Robertsbridge Codex

The Robertsbridge Codex (1360) is a music manuscript of the 14th century. It contains the earliest surviving music written specifically for keyboard.

The term codex is somewhat misleading: the musical section of the source comprises only two leaves, bound together with a larger manuscript from Robertsbridge, Sussex, England. [Caldwell, "Keyboard music: I.1."] It contains six pieces, three of them in the form of the "estampie", an Italian dance form of the Trecento, as well as three arrangements of motets. Two of the motets are from the "Roman de Fauvel". All of the music is anonymous, and all is written in tablature. Most of the music for the "estampies" is for two voices, often in parallel fifths, and also using hocket technique. Most likely the instrument used to play the pieces in the Codex was the organ. Formerly the date of the Codex was presumed to be around 1330, [Gilbert Reaney, "Manuscripts of Polyphonic Music (c. 1320-1400), RISM B/IV/2 (Munich: Henle Verlag, 1969).] but more recent research has suggested a later date, slightly after mid-century. [E. H. Roesner: Introduction to "Philippe de Vitry: Complete Works" (Monaco, 1984)]

The manuscript used to be considered Italian and connected to the main streams of the Italian trecento in its contents and in its clear use of "puncti divisionis" (dots of division). However, scholarly consensus now considers the source English. [John Caldwell, "Sources of keyboard music to 1660: 2. Principal Individual Sources: (vi) British Isles", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed April 21, 2007), [http://www.grovemusic.com (subscription access)] .]

The Codex is in the British Library (additional manuscript 28550).

References

Further reading

* John Gillespie, "Five Centuries of Keyboard Music." New York, Dover Publications, 1965/1972. ISBN 048622855X

External links

* [http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/MMDB/Mss/LOR.htm Medieval Music Database] (La Trobe University)