Glossary of Choral Literature Terms

Transcription

1 TEXT SETTINGS Glossary of Choral Literature Terms Syllaic. Text set ith one musical note per syllale. Neumatic. Text set ith a small group of notes for each syllale Psalmodic. Text set ith many syllales per pitch Florid, or melismatic. Text set ith an extensive numer of notes set per syllale Text declamation. A syllaic setting ith a rhythm that approximates speech, often set in a homorhythmic (all voices folloing the same rhythm), homophonic, or chordal texture. MELODY FORM Figure. A distinctly shaped melodic motive or rief series of notes that represents a particular expression, function, or style, such as a hunting horn figure, a cadential figure, or any rief melodic shape or theme that is repeated, imitated, sequenced, developed, or cyclically repeated. Figures often reflect a style such as slo learned style, florid virtuosity, or smooth singing style. Motive. The shortest recognizale unit of form, comprised of only a fe melodic notes set apart from surrounding portions of a melodic line. Melodic Phrase Shape and Length. Every melody has a shape (or contour) and length that is purposefully designed y the composer to reflect a specific priority. For example, Classic Renaissance and Classical melodies have regular phrasing, are relatively short in length, and are arched in shape, designed to rise to an apex and height of intensity then suside and cadence. By contrast, melodies can e long and meandering, short and choppy, or static and flat. Caesura. The riefest of reaks, pauses, or separations eteen motives or figures, sometimes marked as the point eteen to phrase markings, that is to e performed ith a slight decline and restart of energy; a eak and rief pause or reak in the music here no cadence is placed. Cadence. A reak, pause, or harmonic resting point eteen phrases or sections of music, the strength of hich is determined y the cadence type (I-IV plagal, I-V half, V-I full/authentic), voice placement (root position or inverted, imperfect ith soprano not on the tonic or perfect ith soprano on the tonic), and ass line interval (a skip of a fourth or fifth is strongest, stepise motion in the ass is eakest). Harmonic Rhythm. The rate at hich chords in a progression change; the pattern of tension and release, e and flo, conflict and resolution estalished y the progression of harmonies of varying disance and conance; the pattern of perceived loud and quiet differences in dynamics across a series of chords ased on acoustical clashes, called eats; as recognized in the Baroque and Classic eras, disant harmonies are louder and conant harmonies are relatively quieter.

2 Sequence. A series of repetitions of the same melodic motive or figure, each repetition retaining the same shape ut starting on a different pitch higher or loer a step or other interval apart; the first occurrence is called the model and susequent occurrences can e laeled sequence 1, sequence 2, etc. (shon in excerpts from Vivaldi Gloria, example 1 has a model and to sequences, example 2 has a model, one complete sequence, and only a partial second sequence). œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Motivic Development. The repetition of a motive in an unsequential manner at different pitch levels, in different keys, ith instrumental timres, or in altered rhythm (e.g. Beethoven s famous four-note 5th Symphony motive or a Wagner leitmotif that identifies a character). TEXTRE Do - mi - ne Fi - li Do - mi - ne Fi - li - ni - ge - ni - te Historical Choral Textures. Compare imitative elements, phrase length, melodic contour, numer of voices, numer of choirs, character and importance of top-middle-lo voice, and polyphony vs. homophonic texture. Parallel organum Isorhythmic Motet Ockeghem cantus firmus polyphony Imitative polyphony or counterpoint Antiphony or polychoral Baroque melody over asso continuo

3 Monophony. A texture in hich all voices or instruments perform the same line of music at the same time at the uni or octave; a single melody. Heterophony. Improvised emellishment of a single melody y multiple voices, each varying the melody at different tempos or rhythms; though related to monophony y the use of a single melodic line and related to polyphony y the involvement of multiple voices or instruments, it is a distinctly recognizale texture; mostly a characteristic of eastern or non-western music, though adapted y Deussy, Stravinksy, Britten, Hovhannes, and other Western composers. Polyphony. Comination of different musical lines or phrases that are melodic in nature (e.g. canon, round, fugue, counterpoint); linearly constructed musical lines one aove the other. Staggered Entrances. When voices in a polyphonic texture enter one after the other; entrances can e pillared in SATB or BTAS stair-step order (see pillared entrances) or in any voice order. Pillared Entrances. Staggered entrances in a specific order from high to lo (e.g. SATB) or lo to high (e.g. BTAS); voices enter in an upard or donard stair-step fashion in a polyphonic texture; pillared entrances can e imitative of the same melodic material (see imitative counterpoint and points of imitation) or nonimitative; as implied y the architectural term pillar, this texture creates a clearly exposed structure of stacked and lined up melodic elements; the practice as standardized y Josquin (see example), developed throughout the Renaissance, adapted y Baroque composers, and orroed y composers since. "#$%'(# )*'+%',*+ -,*+.%##(# $ " $ " $ # $ Imitative Counterpoint. The practice ) ) % ) of * * % using ' the same melodic or motivic material in different voices in a polyphonic texture, either at the uni/octave or at different intervals apart; typically the same melody is repeated at the start of a phrase or section and then voices reak into independent, nonimitative melodic material. Points of Imitation. A fresh occurrence of imitative counterpoint, hether at the start of a composition or the start of a ne formal section (see polyphonic complex); can e exposed and ovious or elided, overlapped, and emedded ithin and around a previous section of polyphony. Paired Voicing. The practice--starting ith Josquin and masterfully developed y di Lasso and Palestrina (see example)--of matching to voices in duet fashion ithin an otherise independently-voiced polyphonic texture; pairings can e eteen any to voices, internal or external, neighoring or not, and the pairing can stay ith the same voices for an entire section or sitch voices regularly or irregularly. ' %2 ' %2 / 4 0,

4 - 2 - S. A. 10 Ó Polyphonic Complex. A formal section of polyphony, often overlapping and intertined T. V œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ith another section yet identifialy distinct as a single interrelated unit; a polyphonic complex can start ith staggered entrances (#1? elo), offset entrances (#2), or B. Ó simultaneous entrances (#3) and come to a caesura Chris or cadence - te e - leiat -different times Chris - te (#1) e - leior - simultaneously (#2, #3); most often linked to the same line of text; single voices may extend over multiple polyphonic complexes. Chri -. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ste e - e - e V? Ó Chri - Polyphonic complex 1 Polyphonic complex 2 Polyphonic complex 3 Chris - œ œ. œ œ œ te e - lei - œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ e œ œ œ œ lei - - e - Ó œ œ œ œ S. lei - ste e - e - A. B. 14? - - Chris Chris - œ œ œ œ œ œ œ T. Vœ - - Chris Chris - te e - te e # œ œ te e - te e - lei - lei - # # Copyright 2001 y ARENAÏ ( Homophony. Arrangement of musical pitches in relation to an underlying harmony or progression of harmonies (e.g. chord, chord progression, chordal, harmony); the vertical alignment of to or more pitches performed or notated to e performed at the same; also called homorhythmic hen parts on different pitches all follo the same rhythm; precursors of homophony are medieval organum, paired voices ithin a polyphonic complex dating ack to Josquin, the requirement for clearer text declamation y the counter-reformation as demonstrated in Palestrina s late music, instrumental dances, secular vocal genres such as the frottola, late Renaissance to early Baroque monody (a harmonically accompanied vocal line) of Monteverdi and the Florentine Camerata, and Baroque figured ass and asso continuo practices.

5 Choral Textures Spoken chant all voices in individual speaking ranges ith independent expressions, forming a discordant mix of pitches like cluster chords. Heterophony all voices on same melody ut different times, tempos, or interpretations; Eastern texture adapted into 20 th century chance music. Monophony uni on same exact pitch o S, A, T, B alone o SA, AT, or TB paired voicing uni in octaves o S-A, S-T, A-T, A-B, T-B, trele-ass, and other paired voicing o S-A-T-B four-octave (or more ith voice parts divided) Polyphony independent start and stop points, melodic direction and contour, phrase length; phrases elide/overlap until a final concurrent ending or cadence point imitative or repetitive start at different times moving into free independence independent voices ith rief homophonic relief paired voices start and stop together ut independently of other lines or pairings Homophony homorhythmic = all voices on the same rhythm chordal = all voices line up to produce one chord at a time chorale Declamatory style focused on text articulation (Palestrina, Orff Carmina Burana) Antiphony = one sound against another sound, originally called cori spezzi in Italian Mixed texture Homophony ith independent passing tones or motives ithin individual voices Homophonic overall ith an individual voice moving independently or different individual voices moving independently at different times. Majority of parts in homophony ith an individual voice polyphonically set apart All voices sitching ack and forth from one texture to another ithin a single section, too quickly to call a section as a single texture.