ABSTRACT
The texts included in the extant cerdd dant collections are of diverse character, ranging from scribbled lists to relatively substantial essays. These longer prose texts may be divided into two main categories defined by their quasi-historical or theoretical subject-matter. The first group of sources comprises three texts addressing the emergence and early codification of the Welsh musical craft, while the second group consists of rather different material (including a lengthy treatise) that focuses on more complex technical matters. Peilin's choice of the Micrologus as his principal model suggests that he may have come across Dowland, either in person or by repute, during his alleged period at the English court. Peilin also created his own mnemonic series for the degrees of the scale by naming each note in accordance with the harp strings. Analysis of the theoretical sources of cerdd dant confirms that their meaning is often far more elusive than that of their quasi-historical counterpart.
