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Questions and Answers
What was the significance of Ockeghem's Missa prolationum in the context of music history?
What was the significance of Ockeghem's Missa prolationum in the context of music history?
Which change during the late 14th century significantly affected composers' lives and careers?
Which change during the late 14th century significantly affected composers' lives and careers?
How did the Reformation influence the approach to music in practice?
How did the Reformation influence the approach to music in practice?
Which of the following accurately describes the style of Franco-Flemish composers compared to earlier composers?
Which of the following accurately describes the style of Franco-Flemish composers compared to earlier composers?
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What characterized the duties of the Chapel Master during the period discussed?
What characterized the duties of the Chapel Master during the period discussed?
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What type of music did the leaders of the early Christian Church primarily emphasize?
What type of music did the leaders of the early Christian Church primarily emphasize?
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Which style of organum is characterized by a sustained bottom voice with a freely composed upper voice?
Which style of organum is characterized by a sustained bottom voice with a freely composed upper voice?
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What significant development in rhythm was seen with the transition from chant to polyphony?
What significant development in rhythm was seen with the transition from chant to polyphony?
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What was the main feature of the motet, which emerged during the late medieval period?
What was the main feature of the motet, which emerged during the late medieval period?
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Which term refers to a style of music emphasizing consonance and smooth melodic lines, often used in English compositions?
Which term refers to a style of music emphasizing consonance and smooth melodic lines, often used in English compositions?
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What is the primary characteristic of a cantus-firmus mass?
What is the primary characteristic of a cantus-firmus mass?
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Which of the following best describes isorhythm in music?
Which of the following best describes isorhythm in music?
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What was significant about Machaut's 'Messe de Nostre Dame' in the context of the French Ars nova?
What was significant about Machaut's 'Messe de Nostre Dame' in the context of the French Ars nova?
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Study Notes
How Christianity Spread to Europe
- Christianity spread through Europe through missionary work, including the establishment of monasteries
Changes in Rhythm and Meter
- Gregorian chant has a free rhythm and meter, with no defined time signature
- Early polyphony (organum) primarily employed parallel motion, with a free rhythm
- The Renaissance introduced measured rhythm, defined time signatures, and more complex rhythms
Early Christian Church Views on Music
- The early Christian Church found music beneficial for prayer and worship
- Plato believed that music should be used for moral instruction and instill virtue
- Aristotle emphasized music's emotional power and its ability to affect the soul
Church Modes (p. 42)
- Dorian: Begins on D
- Phrygian: Begins on E
- Lydian: Begins on F
- Mixolydian: Begins on G
- Aeolian: Begins on A
- Ionian: Begins on C
- Locrian: Begins on B
Parts of the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Mass
- Kyrie
- Gloria
- Credo
- Sanctus
- Agnus Dei
Types of Organum
- Parallel: Two voices move in parallel, often at the octave or fifth
- Oblique: One voice remains stationary while the other moves (either upwards or downwards)
- Free: Two voices move independently
- Discant: Vocal melody in the upper voice, with newly composed counterpoint in the lower
- Florid: Highly ornamented organum with complex counterpoint
Leonin and his Book of Organum
- Leonin was a composer who complied the Magnus liber organi (Great Book of Organum)
Why Leonin Used Different Styles of Organum
- Both florid and discant styles were used to create different textures and create musical variety.
Differences between Leonin & Perotin
- Leonin focused on writing florid organum that was rhythmic and ornamental
- Perotin, his successor, expanded on Leonin's work and is known for writing discant organum that was more rhythmically complex. He also wrote longer and more elaborate pieces
Troubadours and Trouvères
- Troubadours: Poets and musicians from southern France, writing in Occitan
- Trouvères: Poets and musicians from northern France, writing in Old French
- Both wrote love songs and were often associated with the courts of nobles
Origins of the Motet
- It originated as a form of polyphonic vocal music with a sacred text.
- The text was often in Latin and would be sung in a counterpoint style
French Ars Nova (116ff)
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Characteristics:
- More complex rhythms
- New rhythmic notation
- The use of isorhythm
Isorhythm & Mensuration
- Isorhythm: The rhythmic pattern in a melody or voice is repeated throughout the piece, with different pitches being assigned to the same rhythmic pattern
- Mensuration: A system of notating rhythm with specific symbols for different note values and rhythmic durations
The Avignon Papacy (1309-1376)
- This period marked a time when the papacy was located in Avignon, France, not in Rome.
- This had significant political and cultural impacts
Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame
- It's one of the earliest complete polyphonic settings of the Ordinary of the Mass
- It demonstrates the musical innovations of the French Ars Nova, including isorhythm and complex rhythms
Formes-Fixes
- Formes-fixes: Are musical forms with a fixed structure and often a prescribed number of stanzas and melodic phrases
- Rondeau: A song with a repeating refrain
- Ballad: A song with a narrative
- Virelai: A song with a recurring refrain and a refrain with multiple stanzas
Bar Form
- Bar Form: A popular song form in the Renaissance consisting of two similar sections, A and B, and a repeat of the A section
Countenance Angloise
- It was a style of music that used a specific type of counterpoint, using a drone bass with a specific harmonic pattern
Faburden
- A style of English part-music, where the main melody is sung in the top voice, with a drone note in the lower voice and an additional voice singing a harmony below the melody
Burgundian Composers
- Notable composers: Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois, and Antoine Busnois
- Their style: Blending of lyricism and elegance
Cantus-Firmus Mass
- A Mass setting where a pre-existing melody (cantus firmus) is used as the basis for one of the voices.
- The cantus firmus often appears in different voices throughout the Mass.
Paraphrase Mass
- In a paraphrase Mass, the pre-existing melody undergoes changes in rhythm, harmonies, and melodic fragments, creating a more elaborate and intricate setting
Parody or Imitation Mass
- In this type of mass, the sections are derived from a pre-existing polyphonic work by imitating or paraphrasing the original music.
- Examples: Josquin's Missa Pange Lingua
Ockeghem's Missa prolationum
- This Mass highlights a complex structure of rhythmic relationships in the different voices, based on the mensuration system practiced in the 15th century
Franco-Flemish Composers
- Key figures: Josquin des Prez, Jacob Obrecht, Heinrich Isaac
- This style: more contrapuntally intricate, and using a more complex use of dissonance and rhythmic variation.
Changes in the Late 14th Century
- Political: the Hundred Years' War between England and France, rise of powerful monarchs
- Social: The Black Death (Bubonic Plague)
- Economic: Decline in trade, social unrest
Music Printing
- It began in the late 15th century.
- Significant publishers: Ottaviano Petrucci, Peter Schöffer, and Antoine Vérard
The Reformation
- Began in 1517 with Martin Luther
- It was a time when religious reformers challenged the teachings and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church
Reformation Music
- Reformers: emphasized the use of congregational singing with simple melodies in their vernacular languages
- Roman Church: continued to maintain the tradition of polyphonic choral music in Latin
Victoria, Palestrina and Lasso
- Their work: Marked a transition from the polyphonic style of the Renaissance to a more homophonic style.
- More focus on clarity of text
- More emotional intensity and depth
"Cum essem parvulus"
- This phrase is an example of word-painting, where the music reflects the meaning of the words.
"The Life of the Church Musician" Excerpts
- Duties of new singers: Practice, sing in services, travel with the chapel
- Duties of the master: Lead rehearsals, train singers, curate the music library
- Singers: Came from various countries, sometimes as far a from Spain or Italy.
- Singing: Emphasis on improvisation and tone quality.
Instrumental Music
- Notable composers: Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Monteverdi, William Byrd, and Henry Purcell
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Genres: Canzonas, Ricercars, and Fantasies.
- Canzonas: Polyphonic instrumental pieces with a dance-like quality.
- Ricercars: Instrumental pieces with a more improvisatory feel
- Fantasies: Instrumental works composed in a free and flowing style.
- Instrumentation: A variety of instruments, including strings, woodwinds, brass, and keyboard instruments
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Description
Explore the interplay between Christianity and music in Europe, focusing on how Christianity spread, the views of the early Church on music, and the development of rhythm and meter. This quiz covers the historical context, including church modes and the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Mass.