Musica sbagliata

Our paper examines the errors made by composers and book-makers in 16th- and 17th-century Italy. Errors made by composers were denounced by other composers, through the diffusion of written censures, or during public challenges in the presence of judges and witnesses. Errors made during the printing process can be found both in the paratext (forgotten or inverted letters and numbers in the title page) and in the text itself (omission of alterations or mistaken notes and words). Our paper ends with a discussion of errors and misunderstandings made by performers and listeners, including both those contemporary to the music, and others committed in modern performances of early music.