Datable "Notre Dame" Conductus: New Historical Observations on Style and Technique (for Ernest Sanders)

Examins the difficulty of providing concrete historical testimony for the compositions of the early medieval period due to the lack of written source material. Focuses on four manuscript sources associated with music of the Notre Dame school. Objects to using datable repertory as a measure of historical tendencies. Explains the author intends to help establish a more complex and concentrated assessment of the style of the conductus preserved in the central sources. Begins with the evidence that arises from the structure of poems. Expands and reinforces upon the findings of Ernest Sanders' depictions of chronological trends. Includes tables featuring conductus, musical examples, and references.