moved at different speeds. The text declamation of the conductus can be either syllabic/neumatic or melismatic. The syllabic/neumatic type is coined the term musica cum littera. Monophonic pieces are mostly syllabic. The latter is called musica sine littera. The melismatic declamation can be applied to the caudae or the entire piece. The medieval theorist, Franco de Cologne refers to the conductus as discant. He advocated writing a beautiful melody in the tenor. Discantus positio vulgaris, one of the earliest conductus sources, mentions “conducts as a species of discantus.” Rhythm The conductus is non-metrical, which means it is not sung in a strict rhythmic pattern. The German editor, Guido Maria Dreves, who compiled the conductus poem, suggests that each syllable is more likely to be sung in the same value. When the mensural notation later took over the unmeasured notation in the conductus, the conductus rhythm has changed. The Metz fragment shows the recopying of conductus in mensural notation occurred between 1260 and 1300. Thus, the conductus rhythm was later expressed by the rhythmic modes. Performance In the documented liturgical use, the conductus was most likely a substitute for the versicle of “Benedicamus domino,” which was performed at the end of Mass or the Office. “The performance of conducti is associated with the introduction of a reading within the liturgy.” It serves as a cue for the following part of the ceremony. For the non-liturgical use, the conductus was sung during “the public readings in the chapter house and monastic refectory.” Medieval singers improvised the refrains of the conductus. The refrains serve as a visual cueing for the repetition of music and text. By changing the lyrics and rhythmic delivery of the refrains, singers can add improvisatory meaning to the conductus. Other improvisation includes creating new correspondence between music and text or changing the duration of each syllable. The conductus repertory with larger numbers of stanzas require singer’s improvisatory skill. Reception history The conductus flourished from the early twelfth century to the middle of thirteenth century. It was prominent in the thirteenth Parisian polyphony. Around 1300, the conductus became less popular. Early fourteenth century theorist Jacques of Liège, a vigorous defender of the ars antiqua style against the new "immoral and lascivious" ars nova style, lamented the disinterest of contemporary composers in the conductus. The conductus lasted longest in Germany, where it was documented into the fourteenth century. English conductus of