i Raton ad Musi, e8 Al Gabielic09 ‘Stockhole, Kungl Mushalskeakademien, (987) 27-52 roms phyilor sel sandgoim Manes Cys and face Walker, *Neurabilagi Punches oF Rlysh. Te, and Pulse i Music im Muse, Minded Brit. The Ne psschoagy of usc <8. Maree Clynes (New York Peroe. 19823. (71-216 fesp. (78-81): fom 2 medial candzcimt) Werner Kikwel. Mes wn Matin: fee Wockatbrihsagen in Thearie snd Pras vo AO be 130 (Geivrg Altes, (977, Copier 1 The abiae poral averted is the present aici is distin fom tev, but eal eed complemenry, ratte han simply amibual, 0th cer a "year." That “pulse” in the modem sense, fends to be mod fled according to a punctual, rather than curational, concept re flects 2 basic tendency of our musical thinking, in which the pas sage of ume is mote easily grasped in terms of aticulative points than in terms of the spans connecting those points. ‘Together, pulse mark and duration ean be thought of as consti- tuting the fuller shythmic identity suggested by pulse, as visual- ized in Example |. 2. Just as @ point on a line, marking position but eaking up no space, exists in mathematics but does not exist, in & tangible ot perceptible sense, in nature, the ides of a purely punctual emporal ‘mark is also an abstraction Any actual, physical representation of the mark of a pulse in sime would itself comprise a duration. This does not mean that pulse could not physically exist, in some sense ‘of according to some conception, 25 an aspeet or function of sounding music Buti does rican that pulse, as the abstract cing Tam taking ico be, must be distinguished fem the canerete pune ‘sal articulation we find in sounding music, articulation chat is not fully distinct from the duration ic is though to delimic, or from ‘other aspects of musical style, Pulse, inthe sense Tconsrue, is an analytical construct the reflects, but does aot constitute, musical activity 3. As defined here, the concept of pulse esehes any interpre- ‘ation of rhystimic activity oxher dian the simple, objective mark. ing of time, Even then, one might characterize sueh & “mark” ia (6¥0 distinct and even opposed stays, of which aay one is valid ia fhe sense I shall construe hefe. Indeed, it might seem reasonable fe assume that in music, as in other domains, marking necessarily ‘comprises en expenditure of energy of some kind, serving to isa- late, define, and proclaim the moment in i own eight, as a dis- CF Hat, Metros Bsn, (4-18 Eg, arng otee Ways 6a cognitive intr, mediating aha “pont sua corte “exrsuon” fa the ud of cognive racesing, the cost ‘yele hus been found to cake roughly 0.1 second ct landbeot of Pecenion ‘and Haman Performance e4, Keneeth Bot eal (New York: Wiley, (986), fey Chap 48.42 Marking Mensural Time 3 xample 1. Pulse mark and pulse duration, togeer forming implicit pulse identiry ensuing pulse uration SF ——____—. ——— | pulse ‘densty Ainplici ‘inet temporal event, IE $0 ic follows that the mark of pulse nec- essarily involves some kind of emphasis; and any articulation of a ‘musical event an the pulse would, by this token, be emphasized Functioning as a neutral, punctual abstraction, however, the mack of pulse is better construed nat as an event in its own right, bat rather as the idea of 2 precise locus at which, or with regard © ‘which, musical events oceur! Taken in this sense, the pulse event is silent, passive, utterly lacking in emphasis: not a mask in any concrete physical sense, but only ia the sense ofa trace, index, o¢ ‘projection in telaton to musieal activity, We may choase to repre- sent pulse (mentally oF physically} by an accent of sore kind, but Tows, Cooper and Meyct deine pulse as “one of a erie of cepa oe carung, pecuely equivalent stim The Pah Sate of Sasi The Daft Enis Dacor, ele dees iva aya, ecg “8, ‘Te shyhmiea eoureace of seks” an "4.2.4 Borer ses inthe yc ofa sere ples of une” "Gr, Cart Sehacher,"Rhytnand Linea Ams” The Music Forum 6 987) (586) 4 Music Theory Spectrum such representation is as distnet from the pulse itsef asthe mark- ing of inches on a ruler is distinet fro the precise of idea! “inch” ‘measurements that they refec. ‘The consistent neutrality of pulse, then, is fundamentally to be. distinguished. from that variable emphasis in music which allows forthe favaring of certain events aver others, creating strang acd ‘weak functions and, through them, chythmie hierarchies. U shall pravisocily identify such emphasis by a second absteact term, tetas, aterm that, by its very diversity of meanings, leaves pe- fended the qualities of articulation that might be involved. Tetss is baste (o musical rythm and, 28 T eonstue ic applicable « punctual aspects; but i is not present in pulse. The distinction be- Isieen consistent neuteal pulse and varisble, hierarchy-prone ius is important forthe discussion of musie in which the fact af regu: lar, punetal rhythmic coardination needs, for wharever reason, to be distinguished from other, more complex ar controversial 25: pects of riythmie style or language, Pulse engenders or reflects ra mare than a temporal mars, while ictus engenders the kind of variations that allow us to project beat, accent, and downbeat ‘armong other things). The fact chat iets, like pulse, i an absirze- “tes eferle not 0 pli the ways im which ees might Be render they wile «por speculative in elation o varies of past and present rss ex, ihytriesl of metrical ates” (Oxford Egligh Dicimar, ed (2), vero “a canin righ, nt eaty wo dine since the piteige of ert fuss ign exactly sess, poh, quanta eve audase" (St W. Facet Kea, Accouaal Samaciry Sra (Oto Bach, [939.4 Ts iat (eo deine tt (er By nets, howeve, sce any eterral maifesaion Of fmphsie mit be avaiable 1 Levant and Iackendot?® concedon oF metic aeent™ as a "mental costuc, feed from fut coe Weel 10 patents of accentation atthe ruses sucace™:S potently intel fo ets [h this sense (A Gavoraie Theor (6), CC ako foe! Levers compete of secertul ges io The Rahs of Tonal Music (Carbone. Souther Uiaois Univecsiy Pres, 1986), L440. Or scat as 4 Lai er, cf Oat Lan Dieionars 53. "Yeus"s 88 & medida term,

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