20 April 2025

Happy Easter! Today's post is mainly about the question "in Ox213, what IS an untexted passage?"

Oxford 213, my be-loathed...

About 20 or so folios into my spreadsheet, I realized that I need a concrete definition of 'untexted passage' before continuing on with cataloguing where they occur in the manuscript. So here's some of the basic criteria I will use going forward:

• Untexted passages count mainly at the ends of words or as standalone sections.
• "Untexted passages" across words with split syllables will not be regarded. Ox213's scribe often has seperated syllables of words across passages of music (see fol. 1 for an example at 'pa-tris'), and I usually take that to mean a sung melisma is intended. This occurs both for sacred and secular works in this compilation.
• A caveat to the above is at the beginning of a song: for example, in Ce jour de l'an (fol. 17), 'C' and 'e' is split between the opening passage, so the passage spanning 'Ce' counts as an untexted passage. This example isn't across two syllables, so it isn't an exception to the above. But I can imagine there are others that might be, so I have to take care if I get to apply this point.

Musical Find of the Week

Something a little different today: here's my least favourite Easter anthem. It's definitely someone's cup of tea, because it's one of the standard repertoire for this occasion- but it's not mine.