Western Music 157

Midterm 1

What was the main role of Gregorian chant in the Middle Ages?

It served as the foundation of liturgical worship, unifying the Church through monophonic, unaccompanied melody that was sung in Latin during religious services.

Who developed the staff system of notation in the Middle Ages?

Guido of Arezzo

What innovation did the Notre Dame school (Léonin and Pérotin) contribute?

Rhythmic notation and organum (duplum/triplum), enabling early polyphony

How did Renaissance music reflect humanism?

By emphasizing clear text setting, expressive polyphony, and music for secular as well as sacred contexts.

What role did the printing press play in Renaissance music?

It spread music widely (Petrucci, 1501), making compositions accessible to amateurs and professionals alike.

What is imitative counterpoint?

A technique where one voice introduces a melody and others imitate it; perfected by Renaissance composers like Josquin

How did sacred music evolve from Middle Ages to Renaissance?

Middle Ages focused on chant and motets; Renaissance composers (e.g., Palestrina) emphasized smooth polyphony, clear text, and balance.

How was chant used in the Renaissance?

Still in liturgy, but often reworked into polyphonic masses and motets as cantus firmus or paraphrase

Who was Guillaume Dufay and why is he important?

Early Renaissance composer; integrated English consonance (thirds/sixths) into continental style; wrote cantus firmus masses.

What was Josquin des Prez known for?

Master of imitative counterpoint and expressive motets (Ave Maria)

What role did Palestrina play in the Counter-Reformation

Wrote clear, reverent polyphony (Missa Papae Marcelli) aligning with Council of Trent reforms.

What was William Byrd’s contribution to Renaissance music?

English composer who wrote for both Catholic and Anglican traditions; developed keyboard and consort music.

What was Orlando de Lassus known for?

Lassus wrote over 2,000 works in many languages and genres (motets, madrigals, chansons, lieder), blending Italian lyricism, French elegance, and German depth.

What was the main historical role of music in the Renaissance?

Music reflected humanism, spread through the printing press, and moved beyond the church into courts, cities, and homes.

What was the dominant musical style of the Middle Ages?

Gregorian chant

What was the dominant musical style of the Renaissance?

Polyphony with imitative counterpoint, smoother harmonies, and greater attention to text clarity.

Which historical event shaped music in the Middle Ages?

The authority of the Church and monastic culture, which preserved and transmitted chant

What musical innovations appeared in the Middle Ages?

Staff notation (Guido of Arezzo), rhythmic modes, and early polyphony (organum).

What musical innovations appeared in the Renaissance?

Imitative counterpoint

John Dunstable Quam Pulchra

Parallel Intervals, Cadences, and Cansonance

Crises in the 14th Century

Black Plague & Papal Schism

Secular Music

Music not intended for religious use — often for entertainment, education, or courtly life. (Used songs by troubadours, trouvères, Minnesingers MA) (Madrigals (Italy, England), chansons (France), lieder (Germany) REN)

Sacred Music

Music written for religious purposes, usually tied to the Church. Gregorian chant (monophonic, modal, unaccompanied). Gregorian Chant, Early polyphony (organum, motets), Used in Mass and Divine Office

REN (Example composers: Dufay (cantus firmus Masses), Josquin (motets), Palestrina (clear sacred polyphony), Byrd (Latin masses, Anglican anthems), Lassus (hundreds of motets))