Corpus of Recorded Counterpoint Examples

The Corpus of Recorded Counterpoint Examples (CRCE) is a multi-volume research audio corpus comprising 420 historically informed instrumental recordings of 276 counterpoint exempla transmitted in Renaissance music theory treatises. The recordings document performative realisations of pedagogical repertories preserved in sources by Mateo de Aranda, Melchor de Torres, and Vicente Lusitano.

The corpus is organised into six thematic volumes reflecting distinct source repertories. While the examples of Aranda and Torres each form a single volume, Lusitano’s more extensive material is distributed across four volumes reflecting different contrapuntal domains: solo counterpoint on cantus firmus, concerted counterpoint, canonic procedures, and counterpoint on mensural music.

Corpus structure

1. Mateo de Aranda — 38 Counterpoint Examples
2. Melchor de Torres — 25 Solo Counterpoint Examples
3. Vicente Lusitano — 125 Solo Counterpoint Examples (Vol. 1)
4. Vicente Lusitano — 14 Concerted Counterpoint Examples (Vol. 2)
5. Vicente Lusitano — 34 Canonic Counterpoint Examples (Vol. 3)
6. Vicente Lusitano — 38 Counterpoint Examples on Mensural Music (Vol. 4)

Covers

Corpus of Recorded Counterpoint Examples – volume covers.

All CRCE recordings are published as open-access research data on Zenodo and are accompanied by corpus-wide metadata, technical documentation, and navigational tools.

Access to recordings and datasets

All recordings forming the Corpus of Recorded Counterpoint Examples are available for listening and download via the corresponding Zenodo datasets:

CRCE vol.	Author	Content	Dataset
1	Mateo de Aranda	Counterpoint examples	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18944002
2	Melchor de Torres	Solo counterpoint	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18944766
3	Vicente Lusitano	Solo counterpoint on cantus firmus	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18944882
4	Vicente Lusitano	Concerted counterpoint	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18944977
5	Vicente Lusitano	Canonic counterpoint	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18945152
6	Vicente Lusitano	Counterpoint on mensural music	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18945232

Corpus documentation

Corpus-wide metadata, technical documentation, and navigational tools are provided in the CRCE overview dataset.

Dataset	Description	DOI
CRCE overview dataset	Metadata and corpus documentation	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18648158

Zenodo community

All CRCE datasets form part of the Improvised Counterpoint Sources and Corpora research community on Zenodo, which brings together digital corpora of primary sources and related audio datasets within a unified scholarly infrastructure.

Listening and study in editorial context: Companion sites

While the audio files can be accessed independently as research datasets on Zenodo, the counterpoint examples of Aranda and Lusitano are also presented in contextualised editorial form, following the structure of their respective treatises, across the project’s treatise-specific companion sites:

• https://aranda.improvisedcounterpoint.com
• https://lusitano.improvisedcounterpoint.com

This dual mode of access allows the corpus to function both as a standalone research dataset and as part of an integrated editorial and analytical research environment.

Sample recording

125 Ex. 37d

CRCE track 218. The counterpoint is constrained to the exclusive reiteration of the ostinato motive la–sol–fa–mi–re. The corresponding score can be consulted on the Lusitano companion site.

Overview of sources, exempla, and recordings

Recording session	Source	Content	No. of exempla	No. of recordings	Tracks	Recording time	Recording dates
1	Aranda 1535	Counterpoint Examples	38	53	001–053	35:54	September 13–15, 2024
2	Torres 1566 [1544]	Solo Counterpoint Examples	25	32	054–085	18:05	September 16, 2024
3	Lusitano F-Pn Esp. 219	Solo Counterpoint Examples	122 + 3*	149	086–234	1:40:09	September 17–30, 2024
4	Lusitano F-Pn Esp. 219	Concerted Counterpoint Examples	14 + 1*	18	235–252	11:53	October 10–17, 2024
5	Lusitano F-Pn Esp. 219	Canonic Counterpoint Examples	34 + 1*	104	253–356	1:07:34	October 18–24 and 28–30, 2024
6	Lusitano F-Pn Esp. 219	Counterpoint on Mensural Music	38	64	357–420	1:07:10	June 12–13 and July 12, 2025
Total			276	420		5:00:45

Overview of the recording sessions forming the CRCE corpus, indicating the source repertories, the number of transmitted exempla, and the corresponding number of recorded realisations. Click or tap inside the table, then scroll horizontally to view the rightmost columns.

*: Asterisks indicate isolated examples outside the principal cantus-firmus series.

Recording environment

All recordings were produced in a controlled home-studio environment in Leuven, enabling consistent acoustic conditions across recording sessions. For optimal listening, the use of headphones is recommended.