High clefs and down-to-earth transposition a brief defence of Monteverdi PARROTT, Andrew

RESUMEN: Focusing on tha Magnificat a7 in Monteverdi´s 1610 publication, this article repudiates the recently repeated proposal by Roger Bowers that its high-clef notation demands transposition down a mere 2nd (for which there is no known contemporary precedent);100 clear instancesof transposition by the convetional 4th (and 5th) are listed. Besides its implausible resultant Fminor, the narrower transposition cannot be justified on the basis of perceived "inconsistencies" of range, as Monteverdi´s own music (and others) provides ample avidence of lower vocal scoring tham is expected today. Keywords: Claudio Monteverdi, 1610 Verpers, Magnificat a7, high clefs, transposition, vocal range, Thomas Morley, Roger Bowers.