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Table-book

Table-book is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Table-book rather than just read about it. In short: A table-book is a manuscript or printed book which is arranged so that all the parts of a piece of music can be read from it while seated around a table. They were made in the 16th and 17th century for both instrumental and vocal pieces.

Table-book — main illustration
Table-book — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Table-book belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Table-book to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Table-book from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A table-book is a manuscript or printed book which is arranged so that all the parts of a piece of music can be read from it while seated around a table. They were made in the 16th and 17th century for both instrumental and vocal pieces. They are an extension of the idea of Choir books, in which all parts are displayed on one page, in contrast with partbooks, which have a different book for each part (one book for all the soprano parts, another for all the altos, etc.) and each performer has their own book. The first example of such a book is probably Le parangon des chansons (1538) by Jacques Moderne of Lyon. There are far more English than Continental examples of this type of book. English sources contain many lute pieces and works by John Dowland, including his Lachrimae. The books began displaying duets, and later quartets. Later systems of displaying parts worked for up to six performers, and in extreme cases as many as 12.

The publisher Peter Short published 30 lute song books in the table-book format, many of them containing Dowland's music, beginning in 1597.

References John Morehen and Richard Rastall. "Table-book", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed March 2, 2007), grovemusic.com (subscription access).

Notes

Illustrations

Table-book: A table-book printing from Henry Lawes' The treasury of musick: containing ayres and dialogues to sing to the theorbo-lute or basse-viol., 1669.
A table-book printing from Henry Lawes' The treasury of musick: containing ayres and dialogues to sing to the theorbo-lute or basse-viol., 1669.
Table-book: A more involved example, showing four parts and multiple verses
A more involved example, showing four parts and multiple verses

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Table-book

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Table-book claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Table-book before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Table-book ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Table-book

In research
Table-book appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Table-book in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Table-book is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Books by type, Library and information science stubs, Manuscripts by type, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Table-book outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Table-book in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Table-book means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Table-book out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Table-book in simple terms?

A table-book is a manuscript or printed book which is arranged so that all the parts of a piece of music can be read from it while seated around a table. They were made in the 16th and 17th century for both instrumental and vocal pieces.

Why does Table-book matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Table-book?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Table-book.

Tags

  • Books by type
  • Library and information science stubs
  • Manuscripts by type

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