This article expands upon a paper given by Jane Flynn at the London Organ Forum on 22 November 2008, and upon other papers she has presented for the Early English Organ Project.  It analyses Tudor organ versets in the light of techniques of improvised descant against chant, and shows that they are closer in style to this improvised tradition than to that of ‘composed’ polyphony.

The article originally appeared in the RCO Journal of 2009.

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