MUSC 2100 Exam 2 PDF

The Middle Ages (600-1450) Key Concepts: 1.​ Gregorian Chant (Plainchant): ○​ Monophonic (single melodic line, no harmony). SYLLABIC ○​ Syllabic (one note per syllable) and Melismatic (multiple notes per syllable) text settings. ○​ Timbre: Male voi...

The Middle Ages (600-1450) Key Concepts: 1.​ Gregorian Chant (Plainchant): ○​ Monophonic (single melodic line, no harmony). SYLLABIC ○​ Syllabic (one note per syllable) and Melismatic (multiple notes per syllable) text settings. ○​ Timbre: Male voices (women weren't allowed to sing in monasteries). ○​ Function: Liturgical music, used in religious services (Mass, Liturgy). 2.​ Notre Dame Polyphony (c. 1100-1200): ○​ Developed at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. ○​ Leonin (teacher) and Perotin (student). ○​ Organum: Early polyphony, where new melodic lines were added to Gregorian chant. ○​ Perotin made the music more complex, with multiple voices and faster rhythms. ○​ Put new melodies on top of the gregorian chant and just holding each note to make it still considered sacred and biblical 3.​ Hildegard von Bingen (c. 1200): ○​ Girl who was trapped by a wall becoming an anchorite ○​ Made sacred but not biblical music ○​ Wrote sacred music with a wider vocal range and more florid (ornate) melodies. ○​ Composed "O vis aeternitatis" and other chants, notable for their expressiveness. ○​ She was an anchorite, a woman living in religious seclusion. 4.​ Troubadours (c. 1000-1200): ○​ Secular poets/musicians who wrote in the vernacular (regional language). ○​ Music often dance-like with rhythmic drive. ○​ Secular music contrasted with the narrower range and more meditative sacred music. 5.​ Sacred vs. Secular Music: ○​ Sacred: Gregorian Chant, Notre Dame Organum, sung in churches, monophonic texture. ○​ Secular: Dance rhythms, more complex textures, often with instruments, and based on everyday themes. The Renaissance (1450-1600) Key Concepts: 1.​ Dufay (Ave Maris Stella, 1400s): ○​ 1397-1494  ○​ Harmonization of plainchant: Dufay took Gregorian chants and added harmonies, making them more homophonic texture (polyphonic) ○​ Composed in the early Renaissance, transitioning from medieval modes to more modern tonalities. ○​ Overall a consonant sound 2.​ Josquin des Prez (Pange Lingua Mass, 1515s): ○​ 1450-1521 ○​ Point of Imitation: A musical technique where short passages are repeated by different voices, creating polyphony. ○​ Kyrie: In High Renaissance style, using point of imitation to create unity. ○​ Gloria: Alternates textures between imitative polyphony and homophony, with dynamics that build from slow to urgent. ○​ 18 masses ○​ First composer with a book of his own compositions published ○​ Born in the north of france, traveled to italy 3.​ Palestrina (Pope Marcellus Mass, 1560): ○​ 1525-1594 ○​ Homophonic: Clearer, more transparent texture than the dense polyphony of the Middle Ages. ○​ Response to Counter-Reformation: Simplified music to make the text clearer and more understandable for the congregation. ○​ Highly melodic, focusing on clarity of text. ○​ 100 masses ○​ Showed that polyphony could still be used and keep clarity in the words 4.​ Acapella: Music performed without instrumental accompaniment; a hallmark of Renaissance choral music. DUFAY -renaissance 5.​ Renaissance Style: ○​ Polyphony: Multiple, independent melodic voices interweaving. ○​ Homophony: Harmony accompanying a main melody. ○​ Point of Imitation: Successive voices imitate a musical idea or motive. ○​ Vocal Timbre: SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) choirs. ○​ Mass: A sacred work with 5 parts (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei), which evolved from Gregorian chant to include more polyphony. 6.​ Post-Reformation (1550s-1600): ○​ The Counter-Reformation (Catholic response to Protestantism) influenced music, as clarity in religious texts became more important. ○​ The printing press allowed music to spread more widely. ○​ Polyphony was “saved” by composers like Palestrina, who kept the text intelligible in a polyphonic texture. Key Questions to Know: ​ How did Western European music start? ○​ Music began with plainchant or Gregorian Chant, a form of monophonic, liturgical singing. ○​ Early music was sacred, performed in churches, and used a syllabic style (one note per syllable). ​ What is inflection? ○​ Inflection refers to the slight rise or fall in pitch that happens during speech or singing. In medieval music, inflection would help convey the natural flow of the text. ​ Who were the secular entertainers of the Middle Ages? ○​ Troubadours and minstrels were responsible for secular music and entertainment. ​ Which pieces are syllabic and melismatic? ○​ Syllabic: Gregorian Chant, early organum (e.g., "In Paradisum"). -> earliest notes are called: neumes (4 lines on music sheet) ○​ Melismatic: Gregorian chant with more notes per syllable, such as in the works of Hildegard. ​ Difference in texture Pre-Reformation vs. Post-Reformation? ○​ Pre-Reformation: Complex polyphony (e.g., Palestrina’s counterpoint) with dense textures. ○​ Post-Reformation: Simpler homophonic textures (especially in Palestrina’s Masses) to ensure the text is intelligible. ​ Movements of the Mass: ○​ Kyrie (petition for mercy). ○​ Gloria (praise to God). ○​ Credo (creed, statement of faith). ○​ Sanctus (holy, holy, holy). ○​ Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). ​ First Type of Polyphony: Organum (early polyphony, adding a second voice to Gregorian Chant). ○​ The first real polyphony: Notre Dame Organum, developed by Leonin and Perotin in the 12th century. ​ Dufay’s Innovations: ○​ Dufay was among the first to fully develop cantus firmus (a pre-existing melody, often Gregorian chant) and adapt it to polyphony, leading to richer, more complex textures. ​ Early homophony: emphasized top voice, while the supporting polyphonic voices created simple chords; results in plainchant harmonization  ​ Homophony: rich chordal quality created out of polyphonic lines that still maintained a quiet sense of independence (top voice dominates); provides effective contrast to imitation Final Notes: ​ Know the general characteristics of sacred vs. secular music. ​ Be familiar with the major composers and their innovations (e.g., Palestrina, Josquin, Dufay). ​ Understand how music evolved from monophonic plainchant to polyphonic styles, especially the development of imitation and homophony in the Renaissance.