What sort of instrument we shall inquire in the next chapter.

At present we may content ourselves with assuming that no highly developed solo part was assigned to it.

The existence of such a part would imply the co-existence of considerable musicianship on the part of the pipe player and of an advanced technic in the composition of instrumental obbligati.
It might also presuppose the existence of a system of notation much better than that of the fifteenth century.

But this is a point about which we cannot be too sure.
The decision must be sought in the general state of music at the time.
The learned masters cultivated only _a capella_ choral music, and the unlearned imitated them.

There was no systematic study of instrumental composition.