M usic History P eriod of Music: Medieval S heet: 1 Terms: Chant: A general term applied to liturgical music; Plainsong refers to chant done in the middle ages, which was monophonic (one line without harmony) and rhythmically free. In the early times, several forms of chant existed such as Ambrosian, Gallican, and Mozarabic, but with a decree by Charlemagne, Gregorian Chant became the official liturgy for the Western church. Chants were used to accompany actions, as well as to read biblical or other texts. The following types of chants were used: Recitational: Used for most readings. Most of the text is intoned on a single pitch, with cadences marking the endings of phrases. Psalmody, a form of recitational chant is marked by the parallel treatment of the Psalm text. The two parallel lines are given different cadences, the first and less conclusive is the mediation, while the second is the termination. A Canticle is a scriptural poem, but not a Psalm. It usually receives slightly more elaborate cadences than the Psalm. Responsorial: The text in these chants is broken down, and alternated between a soloist who sings the verse and the full choir who sings the responsory (refrain). The Gradual, Tract, and Alleluia are all responsorial chants. Antiphon: More musically complex, these melodic settings of texts would precede and follow a Psalm or Canticle. Ordinary/Proper: Chants of the ordinary were settings of texts that were used at every mass. There are 5 primary ordinary chants: Kyrie (lord have mercy), Gloria (glory to God in the highest), Credo (I believe in one God), Sanctus (holy, holy, holy) and Agnus Dei (lamb of God). The proper chants were settings of texts done only once a year, for specific occasions or feasts. Syllabic: One note for each syllable of text. Nuematic: A few notes for each syllable of text. Melissmatic: Many notes for each syllable of text. Names and Dates: Constantine 312: Adopts Christianity, which becomes the official religion of the empire. The Fall of Rome 476 Charlemagne crowned emperor 800: Makes Gregorian Chant the official liturgy as a means of uniting his empire. Listening: Mass for Septuagesima Sunday Kyrie, Collect, Credo, Sanctus (NAWM) Antiphon Tecum Principium (NAWM) Sequence Victimae Paschale Laudes (NAWM) Antiphon Hodie (Benjamin Britten, Ceremony of Carols)
Main Concepts: Early music was done for the church service, daily office and mass. With the fall of Rome the church was the primary form of organization for the European empire. Music was initially monophonic, and free rhythmically and did not seek to portray the emotions of the particular text. Up until the ninth century it was primarily an oral tradition. It had a limited range, and was usually conjunct in nature. Long text readings would be recited on a single recitation tone while shorter texts might receive a more musical setting of simple melodic curves. The main service, the Mass, had the following components: Collect: Prayer for the day Epistle: First Reading Gospel: Second Reading Secret: Prayer over offering Recitation Proper Ordinary Preface: Fixed text intro to Sanctus Canon: Prayer of Consecration Lord s Prayer Post Communion: Final prayer Benediction Introit: Action Chant during entrance Gradual (Alleluia at Easter) Alleluia (Tract at Lent) Offertory: Action Chant-elements brought in Communion: Action chant during distribution Kyrie (Lord have mercy) Gloria (Glory to God in the highest) Credo (I believe in one God) Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Agnus Dei (lamb of God) Breaking of bread Ite Missa Est (Dismissal) Questions: What effect would the fact that music was an oral tradition up until around 800 have on the music. What problems might arise. If you were going to create a way of visually showing music from scratch, what might be the first thing you would try to show? What effect does the Catholic church have on the development of music. Why would early music primarily develop in the church? Sources of Information: New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians Harvard Dictionary of Music Baker s Biographical Dictionary Grout A History of Western Music Norton Anthology of Western Music (scores and Recordings)
M usic History P Terms: eriod of Music: Medieval S heet: 2 Modes: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian and Aolian (Locrian and Ionian later) scales named from understanding of Greek music which theorist tried to find in the existing chant. Solmization/Guidonian Hand- Guido de Arezzo an early theorist discovered that the chant Ut me queant laxis began each phrase on a 1 pitch higher. He used the syllables from the text and hand symbols as a nuemonic device to learning chants. Hexachords- used in solmization they were groups of 6 notes. The hard was G-E, the natural was C-A and the soft was F to D with Bb. Hymns- Compositions used for the offices. Sacred poems, many were based on Ambrosian meter after St. Ambrose, the fourth century bishop. (a solis ortus cradine...) Tropes: the practice in post gregorian music of adding text to existing melissmas in Kyrie, Offertories and responsories and adding text and music to non melissmatic chants. Quem Queritas- An Easter chant which was troped and became the basis of liturgical drama and the beginning of Western drama history. Organum: The addition of a second line initially below the chant. Parallel organum ran in parallel intervals of fourths, fifths and octaves. Winchester troper: First surviving collection of Polyphony from the 11th century. Names and Dates: 524 - Death of Boethius. Wrote of modal system. 900-1100 Post Gregorian period. Expansion of chants with additions of music, text or both. 850- Musica Enchiriadis gives a description of early parallel organum. One of the first references to polyphony. 1030- Guido writes Micrologos. Has rules for cadencing. Oblique motion introduces some new intervals. 11th century- Organal voice put above chant. More melissmatic upper part. 1100- John of Afflighem says that contrary motion is best. Listening: Examples of Parallel Organum: Medieval Music (Record) Alleluia Pascha Nostrum: NAWM Ut me Queant Laxis: DWM Adam de la Halle-Jeu de Robin et de Marion. Rondeau. NAWM
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M usic History P eriod of Music: Medieval S heet: 3 Terms: Troubadour Lyric poets from Southern France. They wrote in the vernacular (Provencal, and early latin/french) poems of courtly love. Most were from the aristocracy. Poems would have been sung. Trouveres Similar poets from Northern France. Minnesanger German form of troubadour. Formes Fixes common forms for secular songs. These included the rondeau ABaAabAB, virelai AbbaA, and ballade aab. Parallel Organum The practice of counterpointing the chant (usually below) in parallel motion, usually 4ths, 5ths, or Octaves. Free Organum The practice of allowing contrary motion and more florid counterpoint against the chant. In the 11th century the counterpoint is also moved above the chant. Melismatice organum From the school of St Martial in the Twelth century, the organum voice now has 5-6 notes to each note of chant. The chant, which now functions as a bass line is called the cantus firmus. There are two distinct textures-discant style in which the voices move in nearly equal rhythms, and organum style which is more melismatic. School of Notre Dame Important learning center for musicians, it is here that we have the first mention of a composer by date. Anonymous IV writes in his notes that Leonin was the best writer of organum, but Perotin was the best writer of discant style. Magnus Liber Big book. This was written by Leonin and added to by others such as Perotin. The Magnus Liber was a setting of the entire church cycle of Responsorial chants in organum. Motet from the french mot for word this is a piece (secular or sacred initially) that resulted when words were added to the the discant style settings of the Magnus Liber. Conductus Motet Did not start with the preexisting framework. The several parts often had the same or similar rhythm. Names and Dates: Leoninus second half of 12th century Perotinus 1160-1220 Bernard de Ventadour 12th century troubadour Walter von der Vogelweide ca. 1170-1230. Minnesanger. Listening: Ventadorn Can vei la lauzeta mover (NAWM) Alleluia Pacha Nostrum (NAWM) Ave Virgo Viginum (NAWM)
Main Concepts: Types of contrapuntal motion: Contrary Oblique Similar Parallel In 12th and early thirteenth century, they began to develop systems of rhythm. One of the earliest was used in the School of Notre Dame, for polyphony that was set in discant style. Organal style is thought to have been very free and relatively non rhythmic. Discant style made use of the rhythmic modes. There were 6 basic modes (patterns in six eight). In the earliest music, the notation was a symbol for which mode to apply rather than an actual representation of the music. Usually one moded was applied throughout a piece. 1. ternaria, binaria, binaria... 2. binaria, binaria, ternaria 3. simplex, ternaria, ternaria 4. ternaria, ternaria, simplex 5. simplex, simplex 6. quaternaria, ternaria, ternaria Questions: What effects would moving the chant to the lower voice, having more melismatic motion, and allowing more contrary motion do to the perception of the initial chant? What effect does the notation of music have on developing rhythm in music? Do you believe that all early music was a rhythmic?
M usic History P eriod of Music: Medieval S heet: 4 Terms: Nuemes: Name for the square notation used in the early period. Gothic Period: middle of the 12th century to the end of the 13th, centered in central France Cantus Firmus: When the chant was transfered to the bottom voice, it became known as the cantus firmus or fixed line. Tenor: In organum style the chant part often was held in long notes with a florid upper part. It became known as the tenor which is from the latin tenere, to hold. The first upper voice was called the duplum. The second upper voice was called the triplum. Substitute Clausula: Discant style settings written by Perotin to replace those same sections by Leonin. In Perotin the use of the rhythmic modes are more advanced and there are often three instead of two voices. Motet: From the French word Mot, a motet was a secular or sacred piece in which words had been added to the substitute clausula. The duplum line was now called the motetus. When a third line triplum was added it often was very rhythmically differentiated from the motetus. Polytextuality: This refers to pieces such as motets which carried a different text on each of the three contrapuntal lines. Often the chant text was still in the Cantus Firmus/Tenor. The motetus and triplum could have two other texts. Often the motetus would be a sacred text while the triplum might be more secular in nature. Franconian Motet: The Franconian motet moved away from the rhythmic modes to the new rhythmic system of the later 13th century developed by Franco of Cologne. This system had a definite way of showing pitch length. Motets could be in duple or triple time. Franco would apply a syllable to a semi breve which shifted the unit of declamation to a shorter value. This broke down the sound of the rhythmic modes. Petrus De Cruce: A different system developed for rhythm in which each beat could be divided into multiple units instead of just into two or three. Applied to the triplum of a piece the result was a very free flowing line, almost like accompanied song. It has a similar sound to the organum style of earlier periods Names and Dates: Franco of Cologne: ca. 1260 Petrus de Cruce ca. 1280 Listening: Aucun vont AMor qui cor Kyrie (NAWM) Medieval Music Franconian Motets
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M usic History P eriod of Music: Medieval S heet: 5 Terms: Ars Nova: Name applied to the music of the 14th century. The term means new art and refered to new innovations in rhythm. Tempus: Term for the beat. An imperfect beat had multiples of two in a measure. A perfect beat had multiples of 4. Prolation: Subdivision of the beat into either two or three. Isorhythm: A rhythmic method often applied to the tenor (chant line) of a piece in the 14th century. Isorhythm has two parts, the talea and the color. The color is the pitches of the cantus firmus melody. The talea was a rhythmic pattern applied to these pitches. Often this pattern was shorter than the number of pitches so that repeats of the pattern would not line up with repeats of the rhythm. Isorhtymic motet: A motet built on the principle of Isorhythm. These are often very syncopated. Contratenor: In order to allow different harmonies in a work based on a preexistent cantus firmus this line was added. It would move above and below the tenor line, sometimes giving a different fundamental on which to build the chord. Hocket: Two or more voices alternate a melodic pattern with rests so that combined they form one melody. A hocket cadence occurs at cadences when one voice inserts a rest rather than the cadence note. Musica Ficta: The practice of raising the tone (sharp) to create a leading tone at a cadence or to avoid singing a tritone, the interval of the devil. Sometimes by this point accidentals are written in, but others would have been inserted by the performers. Trecento: Italy s Ars Nova. Marchettus of Padua followed Petrus de Cruce rather than Franco in developing a rhythm system that allowed multiple divisions of the breve. Italians used more natural rhythms, and avoided artifice such as starting with a Cantus Firmus, or using Isorhythm resulting in freer music. Names and Dates: Guillame de Mauchaut (1300-77) The most famous French musician of the century. Philippe De Vitry-(1291-1361) Expanded the previous rhythmic system of Franco. Foundation of Ars Nova. Jacopa da Bologna- (ca 1300-ca 1360) Trecento composer Francesco Landini-(1325-97) Trecento composer. Also a blind organist. Known for Landini cadence (8-7-6-8) Listening: Di Vitry: Garrit Gallus in Nova fert.. (NAWM) Mauchaut: Missa Notre Dame/ Quant Theseus-Ne quier veoir Landini: Non Avra ma pieta
Main Concepts: Mensural Notation: Modus: Tempus: Imperfect Perfect Prolation: 2 6 3 9 4 8 4 8 Isorhythm (on the Cantus Firmus Mary had a little lamb) color talea 1 talea 2 talea 3 talea 4... Forms (Sacred) Isorythmic motet Cyclical Mass Forms (Secular) Formes Fixes: rondeau: French ABaabAB ballades: French aabc virelais: French ABccabAB caccia: Italian means chase. An imitative canonic form madrigal: Italian Poem of two or three tercets and a distich. ballata: Italian Structurally like French virelai Questions: How has music progressed in the 14th century. What are the primary differences to listen for? What are some main differences between French and Italian music? What is significant about Machaut s Mass? What effects do the developments in music theory and notation have on the