ABSTRACT
Although the precise date of the Scientia artis musice (1274) can be established on the basis of internal evidence—a rarity in itself—virtually everything that can be determined about author must be extracted from statements he makes about himself in the unique manuscript of the treatise, Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, D 75 inf. Had it been Helie Salomon's original intent to dedicate the Scientia artis musice to Pope Gregory X, it is difficult to imagine why the treatise would include a gratuitous swipe at the stentorian singing of the cathedral canons at Lyon. The only contemporary treatise that may be thought to have a tenuous connection with the Scientia artis musice (more for situational than for internal reasons) is the Practica artis musice, written in 1271 by the English priest Amerus/Aluredus. Helie might have been attempting to outdo the Englishman by promising to expound the scientia rather than merely the practica of musical art.
