Music History (300) Midterm Notes

Divine Offices 

Private services just for the clergy (Music is Psalmody)

Mass Ordinary

Fixed parts - Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnes Dei (repeated very week)

Mass Proper

Occasion specific part of the mass (ex. Christmas Introit)

Responsorial Chant

Soloist and choir alternate 

Antiphonal Chant 

two alternating choirs 

Melismatic Chant

Many notes per syllable

syllabic chant

one note per syllable (direct chanting)

Psalmody

musical foundation of divine offices; psalms are Biblical pieces; typically set off by non-biblical pieces such as antiphonal and responses 

Neumes

indicate the motion of the melody but not actual pitches (heightened neumes usual actual pitches

Trope

an expansion of an existing chant through new music and words before the chant and in between phrases; new music without text as the end of a chant; text added to an existing melisma 

Sequence

 the addition of an extended melisma without text to the Alleluia;were banned by the Council of Trent in the 16th century, except for the most famous ones, such as Dies irae

Gamut

range of voice or instrument

Hexachords

based on succession of following intervals (six pitches, five intervals: WWHWW); succession could be started on C (natural hexachord), on F (soft hexachord because of the Bb), and G (hard hexachord because of the B natural)

Solmization

• pitches of succession (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la)Guidonianhand

Psalm tones

actual melodic formulas used for psalm verses 

Modes

(authentic and plagal; final, reciting tone, ambitus

Carolingian polyphony

parallel organum (vox principalis = original chant (usually top voice); vox organalis = additional voices): intervals used are the fourth and the fifth; voices start on same pitch, then the vox principalis ascends by a fourth or a fifth while the organlis holds the pitch (oblique motion)

Romanesque polyphony

free organum; note against note with parallel, oblique, and contrary motion; vox principalis became the lower part; free organum was mostly sung by trained singers in responsorial pieces

Notre Dame polyphony

 Leonin, Perotin, organa, rhythmic modes

Organum

Multiple voice together

Rhythmic modes

 derived from poetry that combine long and short note values

Discant clausula

faster, modal tenor 

Motet

derived from discant clausulae of organa; adding new texts (sacred or secular) to upper voices of clausulae; multilingual (French and Latin at same time); 

Franconian notation

non-modal rhythmic organization, leading to greater variety; breve became “tempus”a more informative system of rhythmic notation; new note values (e.g., double-long and semi-breve); note values would form ternary groupings (triple meter); parts laid out (choir book format)

Ars Nova

mensural notation, duple and triple, time signatures, circle for triple, half-circle for duple

Ars Subtilor

notational complexity

mensural notation

indicates rhythmic duration for each note

Isorhythmic motet

 motet in which the tenor uses repeating melody set to repeating rhythmic patterns (talea)

formes fixes

• in secular music (strophic forms, roundeau, virelai, etc.)​; First example of mass setting by single composer (Machaut)

Trecento

Developed in Italy; Exclusively secular tradition; Similar to French formes fixes, but more rustic in character

strophic

different text to the same tune

Contenance angloise

English style, uses thirds and sixths, more equal voices, sweet-sounding, etc.

Cantus firmus mass

Pre-existing melody forming the basis of a composition; each movement structured around the same cantus (usually tenor )as a way to link movements; Du Fay;s mass is the first complete mass to use a secular tune for a cantus firmus

Imitation

one voice repeating a melody or phrase shortly after another voice introduces it; layered, polyphonic texture; melody passed between parts 

Pope Gregory 

established the Schola Cantorum (Papel Choir)

Charles Magne

crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800, initiated the gradual process of music normalization. Now there was a need for music to be written down 

Guido

musical pedagog from year 1000. Developmed Hexchordal Theory/Solmization. Based on WWHWW

Leoninus

composed two voice organa for solo portions of the responsorial chants. Used poetry to create rhytmic modes. Superimposition of triple and duple. Non modal drone in the tenor, the a faster discant clausula

Perotinus

same as Leoninus but adds 3rd and 4th voices

Franco de Cologne

wrote a treaty called “the art of measured song”, expanded the range of not values, no longer just long and short. Developed triple meter. His work was hard to read on a score.

Philippe de Vitry

Created motets. tenor was a preexsiting chant, the upper vocies then sang in different languages above 

Machaut

Also a very famous poet, composed a polyphonic setting to the mass ordinary, composed motets and used isorhythm often

Landini

Blind, composed famous ballate’s, only secular music has surived

John Dunstaple

helped transition into the renaissance, sweeter and more enjoyable tone. Use of 3rds and 6ths

Du Fay

Very reflective work but also looked ahead a lot, for example a complex use of isorhythms. Also used secular tunes as cantus firmus which had never been done before.