Western Music History I - Quiz 2

Imitative

Voices imitating the same motif, points of imitation

Madrigal

Highly sophisticated part-song mirroring the imagery and content of a poem

• highest embodiment of humanistic teaching, imitating human passions

• taking poems by famous/well established poets and setting to music, sentimental or erotic themes

• never less than 4 voices

• sonnets/free form, homophonic and contrapuntal textures to convey text

• through composed- no repetition, just keeps going

• “A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke” by Thomas Morley

Printing press 1501

Made music innovations explode

• music accessible to amateurs for their own pleasure

• printed music sold as a commodity

• higher demand for music in the vernacular (common) language

• music became activity for middle class social groups, a “social grace”

Spanish Villancico

The most important Spanish secular polyphonic song

• King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella encouraged uniquely Spanish music in campaign to unify Spain

• Rustic and peasant subjects and pastoral themes, idealized themes of rural landscapes and people

• Consumed by and composed for aristocrats

Balleto

Casual light poetry with simple verses

• “Fa la las”

• Homophonic verses with same melody different lyrics, variety within the Fa la la chouruses

Haul (“High”)

Instrument classification with high volume

• Wind instruments, better for outdoors

Bas (“Low”)

Instrument classification with low volume

• String instruments, better for indoors

Consorts

Instrument families

• Viola da gamba: from medieval viols, held between the legs and generally 6 strings and has frets, underhand bow hold

• Violin: descends from medieval fiddles, first appears fretless and with 3 strings early 16th century, 4 strings in 17th

• Plucked cordophone: Lute, vihuela in Spain and viola de mano in Italy

• Aerophones: cornett, sham, recorder, crumhorn, sackbut

Functional dances

Melody on the upper part and the rest accompany in homophony, chordally

• 2-3 short sections that repeat

Stylized dances

Abstract music for listening for solo instruments, background music

• Lute, keyboard

Intabulations

Arrangements of vocal music for lute or keyboard

• Idiomatic to each instrument

Variations

16th century innovation, varied presentations of a theme:

• A tune, bass line, harmonic plan, melody with accompaniment

Canzonas

Transcriptions of French chansons, alternating successive sections of imitative polyphony and homophony

Note against note organum

A polyphonic composition (eleventh to early twelfth centuries) based on plainchant in which the new voice is added above the original voice

• the voices move in a mixture of contrary, oblique, similar and parallel motion

• most of the resultant intervals are fourths, fifths, unisons and octaves.

“Alleluia Justus ut Palma”

From Ad organum faciendum (On Making Organum)

• Based on plainchant of the same name

• Model on how to improvise note-against-note organum

• Gradual: part of the proper of the mass, changes according to liturgical calendar

“Viderunt omnes”

Léonin

• Notre Dame organum

• Discant section- extended passages with 1-3 notes in upper part per tenor note, improvised polyphony moving at the same speed, beginning of rhythmic modes and patterns

• Gradual for Christmas day

• Léonin the first known significant composer of polyphonic organum, lived and worked in Notre Dame cathedral, wrote Magnus liber organi (The Great Book of Organum)

Notre Dame Cathedral and University

School of polyphony

• rhythmic modes

• 12th-14th centuries

• development of rhythmic modes

“Cum statua”

Philippe de Vitry

• ISORHYTHMIC MOTET

• Ars Nova: new notation, new isorhythmic motets, Chansons, all secular, not based on Gregorian chants

• performed at gatherings and at the courts, faculty and students at universities

• duple meters, notes can be grouped in 2s and 3s

• time signatures

Motets

• 13th century, new practice of taking discant sections and setting new words in the top voice part

• new words are a “trope”

• bottom part preserved exactly from original discant section in the chant

“Ave Maria … virgo serena”

Josquin De Prez

• imitative: voices imitating the same motif, points of imitation

• focus on the clarity of the text, music illustrates the text

• 3rds! Meter changes!

• form of the poem determines form of the music

• pitch organization

Medieval “Ars Nova” polyphony VS. High Renaissance polyphony

• Ars Nova: Notes can be divided into three or two equal parts, discant sections and rhythmic modes, keeping original plainchat, isorhythmic, mensural notation

• High Renaissance: clarity of text, imitative counterpoint, 3rds and 6ths, secular music, artistic word painting, modal theory

Mensural notation

Notation system based on duratioin

• Ars Nova and Philippe de Vitry

• rhythmic modes

“Solo e pensoso”

Luca Marenzio

• sonnet by Petrarch, “Alone and pensive” man fleeing to a hiding place from Cupid

• through-composed, never repeats

• chromaticism, tone painting

• mountains depicted by leaps, rivers by 8th note runs, darting eyes by jagged melody

“My bonny lass she smileth”

Thomas Morley

• Ballett (English version of Italian baletto)

• lighthearted mood and sly wit are nicely matched by the musical setting

• poet speaking to his beloved, then addresses her directly asking her to smile less and look at him less directly or he will burn up with passion

• repeated melody in verses with different lyrics

Instrumental Renaissance music

• From 1450 on, more frequently written down

• Dance music (functional, stylized)

• Abstract music (intabulations, variations, canzonas)

“Pavane and Galliard”

From Danserye

Tielman Susato

• dance music, functional

• pavane (slow dance) followed by galliard (vigorous)

• binary form: two repeated sections, standard by 17th-18th century

Pavane

Dignified court dance in duple meter, usually 3 repeated sections

Galliard

(Italian gagliarda “vigorous”) Kicks and jumps, same form as pavane but in triple meter

“Canzon septimi toni a 8”

From Sacrae symphoniae

Giovanni Gabrieli

• an Italian composer end of 16th century, working for Dutch of Venice

• Royals supported the arts as a display of power

• instruments not indicated (likely violin and cornet in 1st and 2nd top parts, sackbut in lower parts, organ doubling)

• 1st and 2nd choirs in separate places, playing with church acoustics with the large domes, cori spezzati

• each section has different melodic material, but variation or repetition may occur

• some sections imitative some homophonic

Cori spezzati

Divided choirs of voices/instruments