On Fri, Dec 24, 2004 at 09:51:57AM -0800, Don Simons wrote:
http://www.geocities.com/pchpublish/srecep1.pdf
The mystery is in the meaning of the F-naturals. If they mean anything like what a modern F-natural means, then there would be no need for any of them, since there's no F sharp in the key signature (and even if there were, to cancel it would require a flat, not a natural). Besides, they simply sound wierd, starting with the subject in bar 1. In fact they would all sound better if played as F-sharps. They only seem to be used when descending to the note. And look at the shape of the subject in the next two entrances, the tenor in Bar 1, and soprano in Bar 3. It's consistent with that F-natural having been an F-sharp.
They may be typos. From what you've told us, you would be justified in assuming so. What about those unaccidented Fs in the bass in measure 12? I don't know enough about old music to know whether they make sense. But it is important to determine the correct notes, in case somebody decides to turn it into a rock opera.
Whether the 'natural shaped' accidentals are typos or not there is no doubt that they denote sharps. The harmonic idiom of the music is clearly major/minor, in this case e minor. In modern notation the Recercar would have key signs on f. The last note in bar 1, f "sharp" is the fifth of the dominant chord, b major, of the main key, e minor. That is true also for the remaining f "sharps", in some cases, though, antecipated by a chord on the 2. degree of the scale (f# minor). In these cases the c-s belonging to these chords should also have a sharp accidental. This sign is actually set in bar 14, but is missing in bar 5. If it is not found in your typesetting source I recommend one or another kind of editorial accidental sharp on the 4. note of the l.h. upper part in bar 5.
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