Prosdocimus de Beldemandis

Prosdocimus de Beldemandis (* 1380 ; † 1428 ) was an Italian astronomer , mathematician and music theorist of the Quattrocento . He lived and worked in the northern Italian city of Padua . From a music-historical point of view, he is a theorist who delimits the Italian notation of the Trecento from the French notation of the Ars Nova .

Life

According to his own statement, he began his studies at the artist faculty in Bologna . From 1400 to 1402 he studied the artes liberales at the University of Padua. In 1409 he was promoted to a Magister artium , three years later to a Magister medicinae . In 1422 he became professor of astronomy .

plant

Prosdocimus is one of the last music theorists who stood in the tradition of the Quadrivium (see also Boethius ). He dealt with astronomy, arithmetic and music theory. His treatise Brevis summula proportionum quantum ad musicam pertinet deals with mathematical numerical relationships without direct reference to music. In “Parvus tractatulus de modo monacordum dividendi” he describes - also with mathematical numerical ratios - the musical scale formation . He illustrates this using the monochord and is thus in the Pythagorean tradition.

Expositiones tractatus pratice cantus mensurabilis Johannis de Muris and Tractatus pratice cantus mensurabilis prove that Prosdocimus was very familiar with the French mensural notation . His Tractatus pratice cantus mensurabilis ad modum Ytalicorum intends to put a stop to the displacement of the Italian notation by the French. Thus, the six Divisiones the Italian notation, using the French four scales ( mode perfectum, prolatio minor; mode perfectum, prolatio maior; mode imperfectum, prolatio minor and mode imperfectum, prolatio maior ) described. As a special feature of the Italian notation, he mentions the absence of the Prolationes ; Because of the six divisiones of the brevis , these are superfluous, since in this way a finer subdivision of the brevis is possible. In general, in the Italian notation of the Trecento, nine different divisions of the brevis are possible in three levels. 1st level: Binaria, Ternaria. 2nd level: Quaternaria, Senaria imperfecta, Senaria perfecta, Novenaria 3rd level: (binary divisions only) Octonaria, 2 × Duodenaria.

In his work Tractatus musice speculative he expresses himself critically and polemically towards the teaching of the Marchetus de Padua . However, he by no means rejects Marchetus' entire theory: in Tractatus plane musice he confirms his theory of modes. Tractatus pratice cantus mensurabilis ad modum Ytalicorum also refers to Marchetus' Pomerium in arte musicae mensuratae . Contrapunctus contains six rules about consonances and their progressions.

Music theory writings

• Expositiones tractatus pratice cantus mensurabilis Johannis de Muris (1404)
• Tractatus pratice cantus mensurabilis (1408)
• Brevis summula proportionum quantum ad musicam pertinet (1409)
• Contrapunctus (1412)
• Tractatus pratice cantus mensurabilis ad modum Ytalicorum (1412)
• Tractatus plane musice (1412)
• Parvus tractatulus de modo monacordum dividendi (1413)
• Tractatus musice speculative (1425)

literature

• Prosdocimus de Beldemandis . In: Music in the past and present , new edition, personal section