Mensural notation is the musical notation system used for European vocal polyphonic music from the later part of the 13th century until about 1600. ... An early form of mensural notation was first described and codified in the treatise Ars cantus mensurabilis ("The art of measured chant") by Franco of Cologne (c. 1280).

When was mensural notation created?

mensural notation, also called measured music, European system of musical notation used from c. 1260 to 1600. It evolved as a method to notate complex rhythms beyond the possibilities of previous notation (neumes) and reached its classical development after 1450.

What is mensural notation and why was it so important?

Mensural notation already uses staff lines and clefs to denote pitch, and there are various note shapes used for the different note values. Actually, mensural notation was the system that introduced the idea of using different note shapes to represent distinct values into the Western music tradition.