ABSTRACT
Without question, one of the most familiar texts to students of medieval music is the often-cited passage in the treatise of Anonymous IV that offers an account of the historical development of the Notre-Dame tradition. As we can surmise from the words of Anonymous IV, with their careful distinction between 'facere' and 'abbreviare', the question of 'who' made the magnus liber and the question of 'how' it was made are essentially one and the same. The textual situation exhibited by the magnus liber, however one interprets it, makes it difficult if not meaningless to attempt to draw a comprehensive picture of the evolution of this repertory based on the premise that this music underwent some sort of progressive linear development. In the alleluia, the verse ends with a phrase sung by the chorus. Polyphony is not provided for this choral ending in the magnus liber; with few exceptions, polyphony is restricted to the solo portions of the chant.
