The Polyphony of Saint Martial and Santiago de Compostela

The author proposes a fundamental reinterpretation of two major repertories of 12th-century sacred music, that associated with the long-destroyed abbey of Saint Martial de Limoges and the manuscript preserved in the Cathedral Archive of Santiago de Compostela. Together, these comprise the most important collection of polyphonic music before the celebrated School of Notre Dame. Scholars have disagreed about the rules for transcribing this early music. Karp’s commentary in volume one, along with an edition of the music in volume two, offers a new set of principles for the understanding of its harmony, rhythm, notation and text underlay.