The York Masses A Performing Edition

This is the first complete transcription and publication of the York Masses (York, Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, MS
Mus 1). The original collection is fragmentary, the 22 leaves representing only about a quarter of the choirbook copied in the
early part of the 16th century. The music in the York Masses comprises three- and four-part settings of the Ordinary of the
Mass, and all pieces are unique to this collection. Two pieces – a fragmentary Kyrie and the Mass ‘Venit dilectus meus’ – are
attributed to Horwod and Johannes Cuke respectively; the remainder are anonymous. The music itself is stylistically
representative of its period, and ranges from the simpler style of early Taverner to the florid and rhythmically intricate polyphony
such as that found in the Eton Choirbook.

Context:
The York Masses are arguably the last substantial collection of late medieval English music to have been neglected by editors,
partly because of the fragmentary nature of many of the movements. This edition presents a full transcription of the music, as
well as an introduction and critical commentary. It is a performance edition in that it translates elements of the original notation
that would be unfamiliar to modern singers, includes plainchant intonations and verses, gives advice on performance practice,
and is available in a number of formats. However, it is primarily a detailed, critical edition of an English musical repertory that
has not previously been available in publication.

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