Topmusicanswers
What is the mensural notation system?
mensural notation, also called measured music, European system of musical notation used from c. 1260 to 1600. It evolved as a method to notate complex rhythms beyond the possibilities of previous notation (neumes) and reached its classical development after 1450.
When was mensural notation created?
Mensural notation is the musical notation system used for European vocal polyphonic music from the later part of the 13th century until about 1600. The term "mensural" refers to the ability of this system to describe precisely measured rhythmic durations in terms of numerical proportions between note values.
What are mensuration signs?
The ancestor of the time signature, mensuration signs were used to indicate the relationship between two sets of note durations—specifically, the ratio of breves to semibreves (called tempus ), and of semibreves to minims (called prolatio ).
