[DiogenesLamp]

I think one good example of how they were writing down minimalistic versions is the hymns. I was raised Catholic so I never heard a hymn until I opened his music manuscript book. And when I transcribed them, they made no sense whatsoever. I believe that's because he only wrote down the part that he would play. I still have no idea what these should sound like.

I suppose they expected people to do a lot of their own improvisation.

[mairdie]

If you didn’t have a TV and the buses weren’t running to get you into town on a snowy night, a house full of children could probably be entertained with a lot of home made music.

I know the Publicus issue you’re referencing. Talked to Mac about that once. My personal belief is that most college professors are sloppy and would be well served with a circle of retired nitpickers to shove data to them to analyze. I had to talk Don Foster into starting the research. Mac came to me. But professionals can be pulled into your obsession. You just have to be prepared to be the grunt that does the massive scut work, because they won’t and their grad students pass through too quickly for long term projects.