When was the time signature historically established and what function did it serve at its origins.
I can hypothesize that the intention was simply to make reading the score clearer, but a doubt has occurred to me: are there other reasons related, for example, to dances or to the strophic structure of texts?
It's not that I have found great answers apart from excursuses on different notations ... and in theory and solfeggio books, they limit themselves to saying what it is used for today.
From what I know, the barline is inserted with mensural music, that is, in the presence of a clear metric indication. Tempi, prolationes, and rhythmic modes only make sense if the duration of the measure is specific and delimited
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Natan
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Reply 3 by Natan
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The division of musical text into measures separated by bar lines was certainly already practiced during the 16th century, but in rather limited cases. It certainly had the practical function of bringing together performers who were proceeding with different rhythms.
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Marziano
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Reply 4 by Marziano
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thallo wrote:
From what I know, the barline is inserted with mensurabilis music, that is, in the presence of a clear metric indication. Tempi, prolations, and rhythmic modes only make sense if the duration of the measure is specific and delimited
Thanks, is there any treatise that discusses this?
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Marziano
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Reply 5 by Marziano
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Natan wrote:
The division of musical text into measures separated by bar lines was certainly already practiced during the 16th century, but in rather limited cases. It surely had the practical function of bringing together performers who were proceeding with different rhythms.
So it may be that my suspicions are well-founded; I was also interested in having some reference text.
In the past, I had made a note regarding a tip from Roberto Altieri, who seems to have a facsimile copy of Zarlino's "Le istituzioni harmoniche" from 1561.
At most you can hear him; I can report what I had noted regarding chapter 48, entitled "Della battuta" (Of the beat):
"... we must know, that Musicians seeing, that due to the diversity of movements, which they make while singing together the parts of the cantilena, for one to be faster or slower than the other; ordained a certain Sign, by which each singer should regulate himself in uttering the voice with a measure of fast or slow time, as is demonstrated with different singable figures ...
And they imagined that it would be good if such a sign were made with the hand; so that each of the singers could see it, and be regulated in his movement in the manner of the human Wrist. Whereupon after such an order was given, some called such a sign Battuta, others Tempo sonoro; and others still, as Agostino Most Holy Doctor in cap. 10 of the Second Book of Music names it with the Latin word Plauso, which comes from Plaudo, and means the Striking of the hands..."
I hope it is useful, I do not know if the book is still available.
I stand corrected. I consulted a classic of the history of notation, The Notation of polyphonic music 900-1600 by Willi Apel, and it says that the bar-line begins to be used regularly in the 16th century
