Music History Exam 2

Rota

a short, circular canon at the unison or octave, normally for as many unaccompanied voices as its melody allows; each voice enters successively, then continues with the rest of the melody. Equivalent to the modern-day round

La contenance angloise

French for “English mannered.” A term for a 15C style of English polyphony, later influential on French composers, using full, rich sonorities based on the third and sixth (first inversion harmonies)

Faburden

A late Medieval English technique of harmonizing melodies at sight by producing a series of parallel 6/3 chords with the melody note in the middle

John Dunstable

the most important 15C representative of English polyphony on the continent

15C motet

any polyphonic setting of a Latin text other than the Mass Ordinary

Fauxbourdon

a choral technique of singing improvised polyphony in which a “false bass” a fourth below is added the the melody; made popular in the 15C

Paraphrase

the transformation of an existing melody into a new cantus firmus; in the 16C use of this melody as thematic material for imitation and other contrapuntal techniques

Emulations

honoring a model through imitation; a simultaneous homage to and attempt to surpass that model, conforming to it while distinguishing itself from it in a conspicuous way

L’Homme armé

French for “The Armed Man,” an anonymous song used as the cantus firmus of or melodic resource for more than forty Masses by Renaissance composers from Dufay to Palestrina; applied on such a massive scale, these Masses represent a cross-section of 150 years of changing musical style

Humanism

the study of ancient texts on linguistics and rhetoric that informed the ideals of the Renaissance

Ars perfecta

The Renaissance period in music began in the fifteenth century with a break from past musical styles

Point of Imitation

Short, canonically imitative passages for two or more voices

Motto Mass

each movement starts with the same motive, a part of cyclic mass

Fundamentalist

religious tendency marked by a strict, literal interpretation of sacred texts, a strong commitment to core doctrinal “fundamentals”

Imitation Masses

o   Number of voices: 4-6

o   Borrows: all parts from a polyphonic work

o   Present in: all voices

o   Texture: points of imitation

Metrical Psalms

a psalm translated into rhyming, strictly metrical verse in the vernacular, composed and sung as a hymn and collected in a psalter; developed for the worship services of John Calvin and his successor

Ricercare

a term first applied to rhapsodic lute preludes in 16C; became a contrapuntal instrumental genre modeled on the ars perfecta vocal style; in the Baroque, a kind of strict fugue with short thematic subjects

Cori spezzati

Italian for “split choirs”; the division of musical forces into distinct groups, both musically and sometimes spatially, in concertato style

Council of Trent

an emergency legislative body of the Roman Catholic Church that first convened in 1545 to stem the tide of the Protestant Reformation that was perceived as posing a threat to the Church

Stile moderno

a term used to refer to music written after 1600 in an up-to-date style

Stile antico

Italian for “old style.” Composing in the style of Palestrina, that is, acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent, and the model for subsequent papal chapel composers

Protestant Reformation

a series of challenges to Roman Catholic orthodoxy, becoming prominent in the 16C; the resulting split Western Christianity led to more than two centuries of war; in music it led to an inclination toward more homophonic music sung in the vernacular language.

Chorale

strophic unison Lutheran hymn based on Gregorian chant or original melody

Counter-Reformation

the Roman Catholic reaction to the Reformation; resulting reforms to the Church involved structural reconfiguration, religious orders, spiritual movements, and political dimensions

Basso Continuo

an independent bass part written as one line but with shorthand numerical instruction (figures) to indicate the full harmony; a solo instrument performs the bass line while the harmony realized on a keyboard instrument or lute

Ritornello

Italian for “return”’ a recurring passage in Baroque music heard in the tutti, serving as the structural framework in concertos and arias.

Concertato style

from the late Renaissance onward, an approach featuring alternation between different combinations of voices and instruments, with emphasis on short-range contrast; the music called for specific short-range instruments, marking the beginning of the art of orchestration

Frottola

syllabic, homophonic songs for three or more voices in Italian of a lighter character, popular in the 16C, a predecessor to the Renaissance madrigal

Madrigal

a part song for four or more voices sung a cappella, composed in a free style dictated by the text, sometimes set to elaborate counterpoint; refers primarily to English or Italian songs of the 16-17C intended for domestic use

Madrigalisms

the use of illustrative devices, notably word painting, to reflect musically the literal or figurative meaning of the text through pitch direction, texture, range, or other means

Augenmusik

German for “eye music”; describes graphical features of score that, when performed, are inaudible to the listener

Prima Pratica

follows the strict rules of the Ars Perfecta

Seconda Pratica

A new compositional approach in which the music was subservient to the text. Defended by Monteverdi and criticized by Artusi

Musica Trransalpina

first publication of Italian madrigals in England (translated)

Contrafacta

texted secular songs

Cyclic Mass

all movements are based on the same cantus firmus

Cantus Firmus Mass

o   Number of voices: 4

o   Borrows: monophonic tune

o   Present in: tenor (slowed)

o   Texture: freely contrapuntal

Facts about Josquin

-       Born Josquin Lebloitt edit Desprez (usually just Josquin)

-       Served at multiple courts and churches throughout France and Italy

-       First composer to build a reputation through the medium of published music

-       Output includes 18 Masses, 50+ motets, 70+ secular songs