ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses a corpus of late thirteenth-century motets on non-plainchant tenors, not only within the context of Montpellier Codex but also in other contemporary sources of both Continental and English provenance. It explains that these largely unique secular tenors offer a significant notated witness to the kinds of melodies and songs that were not usually or otherwise written down. The chapter focuses on the implications for concepts of authorship and identity of exchanging long-established plainchant tenor melodies for vernacular songs and instrumental tunes. The principal source of evidence for such songs, the chansonnier Douce 308, does not include any composer attributions, even for the many of its grands chants that are typically preserved elsewhere as part of author compilations. Characteristics of the song tenors in Montpellier Codex testify to a high degree of formal flexibility and mixing, as well as to a relatively formulaic musical style that could place them in a similar category to refrains as regards authorship.
