Thursday Thrill 2

Chorale

• strophic, congregational, AAB (Bar form) 

• Ein Feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress)

GIVE THE EXAMPLE ON THE QUIZ!

• Luther was trying to highlight the personal priestly role of every person. He wanted to include everyone in the singing, and therefore the chorales had to be highly simplified to allow everyone to participate. 

• Calvin (of Geneva Switzerland): A bit more skeptical of music’s role (not as exposed?) 

• Metrical psalm settings, monophonic 

  • Doxology (Old Hundredth)

• Calvin was more skeptical of music, likely due to a lack of being exposed to it. 

• He limited music to monophony in church. You can do polyphony at home if you like.

What is a metrical setting according to Calvin?

• 88 88 or other combinations 

• Based on the Psalms and sometimes later texts. 

First book published in America?

•  Puritan Psalm book of choral psalm settings. 

• Calvin’s reformation went North and affected the Puritans 

• Much of early Puritan music was deeply influenced by Calvin’s reformation 

In both cases (Luther – chorales, Calvin – metrical psalm settings) highly simplified music. 

Bach’s solution to the oversimplification of church music was:

Cantatas — A musical composition, often using a sacred text, comprising recitatives, arias, and choruses. 

Instruments of the Renaissance 

• Curtals, rackett, regal, violins, violas, bass, hurdy gurdy, lutes, shawms, curtal (ancestor of the bassoon), regal, drum…. and many more

• Syntagma Musicum (1619) 

Praetorius included “Plates” that had pictures on them of the instruments of the time.

• Terpsichore (1612) 

Dances

characteristics of a classic motet

• Very strict counterpoint, points of imitation 

The Counter Reformation – The Council of Trent

How the Catholic Church addressed the rise of Protestantism

What was the Church dealing with in the Council of Trent and around that time specifically?

• Reformation 

• Humanistic push 

• Internal issues (CF Mass)

Council of Trent on Music

• Text clear 

• No Secular material 

• Decree of Sept. 10, 1562

G. Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525- 1594)

• Italian – centered in Rome 

• His vision aligns itself with CR ideals Legend: Pope Marcelus Mass supposedly “saved” counterpoint

• Inverted pedal tone was common.

• 105 Masses (53 parody – with Sine Nomine! [no name]), 250 motets.

Palestrina style of music

• Control of dissonance 

  • Always approach and leave by step 

  • Only quarter notes or less in value – expect for suspensions

  • You never leap in and out of dissonance. It is very carefully regulated. 

• Mostly consonance = calm, serene – contemplative

  • Like a “polyphonic” version of chant 

  • Gounod quote – (300 years later) “this severely ascetic music is as calm and horizontal as the line of the ocean. Monotonous in its harmony. Anti sensuous. And yet it is so intense in its contemplativeness it verges sometimes on ecstasy.”

  • So serene, and so intensely serene it becomes sublime.  

• Symmetry, balance important 

  • If a line goes up, it almost always comes down

• Spacing 

• Codified by Zarlino (Crucial theories of 16th century) 

  • Palestrina was so consistent that Zarlino wrote it down 

  • He always wrote about 3rds and 6ths in this Codex 

Orlando de Lassus (1532-1594)

• Important contemporary of Palestrina 

• Born in Mons, Belgium (Franco-Flemish)

• More cosmopolitan, dramatic than Palestrina 

  • Music that interacts with the text of the music 

The Madrigal is originally….

Italian

• Large divide between northern and southern Italy 

Main Italian cities and courts

• Florence - medici 

• Milan - Sforza

• Ferrara - Este (Lucrezia Borgia married into this family) 

• Mantua - Gonzaga (Isabella d’Este married into this family)

City of Florence had the ______ family

Medici

City of Milan had the ______ family

Sforza

City of Ferrera had the ______family

Este

(Lucrezia Borgia married into this family)

The city of Mantua had the _____ family

Gonzaga

(Isabella d’Este married into this family)

Isabella d’Este was one of the most influential women of this historical period

Why did the rich families like music so much?

Because they were always trying to outdo themselves.

Music was a big way to do this and the better the musicians they had the better off they were, per se.

• Baldasar Castiglione: The Courtier (ca 1518)

(book)

• A compendium of manners and ideals of the perfect member of court 

• After reading it, James Joyce’s brother told him he had become more polite – but less sincere. 

Three stages of the Madrigal

1. EARLY 

   1. Starts from frottola – 1540s 

   2. 4-part, homophonic

2. MIDDLE 

   1. 1540s-1570s

   2. 5-part, more imitative 

3. LATE 

   1. 1580s– 

   2. Increased chromaticism

Music Reservata:

Reserved music — no one explains what it actually means but it is special. Something to do with 3 females who would give concerts at the courts of Ferrara. 

Gesualdo

A composer of the time who found his wife in bed with her lover and killed them both on the spot.

He suffered from depression.

His music was very chromatic. 

Diferencias

The variations included in Spanish music

Vihuela and voice pieces

Similar to English lute songs

• Cancionero Musical del Palacio

• Spanish manuscript of Renaissance music

• circa 1500

• 450 pieces — many part songs

Some Spanish pieces at this time resembled French chansons

• voices move together, very light and bouncy 

What is an Ud?

An Arab lute

Thomas Luis de Victoria

• Spanish through and through, he did travel to France and Italy and was therefore familiar with their style of music. 

• Very intense style of music 

• O Magnum Mysterium (assigned) 

  • Pairing of voices – almost the way Josquint did it 

Where is Stravinksy buried?

Venice at St. Michele

• St. Mark’s Basilica 

• Notable architecture 

What did the architecture of St. Mark’s result in musically?

• Results in coro spezzati (“spaced choirs”) –antiphonal/stereo effect because the choir would be split in half and sing across the church to each other. 

  • Call and answer antiphonal style of music 

  • Instrumental music is coming to the fore – brass music has HUGE heyday around this time. 

Why did brass instruments become so popular?

• Many celebrations of the day were outdoors and the brass are the best fit to project the music as much as possible

Maestro di Capella meaning:

Maestro di Capella means Music Director in Italian

Famous music directors of St Mark’s included

• G. Gabrieli → C. Monteverdi 

ancestor to the guitar:

Vihuela

What is the Ud?

Instrument of the Arabs/Moors which inspired the vihuela and then later the guitar

• 711 Arabs/Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula until 1492 

Tablature (Spanish and Italian style)

• The music was written as a physical map – the music was written out on 6 lines which represented the strings of the guitar with dots on top of it to indicate the rhythm 

• Tablature notation can get us out of some thorny music ficta notation (or lack thereof).

Music Ficta

un-notated accidentals

• Luis Milan 

• El Maestro (1535) 

  • First major work published for vihuela 

  • The first great figure of the Vihuela School 

What is a fantasia?

A free, improvisatory work (Spanish style)

• Alonso Mudarra

Another Spanish composer of the time.

Classic Motet

• Very strict counterpoint, voice imitation 

• sacred, Latin, Choral 

The Counter Reformation – The Council of Trent

By 1517 the Church needed to address the widespread heresy of Protestantism. 

• Reformation 

• Humanistic push 

• Internal issues (CF Mass)

When did the Music Meetings of the Council of Trent happen?

In the last two years

Music after the Council of Trent

• clear text

• not using secular/impure material in music

• Decree of Sept. 10, 1562

G. Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525- 1594)

Sometimes called the savior of counterpoint.

“Palestrina style” was very popular

• Italian – centered in Rome 

• His vision aligns itself with CR ideals 

• Palestrina style: 

  • Control of dissonance 

    • Always approach and leave by step 

    • Only quarter notes or less in value – expect for suspensions

    • You never leap in and out of dissonance. It is very carefully regulated. 

  • Therefore, mostly consonance = calm, serene – contemplative

    • Like “polyphonic” version of chant 

    • Gounod quote – (300 years later) “this severely ascetic music is as calm and horizontal as the line of the ocean. Monotonous in its harmony. Anti sensuous. And yet it is so intense in its contemplativeness it verges sometimes on ecstasy.”

    • So serene, and so intensely serene it becomes sublime.  

  • Symmetry, balance important 

    • If a line goes up, it almost always comes down

  • Spacing 

  • Codified by Zarlino (Crucial theories of 16th century) 

    • Palestrina was so consistent that Zarlino wrote it down 

    • He always wrote about 3rds and 6ths in this Codex 

  • 105 Masses (53 parody – with Sine Nomine! [no name]), 250 motets 

What was significant about Palestrina Style?

CONTROL OF DISSONANCE

Control of dissonance — Palestrina style

• Always approach and leave by step 

• Only quarter notes or less in value – expect for suspensions

• You never leap in and out of dissonance. It is very carefully regulated

Serene music — Palestrina Style

• Like “polyphonic” version of chant 

• Gounod quote – (300 years later) “this severely ascetic music is as calm and horizontal as the line of the ocean. Monotonous in its harmony. Anti sensuous. And yet it is so intense in its contemplativeness it verges sometimes on ecstasy.”

• So serene, and so intensely serene it becomes sublime.  

Balance and symmetry — Palestrina style

• If a line goes up, it almost always comes down

• Spacing is also incredibly important

Palestrina Style Codified by Zarlino (Crucial theories of 16th century) 

• Palestrina was so consistent that Zarlino wrote it down 

• He always wrote about 3rds and 6ths in this Codex 

Number of Masses and motets Palestrina wrote:

• 105 Masses (53 parody – with Sine Nomine! [no name]), 250 motets 

“Missa Sine Nomine”

Often the sneaky way composers got away with using secular material in Masses.

Orlando de Lassus (1532-1594)

• Important contemporary of Palestrina 

• Born in Mons, Belgium (Franco-Flemish)

• More cosmopolitan, dramatic than Palestrina 

  • Music that interacts with the text of the music 

What is Contrafacta?

You are replacing the text!! When you take an existing piece of music and replace its text. (Oftentimes, a secular piece was taken and Sacred text added but not always!) 

What came from the Frottola?

The Madrigal

Frottola

Part song in the vernacular of wherever you are

Odhecaton A

• FIRST PUBLISHED MUSIC EVER

Petrucci – Venice – 1501

(First printer, located in Venice)

Triple impression

You must be so careful when you do all the run throughs otherwise you would accidentally transpose the whole thing. (Because there were 3 impressions.)

• Pierre Attaingant

Parisienne Printer

Single run through

Consequences of the Printing press?

Wider dispersal and marketing/public taste

Better survival

Mensurstrich

Dotted bar lines 

Prefatory staff

In Western notation a device used in many scholarly editions to show the original pitch and note values of the piece edited, together with certain other information. It ideally consists of a portion of staff (with the original number of lines) preceding the opening of each part, with the original clef, key signature, time signature and initial note(s) and rest(s); or, in music for such instruments as the lute, the beginning of the tablature.

French Chanson

• Simple “polyphonically animated homophony” 

Chanson is the French version of Italian Frottola. 

Josquin DesPrez (1440-1521)

• From the Franco-Flemish area

• One of the greates composers of the Renaissance 

• Sang at Milan Cathedral, Sforza family, Papl choir, Duke of Ferrara, back to France

  • Letter from Secretary of Duke of Ercole 

    • He knew is his worth and therefore asked for a higher paycheck than a competitor when the Secretary of the Duke of Ferrara was looking for a musician for the Duke’s court. 

  • Well known: Luther: “J is master of the notes; others mastered by the notes.”

• 20 Masses, 100 motets, chansons 

• Pupil of Ockeghem 

• Lament (Deploration) on the death of Ockegham 

• Expressive; 2 sections:

  • Ockegham’s style

  • In his own style – he lists the pupils of Ockeghem and calls for them to weep for the loss of their great master.

• 2nd tenor has a CF from one of O’s Masses – it has different text than the other parts. 

• In the 2nd section, the style is slightly different and the 2nd Tenor is missing – reiterating the point that they have lost a great master and friend. 

Renaissance Motet

• Sacred

• Latin 

• Acapella – no instruments

• Points of imitation 

  • With JosQuin in particular – paired imitation 

  • The text and music are very closely connected 

• Paired Imitation:

  • A pair of voices that go on for some time, and then a second set of 2 voices that come in together and sing

  • They either imitate each other or are in parallel voices 

Most significant forms of Sacred Music in the Renaissance are?

Mass and Motets

Missa Hercules dux Ferrarie

A free Mass! 

• He has a motive which he weaves throughout the Mass (because it is a free Mass it does not borrow chant or any other musical material from outside sources). 

• He got the motive of the Mass from the vowels of his boss’ name. 

• Soggetto cavat – carved out. 

4 types of Masses

CF Mass – same tune 

Parody Mass – same structure at the beginning and the end 

Free Mass – nothing is borrowed

Paraphrase Mass – the CF can migrate outside of the tenor line 

Missa l’Homme Arme (sexti toni)

• Josquin wrote 2 of these Masses 

• It is a CF Mass

• You get the tune in the third Agnus Dei 

• L’homme arme tune in bottom two voices 

  • Double canon (S1 + S2, A1+A2) – they strictly follow each other the whole way through

  • T – you have the B_section → ← 

  • B – you have the A_section ← →