History Exam 1

What types of artifacts remain from the prehistoric era?

Bone flutes, cave paintings of instruments and music, drums, clay tablets with Sumerian instruction on how to play instruments

How was music used in Ancient Greece? (function)

Religious ceremonies, entertainment

What instruments were played in Ancient Greece?

Lyre, Aulos

Who were some of the famous writers about music in Ancient Greece?

Plato- the body must be balanced with the mind, athletics is gymnastics for the body, music is gymnastics for the mind, and the two must be balanced. Modes can influence character

Aristotle- Theory of imitation, music can affect behavior, music that imitates an emotion causes that emotion in the listener

Pythagorean- math and can be classified with numbers

Why was music education included in Ancient Greece?

They believed that music was gymnastics for the mind, and it balanced out your brain and body. Can be used for enjoyment, but also for education. Negative emotions were purged through music

What is harmonia?

Unification of parts into an orderly whole, and was important as music was perceived as a reflection of order in the entire universe

What is the relationship between ethos and music? Poetry and music?

Philosophers believe that music could affect ethos, music could penetrate the soul and restore inner harmony. The rhythm of Greek music and meter was meant to imitate Greek poetry, and the words are inseparable from the music

How was music used in Ancient Rome? (function)

Public ceremonies, religious and military events, and private entertainment

What instruments were played in Ancient Rome?

Tibia, tuba, cornu

How did Christianity spread across western Europe?

The Emperor converted and it slowly spread, until it became legalized. Then, it slowly spread more and became the official religion of the Roman empire

Shared practices between early Judaism and early Christianity

Masses has similar traits as Jewish temple services, like vocal music for worship, mass imitates the Last Supper and Jewish represents Passover, and certain psalms assigned to each day

How was the Holy Roman Empire created?

The Western and Eastern churches were theologically divided and the Western church became the Roman Catholic Empire

What was the Schola Cantorum?

The School of Singers, it was the pope’s choir and standardized chant. Spread and preserved Gregorian chant. Groundwork for liturgical tradition

What instruments were played in the early church?

Instruments were discouraged and vocal music was encouraged. Instruments were used for secular music and pagan festivals and so it was condemned in the early Christian church

Basics of reading Gregorian chant

Notes don’t really have stems, instead sometimes the heads are on top of each other. In that case, you read the bottom note first. The center pitch, C, is based where on the staff there is a little “C” marking.

Parts of the Ordinary and the Proper

Proper- variable parts of mass, includes the Gradual, Alleluia, Gospel, Offertory, and Communion

Ordinary- nonvariable parts of the mass, includes the kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Credo, Agnus Dei, 

Chant styles and forms

Psalm Tone (five separate melodic elements, including a reciting tone), strophic (same melody used for several stanzas), and free (entirely original or with traditional melodies)

Characteristics of chant melodies

By their texts, manner of performance (antiphonal, responsorial, direct), and musical style (syllable, strophic, melismatic)

Basics of reading the Guidonian hand

Solfege starting with ut, re, mi, fa, sol. A different joint pointed at meant a different note on the open hand. The lowest note, gamma ut, was at the top of the thumb, and then the notes followed counterclockwise along different joints.

Hildegard of Bingen

A very well known female composer of the Middle Ages. Was sent to a convent and known for writing spiritually divine pieces of music as she claimed to have visions from God. Wrote Ordo virtutum, a liturgical drama consisting of 82 songs. In this, only singing is used with psalms, and the only time there is speaking, it is the Devil.

The relationship between antiphons and psalms

Antiphons were a little chant that framed the psalm, meaning it was sung before and after the psalm

Compare and contrast hymns and sequences

Hymns are religious songs set to worship God, and sung in liturgical and devotional settings. Sequences are sung during the mass, and specifically follow the Alleluia. They are both used for liturgical settings but hymns are much more broad and used for all aspects of worship, whereas sequences are in a specific part of the mass.

Compare and contrast troubadour and trouvere songs

Troubadours were Southern French composers, while Trouveres were a part of Northern France. Troubadours were inspired by Arabic poetry, mostly about courtly love, and trouveres were mostly inspired by troubadours. They also spoke different languages as well. However they both greatly spread secular music and also paved the way for Minnesingers, from Germany as well. Trouveres also have much more notated music saved as well.

Languages of origin for laude, cantiga, carole, Minnelied

Minnelied- German

Cantiga- Galican-portegeuse

Laude- early Italian

Carole- French

What instruments were used in song and dance music in the 1300s?

Vielle, harp, recorder, shawm, bagpipe, tambourine

What evidence of performance practices do we have from this era?

Manuscripts containing notated music, art including instruments used, dancing and ensembles, texts describing courtly love and the music then

Compare organum, organum duplum, florid organum, parallel organum

Organum- two different voices singing together

Parallel- one voice singing the melody, bottom voice singing the same melody a 4th or 5th below

Florid- Melismatic upper voice against a slow-moving tenor or drone

Duplum- the original chant in the tenor and a composed upper voice called the duplum

Musical limitations in organum

Rhythm was not notated and there wasn’t a consistent meter or tempo, narrow harmonic pattern as only 4th and 5ths were used as they were consonant, not a lot of interaction between voices

The significance of Musica enchiriadis and scholica enchiriadis

ME is a small book that focuses on teaching theory, polyphony and chant singing at a more basic level. SE is a “commentary on the handbook” that expands and goes more in depth with the topics talked about. It set the grounds for Western theory and early polyphonic singing

What is the impact of Notre Dame on music development?

Leoninus and Perotinus were both composers and worked at Notre Dame, setting the stage for modern Western music theory and polyphony. Introduced 3 and 4 part music that led to the Renaissance.

Who were Leoninus and Perotinus?

Leoninus- Notre Dame composer and claimed the best singer and composer title. Compiled the “great book of polyphony". 

Perotinus- Trained under Leoninus, described to be the best maker of discants

Definitions: motet, cantus firmus, Franconian motet, substitute clausula

Substitute clausula- section of a discant that replace an existing clausula

Motet- When Latin or French words were added to the substitute clausula

Cantus Firmus- Pre-existing melody that is held in the tenor that becomes the base for new music, used in motets

Franconian motet- specific motet with three rhythmically independent voices, more freedom and contrast developed

How were motets changed by 13th century composers?

They added many different layers, including different languages and things sung about in each voice, more rhythmic freedom, added more secular themes

How did daily life influence music in the 14th century?

The 14th century was riddled with death, wars, illness, etc and so music became more emotional and darker. The church wasn’ the main focus, and so composers became a lot more individualized and wrote more secular music for courts. Spaces became more urban, therefore there was room for festivals and dancing music

What is secularism and how did it impact music and art?

The idea of keeping religion separate from everyday life, including politics, art, and music. More songs were written about love and loss, and art focused on things like landscapes and people.

Composers: Philippe de Vitry, Guillaume de Machaut, Landini

Philippe de Vitry- wrote motets that first demonstrated isorhythm, 

Guillaume de Machuat- leading composer and poet of the Ars Nova, wrote religious and secular music, first composer to compile his works

Landini- leading figure of the Italian Ars Nova, wrote 140 ballate (French song form), using different intervals. Was blind and a composer, poet, and performer.

Significance of the ars nova

New style that was translated to “new art”. This introduced much more complex rhythms, and it laid the foundation for modern rhythmic notation, including rests and time divisions. Music was being seen as an art form, rather than a servant to the church.

Definitions: talea, tenor, color, and motet, hocket, isorhythm

Talea- repeating rhythmic unit

Tenor- held out note, usually in bottom voice

Color- repeating melodic unit

Hocket- means hiccup, voices alternate rapidly

Isorhythm- talea and color repeat, but are different durations and do not always overlap on time

Contrast madrigals, ballata, caccia

Madrigals- poems set up for two voices relatively equal and often repeat

Ballata- song to dance to, monophonic with a choral refrain

Caccia- Strict canon set to descriptive words. Means to hunt, as voices echo each other. Usually has a free, untexted tenor below

Examples of musica ficta

Certain chromatic variations in music to avoid tritones, make a smoother melody line, and common at cadences to sound sweeter. Raises a semitone

How is ars subtilior different from ars nova?

Ars Subtilior is more complex than Ars Nova, and it means subtler art. Uses syncopation and polyrhythms, uses visual notation, and serves as musical art puzzles for elite courts. Supposed to sound sophisticated, surprising, and challenging, and made to show off performance skills

Epitaph of Seikolos

anonymous

Mass for Christmas Day, Alleluia, Credo

Anonymous

Antiphon Tecum principium and psalm Dixit Dominus

anonymous

Sequence Victimae paschali

Wipo of Burgundy

Sequence Dies irae

Thomas of Celano

Ordo virtutum, In principio omnes

Hildegard of Bingen

A Chantar

Comtessa de Dia

Cantiga 159 Non sofre Santa María from Cantigas de Santa María

anonymous

Organa from Musica enchiriadis, Rex caeli domine

anonymous

Jubilemus, exultemus

anonymous

Viderunt omnes

Leoninus and colleagues OR Perotinus

Motets on Tenor Dominus, Fole acostumance/Dominus

Anonymous

De ma dame vient/Dieus, comment porroie/Omnes

Adam de la Halle

Cum statua/Hugo, Hugo/Magister invidie

Philippe de Vitry

Rose, liz, printemps, verdure

Guillaume de Machaut

La Messe de Nostre Dame, Kyrie

Guillaume de Machaut

Cosí pensoso

Francesco Landini