ABSTRACT
EDITOR'S PREFACE: Schmidt's is a prime example of a significant, yet neglected, study stemming from the German sphere. Citations of this article in English-language scholarship are rare, despite the fact that it is the most comprehensive overview of its subject ever written, and clearly outlines any number of potential avenues for further study. Many of these directions still remain unexplored after nearly forty years. The contrapuntal issues raised in the studies of Meier and Apfel (translated above) are deepened and placed into a highly interesting perspective by Schmidt in this article. Particularly illuminating is the author's consideration of the constructive aspects of the cantus firmus within the historical context of its symbolic and liturgical function.
