For some reason (probably read something like this a long time ago), I have it in my head that there was some sort of physiological basis for some note durations.
This may have been something like, a whole note (or a breve) is what a singer could be expected to sing with one breath, or a quarter note is related normal breathing/pulse rate etc, or something similar.
The Wikipedia article on tempo indicates
In Renaissance music most music was understood to flow at a tempo defined by the tactus, roughly the rate of the human heartbeat. Which note value corresponded to the tactus was indicated by the mensural time signature.
but I'm suspicious of this (unreferenced) description; my read of it indicates that all Renaissance music would be at (about) 60BPM.
What connections between note durations and physiological features exist in the available historical documentation?