The present volume is a 1875 compendium of various Latin music treatises by Johannes Tinctoris gathered from manuscript sources from Brussels, Bologna and Gand. The present edition, edited by Charles Coussemaker, comprises ten of the twelve surviving manuscripts of Tinctoris's theoretical works. According to Oxford Music, these were written in the first few years of his employment at Ferrante's court and demonstrate Tinctoris's intellectual and pedagogical mastery of music theory. They also demonstrate his acquaintance with contemporaneous composers of the early Renaissance Burgundian composers like Antoine Busnoys, as well as with the music of Franco-Flemish composers such as Johannes Ockeghem. Below is a table of content listing the titles of each treatise and a brief description of the concepts they treat.
Treatises and Description:
"Expositio manus" - this treatise is divided in 10 chapters consisting of: definitions, places, clefs, voicing, properties, deductions, mutations, conjunctions, conclusion;
"Liber de natura et proprietate tonorum" - this treatise is divided in 51 chapters containing: definitions and name of tones, concerning the species diatessaron and diapente, formation of first throughout the eighth tone, authentic and plagal modes, ascending and descending perfect/imperfect tones;
"Tractatius de notis et pausi" - this treatise is divided in two books. Book one contains a prologue and 14 chapters devoted to definitions of note values (e.g., long, breve, semi-breve, minim) and the use of ligatures. Book 2 explains the notation of note rests;
"Tractatus de regulari valore notarum" - this treatise is this treatise includes a prologue and 32 chapters devoted to explanations of the musical notation of tempi and modes and the use of prolation (i.e., symbols used to indicate perfect and imperfect subdivisions of the breve;
"Liber imperfectionum musicalium notarum" - this treatise is divided in two Books and a prologue. These are concerned with the notation of perfection and imperfection in major mode;
"Tractatus alterationum" - note alterations;
"De punctis musicalibus" - this treatise is divided in three books. The first book contains 19 chapters concerned with the use of the point to alter note values and tempi. Book two, divided in 34 chapters, discusses the use of semitones, tritone, tuning considerations, and counterpoint rules. The third book, divided in 9 chapters, discusses counterpoint rules;
"Proportionale musices" - this treatise is divided in three books. The first book, divided in 9 chapters, defines and discusses the rules of music proportions. The second book, in 6 chapters, discusses major and minor relations. The third book, divided in 8 chapters, discusses the qualities of various prolations;
"Diffinitorium Musices" - this treatise contains a prologue and 20 chapters all of which define musical terms;
"Complexus effectuum musices" - this part contains two treatises found in two sources: the manuscript codex of Brussels (9 chapters) and the codex of Gand (20 sections). Both codices are devoted to the physical, emotional and spiritual effects of music.
