Anonymous IV

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Anonymous IV is the name given to the author of a key medieval music theory treatise. He was probably an English student at Notre Dame in Paris, writing in the 1270s or 1280s. Almost nothing is known about his life. The text survives in two partial copies from Bury St Edmunds, one from the 13th century and one from the 14th.

Along with the works of Johannes de Garlandia and Franco of Cologne, Anonymous IV’s writings are a main source for understanding the Notre Dame school of polyphony. He names Léonin and Pérotin, giving us the earliest known names of composers in this tradition. Although they likely died long before, he presents them as famous in living memory. He calls Léonin the best composer of organum and Pérotin the best of discant.

Anonymous IV also mentions the works of Pérotin, including the four‑part organum Viderunt and Sederunt. He references Franco of Cologne and describes key ideas of the time, such as organum, discant, rhythmic modes, and different kinds of composition. He also gives rules for music notation and for what counts as consonant or dissonant.

The standard edition of Anonymous IV’s treatise is by Fritz Reckow. There are two English translations: the newer one by Jeremy Yudkin, and an older one by Luther Dittmer. The older translation has been out of print but is now available online from the Institute of Medieval Music.