| The anonymous medieval compilation treatise, the Questiones in musica (compiled ca. 1100, likely in the region of Liege), brought together the most important musical concepts circulating in the eleventh century in a systematic and readily accessible format. By grouping noteworthy excerpts from earlier writings---most notably from Boethius, Guido of Arezzo, Pseudo-Odo, Berno of Reichenau, Aribo, and the Musica and Scolica enchiriadis---under clearly defined headings, or questiones, and then organizing these in a coherent sequence, the compiler of the Questiones created a digest of the most essential material for the scholar or student of music at the end of the eleventh century. To these excerpts, the compiler added his own teaching and interpretations throughout, often demonstrating real originality in his treatment of musical theory and praxis.;This dissertation presents a critical edition and translation of the Questiones, accompanied by an extensive introduction and commentary. The new edition of the text supplants Rudolf Steglich's 1911 edition, which did not take into account an important early-twelfth-century source. The translation is the first in English not only for the complete Questiones text but also for many of the compiler's source texts. The introductory chapters address the question of authorship and provenance, trace the nature and sources of the compiler's borrowings, and re-evaluate and clarify the relationships among the manuscript sources for the Questiones and its source texts. Because of the largely derivative nature of the text, it provides an excellent case study in the transmission and reception of ninth- through eleventh-century music theory in the former heartland of the Carolingian Empire. |
