The Neume Notation Project

Research in Computer Applications to Medieval Chant


St. Gregory and the Dove
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¤  Primary site = http://www.scribeserver.com/medieval/
¤  Virtual URL = http://purl.oclc.org/SCRIBE/medieval/



Author

Louis W. G. Barton

University of Oxford

[contact]


Subject
Matter

Music Writing in the Middle Ages — Manuscripts — Calligraphy — Neumes.
Manuscript Transcription — Computer Applications to Medieval Musicology.
Neume Notation Editor — Music Printing — Neumed Font — Java Program.
Data Representation — Unicode — XML — Digital Encoding of Symbols.
Gregorian Plainchant — History — Analysis — OCR — Chant Database.

Medieval
Musicology
Advisors

Prof. John A. Caldwell
Faculty of Music, University of Oxford
Dr. Annalisa Doneda,
Facoltà di Musicologia, University of Pavia
Prof. James Grier
Faculty of Music, University of Western Ontario
Prof. Thomas Forrest Kelly
Department of Music, Harvard University
Dr. Bradford Maiani
Technology Services, University of North Carolina–
Chapel Hill

Computer
Science
Advisors

Prof. Thomas E. Cheatham, Jr. (1929 - 2001)
Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
Harvard University
In memoriam: requiem eternam dona ei Domine.
Dr. Jim Davies
Oxford University Computing Laboratory,
University of Oxford
Prof. Ugo O. Gagliardi
Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
Harvard University (retired)
Dr. Peter G. Jeavons
Oxford University Computing Laboratory,
University of Oxford
Prof. Peter J. Kindlmann
Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University
Prof. Michael D. Smith
Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
Harvard University

Copyright Notice

Except where otherwise credited, all content of this Web site is the intellectual property of Louis W. G. Barton ("the author") and is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. No portion of these documents may be copied or reproduced in any manner without express, written permission from the author.


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The Neume Notation Project

TABLE Of CONTENTS

  (Top of page)

¤ Overview
µ Introduction
µ Abstract; Origins of the Project; Acknowledgments
µ General Discussion of the Project
µ Research Proposal (Oxford, 1999)
µ Current Status
µ Photo Scrapbook
µ Just a Joke: Exciting CD offer

¤ Historical Background
µ The Culture of Medieval Music Calligraphy

µ Sample Images from Neumed Manuscripts
µ Audio-Visual Sample of Chant (Gloria, Monks of Solesmes)
µ Influences of Byzantium and Syria

¤ Fonts for Display and Printing
µ Samples of the Author's Neumed Font
µ General Discussion about Fonts
µ Neumatic Notation on Computer (Yale, 1995)
µ The Problem with Using Fonts

¤ Computer Encoding of Neumed Manuscripts
µ Proposal for a Unified Data Representation
µ General Discussion about Data Representations
µ Context-Free Grammar for the Data Representation
µ NEUMES (NEumed Unicode™ Manuscript Encoding Standard)
µ Review of Other Music Representation Systems
µ Proposed Unicode Assignments for Neumes (outdated)

¤ The Neume Notation Editor
µ Demonstration of the Neume Notation Editor
µ Software Requirements Specification
µ Software Engineering Scheme
µ Technical Specifications
µ First Prototype of the Neume Notation Editor
µ Algebraic Specification for the Editor

¤ Optical Neume Recognition
µ Optical Scanning of Manuscripts

¤ Distributed Database of Neumed Transcriptions

¤ Analysis Programs

¤ Other Interesting Material
µ Links to Related Sites
µ Byzantine and Palaeoslavonic Chant (A. Doneda)


Credits:
Masthead illumination: Pope St. Gregory the Great dictating chant to a scribe, while the dove of the Holy Spirit sings in his ear. From a Benedictine antiphonary; First Sunday of Advent, matins. Of uncertain origin, probably 12th-14th century. Holding of Karlsruhe, Badische Landesbibliothek, Aug. perg. 60, fol. 2r/3. [Reproduced from Begründet von Heinrich Besseler and Max Schneider, Musikgeschichte in Bildern, (Leipzig: VEB, 1975), p. 195.]
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Revision: 1 February 2004.
Copyright © 1995-2004, Louis W. G. Barton