Music History Quiz: Medieval and Renaissance

How Christianity Spread In Europe

• Christianity spread through Europe starting in the first century and spreading over hundreds of years. Initially, it was taken to Rome and the surrounding regions, but the first European-born pope, Victor I, served from 189 to 199 CE and helped spread Christianity through Europe by sending missionaries, like St. Patrick, to regions like Ireland.

Changes in Approach to Rhythm and Meter

• Early Christian music, chant, did not have strict meter, but did have an emphasis on rhythmically distinct sections of music.
• Chant evolved slowly into more complex polyphony, which began in the 10th and 11th centuries and became more sophisticated in the 13th. This music included more rhythmic and melodic complexity, but still involved a basic rhythmic subdivision.
• Early forms of organum used a single, mostly simple, repeating rhythmic pattern.
• In the later 13th century, the use of "florid" organum was introduced. Florid organum has a more complex rhythmic structure with different groups of notes moving at different rhythmic speeds and includes the beginnings of a rhythmic hierarchy.
• During the 14th century, this rhythmic complexity further developed and became more complex, incorporating a new system of rhythmic notation and rhythm through the use of "mensuration."
• With the Renaissance, there was considerable expansion of the rhythmic possibilities for the music in terms of rhythmic complexity and possibilities.

Attitudes Toward Music

• Early Christian leaders often held conflicting attitudes toward music. Some saw secular music as a danger and its use in worship as corrupting. They favored simpler forms of music, like chant, that could be easily memorized and focused on the words being sung.
• Others recognized the power and benefit of music as a way to inspire devotion and praised its use when used well.
• Early Christian views on music contrasted with those of Plato and Aristotle.
• Plato believed music was most effective when it communicated ideas, while Aristotle believed that music was good if it had a good rhythm and a good melody.
• Aristotle believed that music could affect the moral character of its listeners and that it could move them to virtuous action.
• Aristotle believed both music and language were inherently connected.

Church Modes

• The eight church modes, sometimes referred to as "Greek Modes," are scales that were the basis for music during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Each mode has its own distinct melodic character.
• Dorian: Starts on the second degree of the major scale, with a minor third and major sixth.
• Phrygian: Starts on the third degree of the major scale, with a minor second and a minor sixth.
• Lydian: Starts on the fourth degree of the major scale, with a major second and a major sixth.
• Mixolydian: Starts on the fifth degree of the major scale, with a major second and a minor seventh.
• Aeolian: Starts on the sixth degree of the major scale, a minor scale with a minor sixth and a minor third.
• Locrian: Starts on the seventh degree of the major scale, with a major second and a minor sixth. This mode was rarely used in medieval music.
• Ionian: Starts on the first degree of the major scale. This is the major scale, and it was rarely used in medieval music.

Parts of the Ordinary

• The Ordinary of the Mass is a set of five liturgical texts used in the Roman Catholic Mass. These are the same texts used in almost every celebration of the Mass. The sections are:
• Kyrie: A plea for mercy.
  • Gloria: A praise to God.
  • Credo: A statement of belief.
  • Sanctus: A hymn celebrating the holiness of God.
  • Agnus Dei: A prayer for peace and mercy.

Types of Organum

• Organum was a musical practice that added a second voice to a preexisting chant.
• Parallel: An early form of organum where the added voice moved in parallel motion with the chant voice, usually at the octave or fifth.
• Oblique: A more advanced form of organum in which the added voice moved in oblique motion - often at the octave, fifth, or fourth.
• Free: A more flexible form of organum in which the added voice was allowed to move more freely, but still generally remained in a close harmonic relationship with the chant voice.
• Discant: A type of organum where the added voice moved in a more dissonant and independent manner.
• Florid: A more complex and colorful style of organum that was introduced in the 13th century.

Leonin's Organum

• Leonin was a French composer who lived in the 12th century. He is attributed with compiling the Magnus liber organi or the Great Book of Organum,
• In "Viderunt omnes", Leonin uses both florid and discant organum. He uses florid organum in the sections that are more ornate and elaborate while using discant organum in the sections that are more simpler and melodic.

Leonin and Perotin

• Leonin is credited with compiling the Magnus liber organi and wrote primarily discant and florid organum. He is known for his more restrained and simple style.
• Perotin continued working on the Magnus liber organi and is famed for his florid organum and was famous for his more complex musical gestures.

Troubadours and Trouvères

• Troubadours were lyric poets and composers in Occitania, Southern France, around the 11th to the 13th centuries. Known for courtly love songs and more secular contexts.
• Trouvères were similar to troubadours, but were located in Northern France. They were known for courtly love songs and chansons.

Origins of the Motet

• The motet originated in the 13th century as a form of vocal polyphony.
• Early motets used Latin text and later used French and Italian.
• The motet developed from organum and was originally a chant melody with both an added tenor voice and an upper voice.
• As the 14th century progressed, the motet evolved into a musical form used in both secular and sacred contexts.

The French Ars Nova

• Ars Nova means "new art" and refers to a period of musical innovation in 14th century France.
• Significant musical achievements:
• New rhythmic notation to allow for sophisticated rhythms and rhythmic relationships.
• New compositional techniques and forms, like the use of isorhythm and mensuration.
• The development of new genres, including motet, chanson, and madrigal.

Isorhythm and Mensuration

• Isorhythm is a compositional technique in which a rhythmic pattern was repeated throughout a musical section. It was used to create a sense of symmetrical relationships and to drive the musical construction.
• Mensuration is a system of rhythmic notation that evolved in the 14th century. The new notation allowed for more sophisticated rhythmic possibilities and flexibility.

The Avignon Papacy

• The Avignon Papacy was a significant period from 1309 to 1376 when the Papacy was located in Avignon, France, instead of Rome.
• This affected the development of music since French musicians and culture had influence.

Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame

• The Messe de Nostre Dame, the most important work by Machaut, is an example of the innovations of the French Ars Nova.
• It is the first complete polyphonic setting of the Ordinary of the Mass that was written by a single composer.
• The Mass demonstrates the composer's understanding of isorhythm, rhythm, and the ability to create a flowing and unified work.

Formes-Fixes and Bar Form

• The forms-fixes were a set of specific musical forms developed in the 14th century that helped structure the musical expression of courtly love songs.
• Ballade: A form of song that was popular in the 14th century.
• Rondeau: A form of song that was popular in the 14th century.
• Virelai: A form of song that was popular in the 14th century.
• Bar Form: A simple musical form that consists of two sections (A and B), that are repeated (ABA).

Countenance Angloise and Faburden

• Countenance Angloise: A musical technique that involves composing in a style resembling those of English composers. It emphasizes specific harmonic and rhythmic gestures and the use of a distinctive "English cadence" to create a distinct musical identity.
• Faburden: A kind of three-part organum, very common in English settings of the 14th century. The organum melody is in the lowest voice, the treble voice is usually a perfect fourth above, and the middle voice moves in a relatively simple way, often a third.

Burgundian Composers

• Burgundy was an important center of musical patronage in the late 14th and 15th centuries. It was responsible for a distinct musical development known as the Burgundian School and was known for its sophisticated and expressive style.
• Several leading composers:
• Guillaume Dufay
• Gilles Binchois
• Antoine Busnois
• The style of the Burgundian composers emphasized:
• Elegant vocal writing
• Homophonic sections
• Harmony and counterpoint
• Melodic character

Cantus-Firmus Mass, Paraphrase Mass, and Parody Mass

• Cantus Firmus Mass is a religious musical composition where a single melody is used as the basis for a melody in every section of the Mass. It was a popular setting in Renaissance music, with composers like Josquin Desprez and Palestrina.
• Paraphrase Mass: A mass based on a preexisting melody but changes the melody. The music is embellished and expanded.
• Parody Mass: A parody mass takes an existing polyphonic composition and uses it as the basis for a polyphonic mass. The source music is usually a motet, or a secular chanson.

Ockeghem's Missa Prolationum

• The Missa prolationum is a Mass composed by Ockeghem.
• The name of the work was a nod to the new and complex rhythmic setting that Ockeghem used.
• The work involves a specific rhythmic canon that is the basis of the composition.

Franco-Flemish Composers

• Franco-Flemish composers were musicians active in the Late Renaissance, during the 15th and 16th centuries.
• Important composers:
• Josquin Desprez
• Jacob Obrecht
• Adrian Willaert
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
• Orlando di Lasso
• These composers:
• Develop complex and expressive polyphonic settings.
• Explore the use of imitation and word-painting.

Changes in the Late 14th Century Affecting Music

• Political changes during the Late Middle Ages influenced the development of the arts, especially music:
• The Hundred Years' War led to a more unified France.
• The Black Death (1346-1353) depleted the population and changed social structures.
• The collapse of the feudal system resulted in the rise of a new merchant class.

The Beginning of Music Printing

• • Music printing, which began in the 15th century, was revolutionary, making music accessible to wider audiences.
• • This technology spread the music of Renaissance composers rapidly and led to the rapid dissemination of new music.

Early Publishers

• • Some of the key early publishers were:
• • Otto of Petrucci
• • Pierre Attaingnant
• • The Venetian Print Shop

Effect of Printing

• • The availability of printed music gave rise to a more standardized style of music for specific instruments, leading to a greater variety of instrumental music.
• • Printed music led to a more standardized form of music notation and was essential for the development of larger musical forms, such as opera and symphony.

The Reformation

• • The Reformation in Europe occurred from the 16th Century through the 17th century
• • The Reformation was a movement that sought to reform the Catholic Church. The Reformation was started by Martin Luther and emphasized scripture over tradition.

The Effects of Reformation on Music

• • The reformers sought to simplify and purify church music since they believed that music should be clear and easy to understand.
• • The reformers also emphasized congregational singing which led to an increase in the number of hymns and the use of music in daily life.
• • The Roman Church reacted to the Reformation by reaffirming its own doctrines and by commissioning new music from composers like Palestrina.

Reformation and Music

• • Roman Catholic composers used a rich and expressive counterpoint.
• • Lutheran composers embraced a simpler, more direct style.
• • The Reformation had a significant impact on the development of music. Not only did it lead to new forms of music, such as the chorus, but it also led to a new emphasis on music in daily life.

Victoria, Palestrina, and Lasso

• Victoria, Palestrina, and Lasso were composers who wrote polyphonic masterpieces in the late Renaissance. They used rich and complex counterpoint, dramatic word-painting, and expressive melodies.
• Victoria is known for his motets and masses, and he is considered one of the most prominent masters of 16th-century polyphony.
• Palestrina is renowned for his exquisite vocal compositions.
• Lasso is best known for his motets and madrigals, known for their emotional depth and complexity.

Word Painting in "Cum essem parvulus"

• Word painting is a technique to use musical gestures to reflect the words of a poem or text.
• In "Cum essem parvulus," the composer uses a variety of musical ideas that mimic the words being sung, using different qualities of sound, texture, and rhythm to create a vivid musical experience.

The Life of the Church Musician

• The excerpts from "The Life of the Church Musician" detail expectations for singers working in chapels and other areas of Church service.
• Duties for New Singers:
• • Singers usually came from remote villages or countries.
• • They had to memorize their repertoire, which was learned with the guidance of the chapel master.
• • They participated in daily and weekly services.

Duties of the Chapel Master

• • Managed the musical side of the chapel.
• • Coordinated rehearsals.
• • Oversaw the training of new singers.
• • Composed music for the chapel.
• • Selected the music for the chapel.

### Regions of Singers

• • The singers from the excerpts came from diverse regions:
• • Italy
• • France
• • the Low Countries.

Singing Comments

• • The comments on singing in the Life of the Church Musicians highlighted the use of embellishment and ornamentation by singers.
• • Singers used improvisation to enhance their performance and create a more expressive sound.

Instrumental Music Characteristics

• The instrumental music we have covered up to the Renaissance emphasizes:
• • Melodic and rhythmic clarity
• • A focus on dance forms
• • The emergence of new instrumental forms, such as the consort and the sonata.

Instrumental Music Composers and Forms

• Important instrumental composers:
• • Giovanni Gabrieli
• • Claudio Monteverdi
• • Heinrich Schütz
• • Instrumental forms include:
• • Ricercar
• • Canzona
• • Fantasia
• • Sonata

Inspiration of Instrumental Music

• • Instrumental music was often inspired by:
• • Courtly dance traditions
• • Religious themes
• • Nature and the natural world
• • Storytelling and mythical narratives

Test your knowledge on key concepts from the Medieval and Renaissance periods of music history. This quiz covers important terms and compositions, including isorhythm, organum, and the works of Leonin and Machaut. Challenge yourself with questions on musical styles and techniques that shaped this influential era.