The dawn of musical transcription, and the Renaissance period

"The essence of musical transcription dates back to prehistory, when the corners of birds or noises of nature were probably imitated by the human voice, primitive flute and percussion instruments" (BORÈM apud GONÇALVES, 2004, p. 19). For Gonçalves (2004) This suggests that musical composition is also a form of transcription, because the man invented musical instruments, and according to Schaeffner (1895 – 1980), the body was our first musical instrument. And for the Barbeitas (2000), a radical interpretation of the meaning of transcription/translation would allow to assert that writing poetry is translating and composing music is transcribing.

Perhaps in the Middle Ages the beginning of one of the conceptions of musical transcription as a change of phonic means, we can verify that the musical instruments participated, together with the voices, in the execution of all kinds of polyphonic music, although we do not know for sure what measure or The exact form of this participation. "In the 16th century instrumental music was still strictly linked, either in style or in execution, for vocal music. The instruments could be used to replace or bend voices in the polyphonic compositions, both sacred and profane "(GROUT, PALISCA, 1994, p. 258)." The vocal music via transcription, became the main source of the instrumental repertoire in development in the Renaissance. Instrumental groups, such as the consort of Viols, were formed in numbers corresponding to the number of voices of the motets and madrigals, usually from three to six. Common practice, the instrumentalists Liam directly from the original parts and did not want the figure of the transcriber, which remained anonymous until at least the 16th century "(GONÇALVES apud BORÉM, 1998, p. 18).

According to Boyd (2001) in the entry arrangement, in the dictionary "the New Grove dictionary Music and Musicians", it is noted that the earliest types of transcription in the Renaissance are the keyboards and lute of the vocal polyphonic repertoire. The earliest examples of transcription for keyboards are at the beginning of the 14th century in the manuscript "Robertsbridge (GB-LblAdd. 28550)", whose contents include two motets from the musical appendices of the Roman contemporary of Fauvel (F-Pn fr. 146). Far from being simple transcription of the original vocals, these present a elaboration that is instrumental in the design, and this is something that remains characteristic of all the later keyboard intabs.

Still according to the entry, it is worth mentioning that, as for the lute's intakes, the first example dates only from 1507, in the "Intabulatura de Lauto: Libro Primo" by Francesco Spinacino, published by Petrucci. The fact that the lute intakes appeared almost 200 years after those for keyboard, according to Wolff (2003), stems from changes in construction and technique of execution of the instrument, in which were expanded their polyphonic possibilities occurred in the 15th century.

Still according to Daniel Wolff (2003) The art of the intabulation resulted in a vast repertoire of pieces and refers as a valuable source for historical research, in which they documented the transition from the modal system to the tonal, while boosting the emergence of the style Instrumental.

According to Adam Carse (1967), it was common for composers not to directly design the instruments that were supposed to play their songs until the 17th century, "except for the lute tablature" (GONÇALVES, 2004, p. 20). Still for Gonçalves (2004) The instrumental repertoire developed from the 21st century. XVI, thanks also to the practice and efficiency of the musicians, who in the absence of conditions, did not stop producing musically. They practiced transposition and made constant adjustments through the practice of musical transcription. Bota (2004) shows that this custom began to be gradually modified by some composers such as Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), who began composing their pieces in view of the specific timbre according to each musical instrument that was indicated in his compositions, As in his opera Orpheus.

Bibliographic references

BOTA, João Victor. A Transcrição Musical como Processo Criativo. 2008. 106f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Música). Instituto de Artes da UNICAMP. Campinas.

CARSE, Adam. The History of Orchestration. New York: Dover. 1967.

GONÇALVES, Antônio Afonso. Valsas de Francisco Mignone: Transcrição e Edição para Violoncelo. 2004. 96f. Dissertação (Mestrado em música) – Escola de Música Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte.

GROUT, Donald J.; PALISCA, Claude V. História da Música Ocidental. Lisboa: Gradiva – Publicações Ltda., 1994.

WOLFF, Daniel. O USO DA MÚSICA POLIFÔNICA VOCAL RENASCENTISTA NO REPERTÓRIO DO ALAÚDE E DA VIHUELA. Porto Alegre, Em Pauta – Revista do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Música da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. v. 14, n. 22, p. 117 – 135, junho 2003. Versão em inglês publicada em Guitar Review, n. 123, Nova Iorque, 2001.