16th Century Counterpoint

This article looks at the application and modification of Gerald Graff and Kathy Birkenstein’s methodology for teaching academic writing (as presented in their text They Say/ I Say: the moves that matter in academic writing ) to the undergraduate music history classroom.  The author focuses on the first part of Graff and Birkenstein’s methodology – the art of successfully summarizing and quoting relevant parts of academic discourse as a springboard for one’s own ideas – and suggests that the basic techniques espoused by Graff and Birkenstein can be adapted for use when discussing musical texts (i.e. scores) rather than verbal texts.  The author illustrates her ideas with examples from scholarly musicological discourse and shows how she uses these examples along with her modifications of Graff and Birkenstein’s strategies in her own classroom to help her students understand and implement rhetorical strategies that strengthen their discourse and improve their writing skills.

The story has long been known and often been told: as a student at the University at Orléans, Johannes Tinctoris made a fool of himself. 1 Proud of his accomplishments, and pleased especially with his literary prowess, he allowed his vanity to slip through and leave a permanent record, in full view of all posterity, in a document that would survive the centuries. That document, which is still kept at Orléans today, is precious for several reasons-not the least of which is that it is the only surviving text written in the theorist's own hand. Yet what makes it truly invaluable is what he reveals about himself, intentionally and, perhaps, unintentionally. The text has been transcribed and edited by several modern scholars, and the facts of the case are well known. 2 Yet the story they tell remains a footnote to the larger story of Tinctoris's life. My aim in the pages that follow is to take another close look at the text, and to give it more of the interpretive scrutiny that we are accustomed to give to other documents from this period. Like so many medieval texts, the Orléans document raises questions that may not be obvious in a face-value reading. Indeed, upon sustained scrutiny we may soon find ourselves wondering what, exactly, is the story it tells, how much of a fool Tinctoris really made of himself, and who, ultimately, has the last laugh. Before delving into those questions, however, let us begin by recapitulating the story, and providing some of the context necessary to analyze it. The year is 1463, and Johannes Tinctoris is a musician in his late twenties. Although his celebrity as the most authoritative music theorist of his time is still a decade in the future, he can already boast an impressive start to his career. He is an ordained priest, a master in the liberal arts, and a successful professional musician.

los dieciocho responsorios analizados en el presente trabajo aparecieron por primera vez en el Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae, publicación de 1585 que contiene, asimismo, otras obras de Tomás Luis de Victoria compiladas en colecciones anteriores. La primera circunstancia citada, junto al hecho de que parecen haber sido compuestos en el mismo periodo de tiempo, hacen que estén dotados de una coherencia y unidad estilística inhabituales 1 . Su afinidad y unidad, fruto de un plan preconcebido, se conjugan -nos dice Rubio-con "bellos artificios de la mejor ley", y en ellos -continúa-"acude el abulense con más frecuencia que en los restantes números del Officium a los llamados figuralismos" 2 . La existencia y abundancia de madrigalismos hacen que tengamos que realizar algunas consideraciones sobre el sustantivo que encabeza título del presente trabajo, el cual hace referencia a la tercera de las operaciones contempladas en la producción retórica, la decoratio o embellecimiento del discurso con ayuda de las figuras retóricas. Hace tiempo que Claude V. Palisca ha destacado que la literatura humanista debió haber ejercido una fuerte y directa influencia en los compositores del siglo XVI, aunque el itinerario de esta influencia hasta el momento no ha sido bien documentado. Su efecto puede observarse particularmente en el madrigal italiano y poco después en el motete en latín 3 . Teniendo en cuenta que la publicación del Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae es el último fruto de una prolongada estancia en Roma (1565-1585), pensamos que la formación jesuítica puede estar detrás del itinerario particular de Victoria en cuanto a la aplicación en música de las operaciones de producción retórica. Creemos que esta posibilidad es plausible si tenemos en cuenta la dilatada relación de Victoria con los jesuitas en la capital italiana y que los colegios jesuitas fueron centros profunda y largamente influenciados por el pensamiento humanístico en los que se enseñaba Retórica 4 . A este respecto conviene subrayar que, desde las primeras versiones de las Constituciones de Ignacio de Loyola (1541-1544), los estudios básicos (letras, artes o 209 1 Son varios los temas musicales que contribuyen a dotar a estos dieciocho responsorios de una coherencia motívica inusual, pero requeriríamos de un estudio específico para abordar este aspecto, ya que excede el objetivo del presente trabajo. No obstante, otros investigadores ya han puesto de relieve la reiterada utilización del motivo inicial del responsorio número 14, O vos omnes, no solo en los responsorios, sino en el Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae en su conjunto. Véase en este sentido Eugene Casjen Cramer: "The 'O vos omnes' motive in Victoria's

RESUMEN: En un contexto en el cual se entendía que la justicia fundamentaba la autoridad del monarca, y en el que este debía dar cuenta a Dios de haberla preservado, la actuación de los ministros de las audiencias resultaba crucial. Ellos representaban al rey en la administración de justicia, y fueron muy numerosas las normas expedidas para garantizar su adecuado desempeño. Sin embargo, abundaron las dificultades que los magistrados enfrentaron para hacer efectiva la justicia. Este artículo pretende analizar esas circunstancias en el caso de la Audiencia de Lima en el siglo XVII. Los ministros de ese tribunal afrontaron factores externos-como el representado por la lentitud de las comunicaciones y la lejanía de la metrópoli-, pero también fueron responsables de acciones y omisiones que impidieron la consecución de la justicia. / ABSTRACT: In a context in which it was understood that justice was the basis of the monarch's authority, and in which he had to give an account to God for having preserved it, the performance of the ministers of the audiences was crucial. They represented the king in the justice administration, and many regulations were issued to guarantee their adequate performance. However, the magistrates faced many difficulties in enforcing justice. This article seeks to analyze these difficulties in the case of the Audiencia of Lima in the seventeenth century. The magistrates faced external factors -such as the difficulty of communications and remoteness from the metropolis-, but they were also responsible for actions and omissions that prevented the achievement of justice.

RESUMEN: En esta investigación se pretende entender cómo la reforma postal de 1764 iniciada por la corona borbónica buscó centralizar, regular y organizar el sistema de correo, considerado por los coetáneos de imprevisible y deficiente. Sin embargo, durante la aplicación de la reforma en el virreinato peruano, esta generó un conjunto de resistencias por parte de la población nativa, que como chasquis se habían dedicado a ser los artífices de la comunicación durante los primeros siglos del Estado colonial. En efecto, los chasquis, gracias a su oficio, recibieron un conjunto de privilegios debido a la naturaleza más o menos autónoma del sistema de correo Habsburgo. Esta situación fue afectada por la reforma borbónica, que iniciaría un periodo de desacatos, desórdenes y negociaciones entre las autoridades postales y los chasquis y conductores de correo. / ABSTRACT: This research aims to understand how the postal reform of 1764 initiated by the Bourbon crown sought to centralize, regulate and organize the postal system, considered by contemporaries to be unpredictable and deficient. During the application of the reform in the Peruvian viceroyalty, it generated a set of resistances on the part of the native population, who as chasquis had dedicated themselves to being the architects of communication during the first centuries of the colonial State. In effect, the chasquis, thanks to their privileged profession, received a set of rights and privileges due to the more or less autonomous nature of the Habsburg postal system. This situation would be affected by the Bourbon reform, which would initiate a period of disrespect, disorders and negotiations between the postal authorities and the chasquis and mail driver.

RESUMEN: Un terremoto, una erupción volcánica o una guerra han constituido siempre eventos traumáticos cuyas consecuencias resuenan en las sociedades que los vivieron y en las generaciones futuras. El presente monográfico tiene como objetivo analizar los modos en los que se construía, se experimentaba y se transmitía la memoria de estos acontecimientos a lo largo de la Edad Moderna. A partir del análisis de diversos casos de estudio, se enfatizan algunas de las características inherentes al proceso de construcción y comunicación del recuerdo, como su inevitable dinamismo a lo largo de tiempo. Además, se pone de relieve la subjetividad y la falta de neutralidad del fenómeno, puesto que tanto el recuerdo como el olvido respondían a objetivos concretos, dependientes de los intereses de los numerosos agentes que intervenían en su elaboración. Por último, se evidencia cómo la memoria de los acontecimientos traumáticos podía ser también la manifestación de conflictos latentes en la sociedad. / ABSTRACT: An earthquake, a volcanic eruption or a war have historically been traumatic events whose consequences resonate in the societies that experienced them and in future generations. The objective of this monograph is to analyse the ways in which the memory of these events was constructed, experienced and transmitted throughout the Early Modern Age. Based on the analysis of various case studies, it emphasises some of the inherent characteristics of the process of constructing and communicating memory, such as its inevitable dynamism over time. Furthermore, the subjectivity and lack of neutrality of this process are highlighted, as both the acts of remembering and forgetting are shaped by specific objectives, reflecting the interests of the numerous agents involved in their elaboration. Finally, it is demonstrated how the memory of traumatic events can also be the manifestation of latent conflicts in society.

RESUMEN: Las relaciones de sucesos representan de manera significativa la conexión entre los eventos calamitosos y la memoria. En primer lugar, los opúsculos informativos consagrados a los desastres acuden a la memoria de las calamidades pasadas para elaborar un discurso que explique unos eventos que parecen incomprensibles. En segundo lugar, los reporteros se apresuran a elaborar una versión confiable del presente, ya una memoria fidedigna del presente, para hacer frente a la multitud de voces que intentan relatar el evento con perspectivas distintas, a veces opuestas. Al imponer visiones más ciertas y verdaderas que otras en un entramado mediático ya denso y articulado, estos textos muestran una atención hacia la memoria futura, a saber, hacia la narración del desastre para las generaciones venideras. / ABSTRACT: The Pamphlet News significantly represent the connection between calamitous events and memory. Firstly, pamphlets dedicated to disasters draw upon the memory of past calamities to construct a discourse that explains seemingly incomprehensible events. Secondly, reporters rush to craft a reliable account of the present, already a faithful memory of the present, to contend with the multitude of voices attempting to narrate the event from different, sometimes opposing perspectives. By imposing more certain and truthful views than others within an already dense and articulated media framework, these texts demonstrate an attention towards future memory, namely, towards the narration of the disaster for future generations.

Osmanlı-Habsburg ilişkileri, 15. yüzyılda başlamış ve Kanuni Sultan Süley-man’ın Macaristan’ı fethinden sonra, Osmanlı’nın Avusturya’yla sınır komşusu olmasıy-la birlikte yoğunluk kazanmıştır. Avusturya arşidükü I. Ferdinand, İstanbul’a birçok kez elçi göndermiştir. Bu elçilerden biri olan Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, 1555 yılı başında I. Ferdinand’ın daimi elçisi olarak İstanbul’a gelmiş ve 1562 yılında Osmanlılar ile Habs-burglar arasında barış antlaşması imzalanana kadar burada ikamet etmiştir. Busbecq, yalnızca barış müzakerelerini yürüterek diplomatik görevini yerine getirmekle kalma-mış, başka alanlarda da aktif bir rol oynamıştır. Meraklı kişiliği, entelektüelliği ve Os-manlı Devleti’nin geniş topraları ve çok uluslu yapısı, onu, hem bilimsel hem de kültürel alanda çeşitli araştırmalar yapmaya zorlamıştır. Ankara yakınlarında İmparator Augus-tus’un faaliyetlerinin kayıtlı olduğu Res Gestae Divi Augisti isimli anıtı bulmuştur. Kay-bolmak üzere olan Kırım Gotlarının dilini yeniden keşfetmiştir. Antikçağ doktoru Dios-korides’in tıp kitabı Materia Medica’nın bir nüshasını bulmuştur. Lale, leylak, eğir otu gibi birçok çiçek ve şifalı otu ve birçok hayvan türünü Avrupa’ya ilk tanıtan Busbecq olmuştur. Busbecq, Türkler başta olmak üzere Osmanlı sınırları içindeki birçok halkın din, dil, kültür ve adetini araştırarak, bu halkların Avrupa’da tanınmasını da sağlamıştır. Busbecq’in botanik, tıp, zooloji, nümizmatik, filoloji, arkeloloji ve klasik epigrafi başta olmak üzere çeşitli alanlarda yaptığı aratırmalar, bu bilimlerin gelişimine önemli katkıda bulunmuştur.

In der von mir gemeinsam mit Klaus Beckmann übersetzten Ausgabe von Sethus Calvisius' Melopoiia* sind die Kapitel 11-14 unrevidiert in Druck gegeben worden. Daraufhin habe ich meine Co-Autorschaft zurückgezogen, stelle hier aber die revidierte Fassung zur Verfügung. Die Seitenzahlen in spitzen Klammern beziehen sich auf die Seitenzahlen des Faksimiles.

* Sethus Calvisius. Melopoiia (Erfurt 1592). Faksimile-Edition, ins Deutsche übersetzt von Klaus Beckmann, Mainz 2024.

Stemming from an email exchange, this analysis of O Sonno by Cipriano de Rore is based on an affective reading of its text. The investigation focusses on Cypriano’s use of melodic intervals, modal ambiguity, and specific sonic structures to reflect the vacillating, fast-changing affects of an insomniac wrangling with his inability to sleep. With reference to recent analytical interpretations of this outstanding piece, it demonstrates how a strictly linear analytical approach to polyphony brings new insight into the compositional process in a way that is profitable not only for theorists; as an ‘analysis for performers’ it opens new perspectives on content-related aspects of madrigal composition around 1550.

En Del principio y progreso de la religión cristiana en Japón, Alessandro Valignano ofrece un análisis detallado y matizado de la introducción y expansión del cristianismo en Japón durante el siglo XVI. Completada en 1601, la obra se destaca por su enfoque historiográfico y filológico único: Valignano documenta eventos clave mediante una rica variedad de textos históricos, cartas y tratados, y desarrolla paralelamente una estrategia narrativa sofisticada para describir las complejas interacciones culturales entre los misioneros europeos y la sociedad japonesa. Subraya así la importancia de la adaptación cultural en la evangelización, un enfoque innovador para su época.

Esta edición se destaca por su accesibilidad y rigor académico, con un lenguaje actualizado y un exhaustivo aparato crítico que proporciona análisis contextuales y referencias a estudiosos y fuentes contemporáneas. Esta edición no solo rescata un texto fundamental, sino que también resalta su relevancia en la historia de las misiones jesuitas y la representación cultural de Japón en Europa durante los siglos XVI y XVII, convirtiéndola en una valiosa herramienta para investigadores y académicos interesados en la historia global y las relaciones interculturales.

Au tournant des XVI e et XVII e siècles, la musique italienne connut une révolution digne de l'apparition de l'École de Notre-Dame, l'essor de l'Ars nova ou du développement, par Arnold Schoenberg, du dodécaphonisme sériel. L'invention de la basse continue en Italie eut pour conséquence la publication-y compris en Allemagne où ce nouveau style se répandit presque immédiatement-de parties d'orgue ajoutées aux oeuvres des grands maîtres de la prima prattica tels que Palestrina ou Lassus. En effet, l'interprétation a cappella des anciennes polyphonies n'intéressaient plus. Il s'agissait donc de sauver ce patrimoine en le modernisant. Contrairement aux interprètes d'aujourd'hui qui se piquent d'authenticité, les musiciens d'alors s'attachaient plutôt à mettre les oeuvres des anciens au goût du jour. Cette édition propose non seulement la mise en partition de la réduction à 4 voix, avec l'ajout d'une basse chiffrée pour l'orgue, de la célébre Missa papae Marcelli à 6 voix de Palestrina effectuée par le compositeur Francesco Anerio, mais aussi une proposition de réalisation de cette basse d'après les règles de l'époque ainsi qu'une documentation et des exemples sur la manière de transposer, d'orner et de diminuer une musique qui n'était pas exécutée telle qu'elle était écrite ni écrite telle qu'exécutée. Ces divers aspects-souvent méconnus dans l'enseignement de nos jours-ont été expérimentés avec des élèves des conservatoires de Chambéry et Grenoble (prof. Gaële Griffon du Bellay) et le choeur de la Sainte-Chapelle de Chambéry (dir. Benoit Magnin). Les ateliers d'improvisation ont été animés par le cornettiste William Dongois.

The volume explores the long-lasting phenomenon of basso continuo in the Italian peninsula, from its origins — i.e. from the regole per suonare sopra il basso which collects and develops the contrappunto alla mente’s legacy — up to the late partimento pedagogy. In addition to a bibliographic update, the volume presents case studies providing the reader with new information on performative contexts and performance practice between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, and shedding new lights on sacred and secular genres and repertoires cultivated in churches, theatres, academies, noble chambers and domestic environments. Particular attention is given to the relationship between counterpoint, improvisation and instrumentation, to the analysis of primary sources in relation to book formats and the type of notation chosen to convey the accompaniment. Furthermore, a few chapters focus on peculiar issues of accompaniment pedagogy according to unpublished or neglected sources.

El objetivo principal de estas jornadas es estudiar algunos repertorios polifónicos del mundo hispánico (ca. 1500-1900) con especial atención a las interacciones entre polifonía escrita, interpretaciones improvisadas y tradición oral. Se abordarán además la pervivencia y reelaboración de prácticas musicales polifónicas y la aproximación a herramientas digitales relacionadas con los temas tratados.

Las jornadas incluirán ponencias a cargo de destacados especialistas nacionales e internacionales y de jóvenes investigadores, así como dos talleres prácticos. El primero, impartido por Emilio Ros-Fábregas, se dedicará a la plataforma digital Books of Hispanic Polyphony IMF-CSIC (BHP, https://hispanicpolyphony.eu, ISSN 2565-1579). Esta plataforma, creada en 2013 y de acceso abierto desde 2017, ofrece actualmente el mayor censo de libros manuscritos e impresos de polifonía hispánica y es reconocida como recurso en línea en webs de referencia de las universidades estadounidenses de Harvard y Stanford. El segundo taller se centrará en la práctica de cantar y tañer desde el facistol y estará a cargo de Fernando López Valera, director de La Danserye, ensemble especializado en la práctica históricamente informada de interpretación directa a partir de fuentes originales.

También se explorarán las conexiones del repertorio polifónico con otra importante plataforma digital: Fondo de Música Tradicional IMF-CSIC (FMT, https://www.musicatradicional.eu, ISSN 2564-8500), que contiene más de 50.000 melodías de música de tradición oral. Como parte de estas jornadas e ilustración de su temática, se programarán dos conciertos en el marco del Festival de Música Antigua de Úbeda y Baeza, a cargo de la Real Capilla del Pópulo, la Capella Prolationum y el Ensemble La Danserye.

Estas jornadas internacionales han sido organizadas conjuntamente por el Festival de Música Antigua de Úbeda y Baeza (FeMAUB) y el Proyecto I+D+i “Prácticas polifónicas hispánicas (siglos XVI-XIX) en perspectiva digital: fuentes musicales, pervivencias, mujeres” (PID2021-123990NB-I00), financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España / Agencia Estatal de Investigación 10.13039/501100011033/ y por FEDER “Una manera de hacer Europa”, adscrito a la Institución Milá y Fontanals de Investigación en Humanidades del CSIC en Barcelona (investigadores principales: María Gembero-Ustárroz y Emilio Ros-Fábregas).

Alfonso Salmerón nació en Toledo el 8 de septiembre de 1515, fiesta del nacimiento de la Virgen, de la que fue muy devoto. En su enseñanza básica demostró capacidades notables y sus padres consiguieron una beca para que continuara estudios en el famoso Colegio Trilingüe San Jerónimo, de la universidad de Alcalá de Henares, que fue fundado por el cardenal Cisneros en tiempo de los Reyes Católicos. Allí estudió el latín, el griego y el hebreo, y probablemente la filosofía. Trabó amistad con Diego Laínez, también estudiante de filosofía, que llevaba dentro de sí la inquietud de ir a conocer a Íñigo de Loyola, de cuyo paso por Alcalá quedaban ecos contrapuestos y que por entonces estudiaba en la universidad de Paris.

RESUMEN: El gobierno de Francisco de Toledo como virrey del Perú (1569-1581) implementó reformas para la administración del territorio y población andina con el objetivo de establecer un orden político y económico que generara mayores ingresos y envíos de remesas a la monarquía.  Como parte de ese plan, el virrey llevó a cabo la reducción y organización de la población nativa en pueblos o comunidades de indios, así como la reglamentación del tributo indígena y el funcionamiento del sistema de mitas. Estas medidas generaron un aumento significativo en la circulación de dinero y bienes en el entorno de las comunidades de indios, de allí que las cajas de comunidades de indios se incrementaran y cobraran un nuevo significado como fuente de recursos susceptibles a ser usados. En este artículo se analiza la transformación e institucionalización de la administración de las cajas de comunidad durante el gobierno del virrey Toledo, el proceso de copamiento en su control y manejo por parte de autoridades nombradas del entorno cercano al virrey, el  uso particular que los criados y el propio virrey hacen de estos dineros y bienes, y la crisis que terminó enfrentando al virrey con la Corona, por la investigación y acusación de cobros y apropiaciones indebidas de estos fondos que enfrentó a su regreso a España. / ABSTRACT: The government of Francisco de Toledo as viceroy of Peru (1569-1581) implemented reforms for the administration of the Andean territory and population aiming the establishment of a political and economic order that would generate greater income and remittances to the monarchy.  As part of this plan, the viceroy carried out the congregation and organization of the native population into towns or Indian communities, as well as the regulation of the indigenous tribute and the operation of the mita system. These actions generated a significant increase in the circulation of money and goods within the Indian communities, hence the so-called cajas de comunidad increased and took on a new meaning within the Toledo model, as a source of resources that could be used. This article analyzes the transformation and institutionalization in the administration of the cajas de comunidad during Toledo`s administration, the process of takeover in their control and management by authorities appointed within the viceroy`s close circle, the particular use that these servants and the viceroy himself made of these moneys and assets, and the crisis that ended up confronting the viceroy with the Crown, due to the investigation and accusation of collections and misappropriations of funds that he faced upon his return to Spain.

The Baldwin Partbooks, GB-Och Mus. 979-983, are the sole source for several apprentice works by William Byrd. Deemed stylistically and technically uncharacteristic of the mature Byrd in textbook surveys of the 1960s-70s, two works in particular were excluded from the Byrd canon: his hymn Sacris solemniis (too smooth) and his responsory Reges tharsis (too coarse).  The copyist John Baldwin was correspondingly disparaged on account of his seemingly 'unreliable' attributions.  Drawing upon a pioneering 2008 conference presentation by John Milsom, this study uses fuga analysis to confirm Byrd's authorship and thereby vindicate Baldwin's reputation as a copyist.

Recent years have seen a critical reassessment of our approach to early music. Musicians, scholars, and critics have been searching for ways of talking about and reacting to the music that engage it not from the perspectives of later music but rather on its own terms. These new approaches would not be possible without the scholarship of the previous decades. The discovery and cataloguing of musical sources, the preparation of critical editions, and the investigation of archival documents have furnished important information about composers, performers, patrons, and institutions that supported the creation and performance of early music. Building on this work, the editors of these volumes now seek to develop and explore analytical methodologies for the discussion of early music as music. Analytic methods are not easily found for early music. The theorists of the time had their own agendas, and they do not provide models that suit our purposes. As a consequence, many twentieth-century scholars have chosen approaches that reflect their own beliefs about early music and its relation to later music. While some continue to rely on common practice tonality as a prism through which to view early music, others have begun to explore methods that respect the integrity and selfsufficiency of the languages of early music. We offer a forum for exploration of particular topics, from both a methodological and critical viewpoint. Our premise is that we can best develop new methodologies by encouraging debate. We will explore compositional procedures, tonal structures, musical borrowing, and other topics, focusing both on individual compositions and on theoretical systems. We seek to encourage critical writing about music that will be useful to performers, listeners, and scholars.

Customer satisfaction means meeting or surpassing customer expectations, resulting in happiness or disappointment based on perceived product performance relative to expectations. It is crucial strategy for banks to gain a competitive edge and thrive, achieved through maximizing deposits, fostering customer trust, and prioritizing high-quality services and competitive interest rates to attract and retain a diverse customers. This research investigates customer satisfaction in commercial banks of Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted, involving purposeful selection of eleven key informants from Kathmandu's banks for Key Informant Interviews, followed by thematic analysis. This study found that the current state of customer satisfaction in Nepal's commercial banks reflects a mixed scenario, with advancements in digital services enhancing urban satisfaction but disparities persisting between urban and rural areas. While efforts to monitor and enhance satisfaction have expanded nationwide, challenges like technological interruptions and organizational culture persist. Opportunities for improvement include initiatives such as banking literacy programs and digital transactions expansion. Addressing challenges and embracing digital transformation are seen as crucial for fostering satisfaction and competitiveness in Nepal's banking industry.

Customer satisfaction means meeting or surpassing customer expectations, resulting in happiness or disappointment based on perceived product performance relative to expectations. It is crucial strategy for banks to gain a competitive edge and thrive, achieved through maximizing deposits, fostering customer trust, and prioritizing high-quality services and competitive interest rates to attract and retain a diverse customers. This research investigates customer satisfaction in commercial banks of Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted, involving purposeful selection of eleven key informants from Kathmandu's banks for Key Informant Interviews, followed by thematic analysis. This study found that the current state of customer satisfaction in Nepal's commercial banks reflects a mixed scenario, with advancements in digital services enhancing urban satisfaction but disparities persisting between urban and rural areas. While efforts to monitor and enhance satisfaction have expanded nationwide, challenges like technological interruptions and organizational culture persist. Opportunities for improvement include initiatives such as banking literacy programs and digital transactions expansion. Addressing challenges and embracing digital transformation are seen as crucial for fostering satisfaction and competitiveness in Nepal's banking industry.

This study focuses on Bilateral cooperation between the Wadden Sea National Park, Wattenmeer National Park, and The Gambia Department of Parks and Wildlife Management, in the context of conserving the peregrination of migratory waterbird species and identifying the threats that are reposed along the East Atlantic Flyway. The purpose of this research was to investigate the bilateral cooperation between the Wadden Sea National Park, Wattenmeer National Park, and The Gambia Department of Parks and Wildlife Management, in the conservation of migratory coastal waterbirds from 2016 to April 4, 2023, and determine the most dominant threats on the habitats of bird migrants in these two regions of the Flyway. Based on quantitative analysis and Literature review, the findings suggest that there was a positive collaboration between the management of the Wadden Sea National Park and the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management of The Gambia, in the last seven years. Furthermore, the study has ascertained that the Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative is a partnership initiative that has contact persons in the Environmental Ministry of The Gambia, and water bird organizations that buttress the implementation of joint conservation projects, research, monitoring, and capacity building in The Gambia. Additionally, the geospatial analysis of LANDSAT 8 satellite imagery suggests that the most dominant pressures in these two regions of the East Atlantic Flyway were human development, fishing, pollution, ship traffic, forest logging, Recreation, hunting, agriculture activities, and sea level rise. However, future researchers should combine their findings with a large number of protected areas, to better understand the implications of these results. One important contribution of this paper is to enable management to identify the population trend of migratory coastal waterbird species along these regions of the East Atlantic Flyway. Keywords: Bilateral Collaboration, Flyway, Transverse, Coastal waterbird, Wadden sea, Protected Areas, Threats, National park, Management, and Joint research

The infrastructure development and socioeconomic conditions in these areas may be the cause of the observed urban growth. The observed urban growth in Groß Pankow, Bad Wilsnack, Ferbitz, and other locations can be attributed to favorable regulations, better transit options, and economic prospects. Future studies should examine the particular factors that contribute to urbanization in each place to create strategies for sustainable development and focused interventions. Using change detection algorithms, high-resolution satellite data, and spatial analysis, the study takes a complete approach. The research offers a detailed knowledge of the temporal and spatial patterns of urban growth by utilizing various approaches. Significant changes in land use are evident from preliminary data, which show how regions that were previously rangeland, crops, barren ground, and flooded vegetation have been transformed into urban areas. This research is important because it can help identify the unique elements driving urbanization in each area. Given that Groß Pankow, Bad Wilsnack, Ferbitz, and other places can have particular factors contributing to urban growth, the study emphasizes the necessity of customized approaches to sustainable development and targeted interventions. This research holds significant importance due to its potential to identify the distinct components that drive the process of urbanization in different regions. Taking into consideration the fact that Groß Pankow, Bad Wilsnack, Ferbitz, and various other localities may exhibit specific factors that contribute to urban growth, the study highlights the crucial need for tailor-made approaches to ensure sustainable development and implement targeted interventions. The research findings are anticipated to be highly valuable to academics, policymakers, and urban planners who work towards achieving a state of equilibrium that is balanced between the growth of urban areas and the socio-environmental issues that follow from that expansion.

This article discusses a comprehensive analysis of groundwater quality in Brandenburg, Germany, by examining the interplay between geological and pedological factors. The article highlights the significance of the region's unique geological tapestry on groundwater quality and its susceptibility to flood and drought occurrences. The article also emphasizes the importance of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data in understanding the spatial distribution of groundwater quality parameters. The research aims to evaluate the groundwater's susceptibility to drought and flood occurrences and assess how different soil types mediate the formation of groundwater quality. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the scientific conversation and provide useful information for protecting the environment, managing groundwater sustainably, and planning land uses in the area. The analysis highlights the significance of the region's unique geological tapestry, which significantly affects groundwater dynamics, including flow, storage, and quality. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data enhanced the understanding of the region's groundwater dynamics. It emphasizes the significance of the geological and pedological composition, such as the presence of distinct soil types and their impact on groundwater vulnerability to flood and drought occurrences. The research aims to evaluate the groundwater's susceptibility to drought and flood occurrences and assess how different soil types mediate the formation of groundwater quality. land uses in the area.

This study examined the determinants of capital structure of commercial banks operating in Tanzania using panel financial data of 14 banks drawn from 1998 to 2010 on a quarterly basis. A multiple-indicators-multiple-causes structural equation modelling was applied, with a consideration for structural break. In order of importance, bank size, profitability, non-tax depreciation shield, growth and volatility have been determined to be key determinants in capital structure decisions of commercial banks in Tanzania. Controlling for the ownership, growth of the banking firms is not significant in determining the capital structure among foreign banks. The study contributes to the understanding of commercial banks’ capital structure in relation to the ownership structure in emerging markets and provides a policy direction for foreign bank entry into developing countries.

In the present paper, the flow with constant suction of a viscous incompressible and electrically conducting fluid near an infinite porous flat plate oscillating in its own plane with constant suction has been discussed in the presence of uniform transverse magnetic field. It is assumed that the fluid extends on one side of the wall and is sucked away to the other side. Expressions for velocity profile and skin friction have been obtained. It is found that the velocity in the boundary layer decreases and the amplitude of the skin friction increases with the increase of Hartmann number M.

The piroxicam permeation through porcine ear skin, in a Franz Cell was evaluated, comparing with a commercial product. The permeate was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a 5 mm C 18 column with mobile phase methanol:phosphate buffer (60:40), at 354 nm and the run time of 10 min. This method was validated and the limit of quantification was 0.138 μg/mL, with linearity over 0.02-5 μg/mL, without endogenous skin interference. The order of piroxicam permeation after 24 h was: LE > L> Feldene® > N > LP > NP > NE. The L based formulations showed greater piroxicam permeation compared with N based formulations, particularly up to 10 h of experiment. The ethanol enhancer provided the highest piroxicam permeation. The commercial product shows a different behavior, providing piroxicam permeation almost after 10 h. These results show the development of effective, simple and economic percutaneous formulations of piroxicam allowing the choice of formulations for higher or lower piroxicam permeation.

This dissertation focuses on the eight-tone Magnificat cycle of Nicolas Gombert (ca.1495-ca.1560), a prolific composer of sacred and secular music active in the first half of the sixteenth century. While the terms “pervasive imitation” and “dense counterpoint” often give a sufficient if facile impression of his music, the lack of stable analytical vocabulary appropriate to Gombert or his contemporaries results in difficulty addressing or analyzing the music. Important studies of Gombert’s music by Peter Urquhart, Anthony Newcomb, and Brandi Neal have included discussions about musica ficta, text-music relations, and the texture of his large multi-voice pieces; what has not yet been addressed in Gombert’s music is the relationship between the composer’s use of counterpoint and melodic entries. By applying an expanded version of Peter Schubert’s presentation types–including vocabulary borrowed from John Milsom and created by myself–I offer a new way of approaching Gombert’s rigorous contrapuntal approach to composition, one focused on types of imitation standardized according to time and pitch intervals, the repetition of contrapuntal combinations or modules, and the composer’s use of musical heightening.

My analytical methodology combines Joel Lester’s (emotional intensity) and Peter Schubert’s (contrapuntal intensity) theories of heightening together. I go one step further than Lester and Schubert and codify a hierarchy of heightening based upon musical types: presentation types (free counterpoint, fuga with and without interlock, NIm, ID, PEn, and stretto complex); and parallel models (the Parallel-6th Model and the Parallel-10th Model). The hierarchy of heightening ranks musical types based on their melodic and contrapuntal constraints. I define melodic constraints as the presentation of a soggetto that does not result in a module, or in the repetition of the rhythm and pitches of the first appearance of the soggetto; contrapuntal constraints are concerned with modules, or repeated chunks of counterpoint. Musical types from most relaxed to most heightened (from lowest to greatest number of constraints) in order are free counterpoint, fugas (with and without interlocks), NIm, ID, PEn and stretto complex. Others, such as stretto fuga and parallel models, have their heightening determined by their location within a Magnificat verse in addition to their surrounding musical types. I find that Gombert's musical types, in combination with their level of heightening, start to create a form of their own, one directed by features both internal and external to the Magnificat; I call this approach "contrapuntal form."

Gombert uses two different approaches to form within his eight-tone Magnificat cycle: verse form and Magnificat form. In verse form, Gombert repeats the same sequence of presentation types in each verse, in addition to coordinating musical types with heightening to create single and double climax forms. In Magnificat form, Gombert bifurcates the Magnificats into two sections, and he uses the same types of imitation in beginnings and climaxes. I also discuss forms of intensification Gombert uses in both verse and Magnificat forms, such as climactic, compound, and spatial. My analyses of three of Gombert’s Magnificats (Tertii et octavi toni, Primi toni, and Sexti et primi toni), demonstrate that Gombert’s use of contrapuntal form allows him to unify and vary multiple elements of the Magnificat, allowing him to play with, and shape, verses and whole Magnificats. Contrapuntal form creates a new method of analysis for the Magnificats of Gombert and his contemporaries, that provides new insight into style and
process.

The life, music, and theoretical writings of Pietro Pontio (1532-1596) yield considerable insight into questions of theory and practice in the late sixteenth century. The dissertation places Pontio within his musical and cultural milieu, and assesses his role as both theorist and composer. The first two chapters present an expanded biography based on new archival evidence. The course of Pontio's career is detailed, and corrections such as his exact date of death and his location and employment for the years 1569-1574 are presented. The documents also uniquely detail the working conditions and pedagogical methods and concerns of the sixteenth-century maestro di cappella. Chapter Three surveys Pontio's two treatises, the Ragionamento (1588) and the Dialogo (1595), outlining important issues addressed by Pontio. Chapter Four presents a brief survey of Pontio's music, hitherto unstudied, showing his work to be of consistent quality and inventiveness. Chapter Five discusses issues from the Ragionamento. Pontio's important discussion of the use of mode and psalm tone in polyphony suggests a hierarchical approach to cadential structure based on pitch, text relationship, and cadential type, and the author presents a system of cadential classification based on these constructs. The result is a clearer understanding of modal structure and distinctions of genre. Chapter Six examines the second section of Pontio's Dialogo as an early attempt at critical writing, similar in scope to that presented by Lodovico Zacconi in the second part of his Prattica di musica (1622). In both chapters, Pontio's theoretical writings are amplified by reference to his own musical works and those of his contemporaries. Chapter Seven assesses Pontio's influences on contemporary and later writers, and details the degree of influence Pontio's treatise had on Valerio Bona's Regole del contraponto (1595) and Pietro Cerone's El Melopeo y maestro (1613). Both are shown to be heavily dependent on many of the most original aspects of Pontio's work. A summary assesses the important role of Pontio in sharpening our understanding of critical aspects of theory and practice in the period. Volume Two presents an annotated works list for Pontio's compositions, transcriptions of archival documents used in the study, and transcriptions of representative musical compositions.

Británico de nacimiento, Santiago Kastner (1908-1992) fue un hombre cosmopolita con un extraordinario bagaje musical (su familia regentaba un negocio de pianolas) que se estableció en Lisboa en 1934. Formado en Leipzig y Barcelona, durante los años veinte y comienzos de los treinta, sus giras europeas en las que difundía los repertorios portugueses y españoles para teclado y su actividad como crítico musical en la Lisboa de los años cuarenta le permitieron forjar una excepcional red de contactos que le aseguró puestos en instituciones musicales de España y Portugal: el Instituto Español de Musicología, liderado por Higini Anglès, y el Conservatorio Nacional de Lisboa, dirigido por Ivo Cruz. Desde esta posición, Kastner desarrolló una infatigable actividad musicológica que exhumó el repertorio ibérico de los siglos XVI al XVIII a través de su estudio, edición musical e interpretación. Antes que nada, Kastner fue un scholar performer. Su particular aproximación metodológica al repertorio y su excepcional visión cosmopolita le permitieron forjar una identidad ibérica única, que se alejaba del imperante nacionalismo positivista cultivado por sus colegas españoles y portugueses y que le valió el reconocimiento internacional.

Este trabalho enfoca memórias, conotações, discursos e crenças que gravitam em torno dos intervalos de três tons: a quarta aumentada e a quinta diminuta. A problemática parte da versada noção de que o trítono foi proibido durante a Idade Média pela Igreja por sua associação com o diabo, noção epitomada pelo ditado mi contra fa est diabolus in musica [mi contra fa é o diabo na música].

This paper outlines two preliminary studies researching the characterisation of composer style using features automatically extracted from symbolic data, our initial results, and future objectives. Our main research question is whether is it possible to systematically encode musictheoretic constructs in a computational framework in order to yield musicological insights regarding style characteristics and compositional techniques. Our long term goal is to train a computer to be able to make high-level inferences concerning musical style, historical context, genre, composer, and creative influences.

Este artigo investiga os procedimentos criativos do compositor brasileiro Moacir Santos em Coisa n.2, uma composição de seu álbum Coisas de 1965. Sendo um músico que combinava sua experiência no universo popular com o estudo do repertório erudito, Santos foi um destacado criador no cenário da música brasileira dos anos 1960. Seu estilo mescla elementos de estilos populares, jazz, percussão africana e influências clássicas. Aqui nós enfocamos em sua linguagem harmônica, aplicando ferramentas de análise neorriemanniana e teoria dos conjuntos, buscando demonstrar como os processos harmônicos do artista o situam no universo pós-tonal da música do século XX.

Cultural studies serve as a vital lens through which to analyze the complex interplay between music and society. This research paper explores how cultural studies offer critical insights into the power dynamics and ideological dimensions of music. By examining music through the intersecting lenses of gender, race, class, and power, we uncover underlying structures of privilege, marginalization, and resistance. Moreover, this paper investigates how music intersects with broader social movements, shapes political discourse, and challenges dominant narratives. Through a nuanced exploration of the socio-political dimensions of music, cultural studies illuminate its role in shaping collective identities and fostering social change. Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship and case studies, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic relationship between music, culture, and society.

This paper investigates steady and unsteady magnetohydrodynamic chemical kinetic exponent of free convective slip flow in a vertical channel filled with porous medium. The Navier slip and Newtonian heating at the plates were taken in to consideration. The governing equation were transformed from dimensional to non-dimensional form using dimensionless quantities, the steady state solution is obtained using Homotopy Perturbation Method (HMP), unsteady state solution was obtained through numerical approach refer to implicit finite difference scheme. The effects of various flow parameters entering into the problem such as Darcy number, Hartmann number, Navier slip parameter chemical reaction parameter, chemical kinetic exponent, local Biot number, as well as activation energy parameter with difference ratio were discussed with the aid of line graphs. It is found that greater values of chemical kinetic exponent (m) significantly improve the temperature and velocity gradients respectively in which the fluid velocity and temperature is higher at Biomolecular type of chemical reaction compare to that of Arrhenius and Sensitized. On the hand, Darcy number is seen to improve the fluid velocity. Furthermore, Comparison has been made for steady state and unsteady solution which shows excellent agreement.

El objetivo fundamental del presente artículo consiste en vincular el concepto de comunidades interpretativas a una posible hermenéutica de la música. De este modo, el lenguaje musical podría ser interpreteado más fácilmente,  si se describe analogicamente con su raiz lingüística. De ello deviene que  una descripción de las prácticas y comunidades intepretativas de la música, estaría ampliamente emparentada con las prácticas y comunidades interpretativas de los lenguajes naturales. Esta tentación metodológica quiere razonar a través de un caso. Se pretende ver la plausibilidad de la hipótesis con un experimento. El experimento consiste en mostrar cómo se leyó la música de Francisco Guerrero en la Bogotá de la colonia, y señalar  si en este caso existen relaciones con el desarrollo de la lectura de lenguajes naturales o,  si por el contrario,  hay discontinuidades. Se quiere ver si el concepto de comunidades interpretativas puede dar cuenta en cierta medida de la dialéctica entre obr...

RESUMEN: La habilidad rejuvenecedora de Medea ha tenido reapropiaciones disímiles durante la modernidad temprana. A partir de esta capacidad-descrita en Medea de Eurípides y, sobre todo, en las Metamorfosis de Ovidio-, se han establecido algunos paralelismos con ciertas prácticas médicas: los baños calientes, el ejercicio físico, la inyección de remedios, las transfusiones de sangre. El objetivo de este trabajo es dar cuenta de las distintas alusiones a la que podríamos llamar una Medea sanadora, por medio del análisis de obras literarias, escritos médicos y tratados alquímicos. El recorte amplio, desde fines del siglo XV al XVII, se justifica debido a que se pretende identificar una serie de cambios en los modos en que es rescatada esta figura pagana. / ABSTRACT: The Medea’s ability of rejuvenation has undergone various reinterpretations during the Early Modern period. From this capacity -which is described in Medea by Euripides and, especially, in the Metamorfosis by Ovid-, several authors have drawn some parallels with certain medical practices: warm baths, physical exercise as “preservative medicine”, the administration of remedies by injections into the sang. The aim of this work is to highlight the diverse allusions to Medea as healer, through the analysis of literature, medical writers, and alchemical treatises. The wide period boarded, since the turn of the 15th century to the 17th century, is justified by the intention to identify some changes in the modes in which this pagan figure has been rescued.

Historical sources recount an anecdote about a class on organ improvisation taught by the already renowned composer and organist César Franck (1822-1890) and attended by young Claude Debussy (1862-1918) in the 1880s. According to this testimony, Franck persistently kept telling his young, self-assured student to "Modulate! Modulate! Modulate!' ('Modulez! Modulez! Modulez!'); Debussy stubbornly refused to do so, asking his teacher why he wanted him to do that ('Mais pourquoui voulez-vous que je module') and professing that he felt very comfortable in the starting tone ('je me trouve très bien dans ce ton-là'). Of course, the representatives of two different generations had misunderstood each other, but the nature of their misunderstanding remains unclear: was it a matter of style and esthetics or merely terminology? The term modulation is today unambiguously identified with the process of switching from one key to another. However, in the 19th-century French theoretical literature (as well as in European literature in general), the term experienced a long evolution: in line with older discussions in the period of Enlightenment, it was first seen as a much wider concept-a way of tonal manifestation (e.g. in the works of François-Joseph Fétis and Jérôme-Joseph de Momigny) until it later began to acquire its modern paradigmatic features, for example in Anton Reicha's Course in Musical Composition (Cours de composition musicale). However, even after modulation became synonymous with changing the tonal center, some younger theorists still insisted that the term could be used in a wider sense (Napoléon Henri Reber's Treatise on Harmony/Traité d'harmonie). This paper aims to present the paradigmatic evolution of the term modulation and show that different modern categorizations of tonal changes have roots in its earlier meanings. Hence, one of its aims is to attempt to infer if the abovementioned misunderstanding reflected an esthetic or merely a theoretical and terminological dissension between a composer educated in the first half of the 19th century and his several decades' younger colleague.

In this paper, we present a music information retrieval (MIR) pipeline to aid musicologists in making editions of mensural music sources. We designed this pipeline by improving existing MIR tools and allowing for their interoperability rather than implementing a new monolithic tool. These MIR tools include technologies such as optical music recognition (OMR), automatic voice alignment for mensural notation, editorial correction software, and computational counterpoint error detection. To ease the editorial correction process necessary to obtain correctly linedup scores, we evaluate whether the use of counterpoint error-detection tools makes the correction process more efficient. While this idea has been discussed before, this paper presents the first attempt at implementing it. The results confirm that marking illegal dissonances in the score following the rules of Renaissance counterpoint makes the process of editorial correction of scribal errors in Renaissance music more efficient by reducing the time taken and improving the accuracy of such corrections. Moreover, it also allowed us to catch OMR errors that had passed through undetected at a previous step of the pipeline. This paper is part of a larger project to preserve and increase access to a set of Guatemalan polyphonic choirbooks through digital images and symbolic scores.

El presente trabajo estudia una misa de José de Nebra, influyente compositor español activo en el siglo XVIII, cuya obra se ha conservado tanto en archivos peninsulares como hispanoamericanos. Más concretamente, se interesa por la forma en que el autor distribuye las cadencias o "cláusulas" de la pieza en los distintos grados de la escala. Esta difiere de la tonalidad moderna en el uso del sexto grado y la dominante en una proporción casi equivalente, por lo que resulta discutible entenderla en términos exclusivamente tonales, como se hace hoy en día. Este trabajo sostiene que el rasgo señalado responde a los preceptos del teórico Pablo Nassarre respecto al quinto tono. Por tanto, el lenguaje de Nebra se relaciona no solo con la tonalidad moderna, sino también con la preceptiva de los ocho tonos polifónicos heredados del siglo XVII. En otras palabras, algunos rasgos de su obra que pueden parecernos idiosincráticos o no convencionales se explican por la confluencia entre modernidad y tradición.

Consider the sequences of letters in example 1 and think of them as strings of objects perceived and parsed in space or time. In case (a), each object is distinct. There may be degrees of similarity among them, measured by whatever means, but no member of the string is a point of reference for the others. In case (b), Xl repeats literally as X 2. One might say that X extends in space or is prolonged in time. In cases (c) and (d), the repetition of X creates a frame or context for Y. The two Xs connect per

This paper introduces a transformational approach to harmony improvisation within the framework of a Markov decision system. Group theory provides the mathematical background of the transformational approach. While chord progressions are the acceptable basis for harmony composition using Markov models, the transformational approach is interval-based. The capabilities and limitations of the transformational approach are demonstrated and discussed, then enhanced using a UTT-based approach. A decision system optimizes the balance between compatibility, represented by average harmony, and variety, represented by entropy. Musical examples are presented, including sequence matching that demonstrates consistency and sensitivity to the decision parameters.

Prispevek obravnava povezave med Zarlinovim naukom o kontrapunktu in antičnimi teoretskimi premisleki. Po uvodnih opredelitvah in umestitvi nauka o kontrapunktu v kontekst Zarlinovega traktata Temelji harmonike (Le Istitutioni harmoniche, 1558) so predstavljeni primeri utemeljevanja nekaterih kontrapunktskih pravil: raba disonance, raba kvarte, lastnosti male in velike terce, raba kromatike in enharmonije, napotki za uglasbitev besedila.

This research paper provides a detailed examination of the trends and challenges associated with Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in the Indian banking sector from 2010 to 2021. The study focuses on Commercial Banks, including Public Sector Banks, Private Sector Banks, and Foreign Sector Banks, analyzing their Gross and Net NPAs to Gross and Net Advances. The analysis reveals a substantial expansion in lending activities, as evidenced by the impressive Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) of Gross and Net Advances. However, a concerning increase in Gross and Net NPAs over the same period highlights challenges in asset quality management. Public Sector Banks consistently exhibit higher levels of NPAs compared to their private and foreign sector counterparts, indicating potential difficulties in managing troubled assets. The research identifies a negative trend in NPAs from 2018 onwards, with a gradual decline observed across all categories of commercial banks. Standard Deviation values emphasize greater volatility in asset quality management for Public Sector Banks. Insights from Private Sector Banks, with lower average NPAs, suggest more efficient non-performing asset management practices. The paper concludes with recommendations for reducing NPAs, emphasizing comprehensive risk assessments, robust credit risk analysis, diversification of loan portfolios, and efficient recovery mechanisms. Strengthening due diligence, adherence to prudential norms, continuous staff training, and collaboration with regulatory bodies are also proposed strategies. Ultimately, the research highlights the importance of proactive measures to ensure the sustained health of the Indian banking sector.