Chapter 6 - New Developments in the 14th Century

ars nova in france

“new art” coming from new rhythmic innovations

created the duple division, and divided the semibreve into minimus, introduced syncopation

ars nova notation (rhythm division and impact of notation)

long, breve, semibreve, triple divison, duple division, minims

mensuration symbols indicate divisions of time, ancestors of time signatures

music in now permanent and unambiguous thanks to new notation

jacques de liege

published speculum musicae

defended old music and opposed modern ars nova

characteristics of ars nova motet

extends notre dame clausula practice

became longer and more complex

tenor moves slowly as the foundational structure

includes hocketing (two voices rapidly alternating) and isorhythm (duple rhythm)

2 recurring elements elements

talea: repeating rhythmic segment

color: recurring segment of melody

guillaime de machaut

leading ars nova composer and poet

compiled his complete works and discussed methods

motets and masses of machaut

many are isorhythmic and include hocketing, longer and more rhythmicly complex

masses are isorhythmic, song like, chant tenor, and homophonic, and had more imperfect consonances

monophonic and polyphonic songs in the era of machaut

formes fixes: ballade, rondeau, virelai (all add refrain to a stanza)

chansons: treble dominated and treble carries melody, 1-2 untexted voices may be added

ars subtilor

later 14th century polyphonic songs, more elevated style and notation, fascinatino with technique and new extremes, professional performers and courtly audiences

ars subtilor and rhythm/notation

different vertical combinations, voices may have different meters, beats subdivided in many ways, chains of syncopations, harmonies are blurred through rhytmic disjunctions

italian trecento music

secular polyphonic music, largest surviving body of italian music at the time, 14th century italian poetry

squarecialupi codex: source for secular polyphony after 1330

14th century madrigal

2-3 voices all singing the same text without accompaniment, idyllic/pastoral/satirical/love poem,

ritornello: closing pair of lines different music and meter

caccia and ballata

caccia: popular style melody in strict canon for 2 voices, free untexted tenor moving slower, caccia means the hunt, describing the animated and lively content

ballata: later than madrigal and caccia, influence of the treble dominated chanson style, meant to accompany dancing, 2-3 voices

francesco landini

leading composer and musician in trecenta and ballate, lots of 3rds and 6ths and mostly stepwise, less mellismatic, smoother in pitch and rhythm than machaut

14th century manuscripts and performance practice

manuscripts left a lot unspecified, musica ficta to avoid tritone and create cadences