Reply To: Humours of the Age

[Vic Godrich]

I agree with most of what Robert Moir says. However the 5th line 4th bar should be A F B nat D nat C sharp E. If you look at the two facsimiles in the book it is obvious from the Dancing Master version. In the Kynaston version the sharp sign meant that the note should be raised a semitone I.e. B flat becomes B natural. Sharps and flats were not specific to one note until later in the history of notation. The accidental were also shown by signs over the top of the note rather than by its side. I didn’t find the harmonies very exciting but in line 3 bar 5 the harmony should quite clearly be D minor not F. Furthermore in Pat’s notes Pat made a mistake. In bar 22 the 4th note should be D.