Walter Odington
Encyclopedia
Walter Odington was an 14th century English Benedictine
scientific and especially musical theory author. He is also known as Walter of Evesham, by some writers confounded with Walter of Eynsham, who lived about fifty years earlier, died not earlier than 1330.
During the first part of his religious life he was stationed at Evesham
and later removed to Oxford
, where he was engaged in astronomical and mathematical work as early as 1316.
's Scriptores; other works are in manuscript only. In this treatise, a remarkable work written at Evesham and therefore certainly before 1316, according to Riemann before 1300, the author gathered together practically all the knowledge of the theory of music
possessed at his time and added some theoretical considerations of his own. A discussion of his work is given by Riemann, who claims for him the distinction of having, before the close of the thirteenth century, established on theoretical grounds the consonance of minor and major thirds.
Davey enumerates the following works:
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
scientific and especially musical theory author. He is also known as Walter of Evesham, by some writers confounded with Walter of Eynsham, who lived about fifty years earlier, died not earlier than 1330.
During the first part of his religious life he was stationed at Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
and later removed to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, where he was engaged in astronomical and mathematical work as early as 1316.
Writings
He wrote chiefly on scientific subjects. His work De Speculatione Musices was first published in complete form in Edmond de CoussemakerEdmond de Coussemaker
Charles Edmond Henri de Coussemaker, known as Edmond de Coussemaker, born on 19 April 1805 in Belle, died on 10 January 1876 in Lille, was a schooled jurist. As a musicologist and ethnologist, he focused mainly on the heritage of French Flanders...
's Scriptores; other works are in manuscript only. In this treatise, a remarkable work written at Evesham and therefore certainly before 1316, according to Riemann before 1300, the author gathered together practically all the knowledge of the theory of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
possessed at his time and added some theoretical considerations of his own. A discussion of his work is given by Riemann, who claims for him the distinction of having, before the close of the thirteenth century, established on theoretical grounds the consonance of minor and major thirds.
Davey enumerates the following works:
- "De Speculatione Musices"; "Ycocedron", a treatise on alchemy
- "Declaratio motus octavæ spheræ"
- "Tractatus de multiplicatione specierum in visu secundum omnem modum"
- "Ars metrica Walteri de Evesham"
- "Liber quintus geometriæ per numeros loco quantitatum"
- "Calendar for Evesham Abbey".