Odd notation
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,156
    We are rehearsing de Morales (+1553) Missa super it re mi fa so la, in the 1964 Anglés edition from IMSLP

    The edition is normal and useable, but in the Agnus there are two instances of a notation none of us has ever seen or can guess at the meaning of. It appears on the bass line. I'd describe it as "upside down capital J with diaeresis". Picture attached.

    Can anyone help?

  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,032
    The sign marks the beginning and end of the canon between Tenor I and Bass.
    Thanked by 4Liam CHGiffen Andrew_Malton Cantus67
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,156
    Why that sign, though? Is it used for this purpose regularly?
  • Cantus67Cantus67
    Posts: 207
    Actually that looks like a neum in a German Graduale I was consulted on once. The flag of the virga was curled on the top and bottom, like a candy cane. Fascinating.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • JL
    Posts: 171
    It's a stylized R, for "reprise", usually to mark the repeating part of a canon or the petite reprise at the end of a strophe. It also looks a bit like two eyes and a nose, so in grad school we called it a Waldo (as in, "Where's Waldo?")
    Thanked by 4CHGiffen ClemensRomanus Andrew_Malton Incardination
  • Andrew_Malton
    Posts: 1,156
    Under the term "petite reprise" and "reprise" I have found some convincing examples, thank-you, @JL.

    In this piece, though, it's hard for me to see how to interpret them as reprise marks, because neither the text nor the rhythm seem to propose reprising the whole Agnus as indicated. Could they mean anything else?
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