Studied by 27 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
Epitaph of Seikilos
An ancient Greek musical composition from the 1st century, notable for being one of the oldest surviving examples of written music.
Politics
The activities associated with governance, which influenced the development of music and its role in society during historical periods.
Republic
A form of government that was significant in ancient Rome, impacting cultural and musical developments.
Pythagoras
An ancient Greek philosopher known for his contributions to music theory, particularly the mathematical ratios of musical intervals.
Tetrachords
A series of four notes in ancient Greek music theory, foundational to the understanding of scales and harmony.
Die institutione musica
A treatise by Boethius that discusses music theory and its philosophical implications in the medieval period.
Plainchant
A form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song of the Roman Catholic Church, characterized by its free rhythm and modal melodies.
The Divine Office
A set of daily prayers and hymns in the Christian tradition, often accompanied by plainchant.
The Mass
A central act of Christian worship that includes specific musical settings, divided into the Mass Ordinary and Mass Proper.
Mass Ordinary
The parts of the Mass that remain the same each service, such as Kyrie, Gloria, and Credo.
Mass Proper
The parts of the Mass that change according to the liturgical calendar, including the Introit and Communion.
Saint Gregory
A pope traditionally credited with organizing the chant repertoire of the Church, known as Gregorian chant.
Antiphonal
A style of singing where two groups alternate in singing verses or phrases.
Responsorial
A manner of performance where a soloist sings a phrase and the choir or congregation responds.
Direct (manner of performance)
A style of chant performance where the entire choir sings together without alternation.
Syllabic
A style of setting text to music where each syllable corresponds to a single note.
Melismatic/melisma
A style of singing where multiple notes are sung for a single syllable of text.
Neumatic
A style of chant that uses a few notes per syllable, falling between syllabic and melismatic.
Recitation formula
A melodic formula used in chant for reciting text, often found in psalmody.
Psalmtone
A melodic formula used for singing psalms in the Divine Office.
Strophic
A song structure where the same music is repeated for each stanza of text.
Free form (chant)
A style of chant that does not adhere to strict rhythmic or melodic patterns.
Trope
An addition or alteration to an existing chant, often adding new text or music.
Sequence
A type of chant that follows the Alleluia in the Mass, characterized by a series of paired phrases.
Hildegard of Bingen
A 12th-century abbess and composer known for her mystical music and writings, including "Ordo Virtutum."
Scivias
A work by Hildegard of Bingen detailing her visions and theological insights.
Ordo Virtutum
A morality play composed by Hildegard of Bingen, featuring music and drama.
Church modes
Scales used in medieval music, each with distinct characteristics and emotional qualities.
Solmization (medieval)
A system of assigning syllables to notes in a scale, aiding in sight-singing and music education.
Goliards
A group of medieval poets and musicians known for their secular songs, often satirical in nature.
Chansons de geste
Epic poems that celebrate heroic deeds, often set to music in the medieval period.
Troubadours/Trobaritz
Poets and musicians from medieval southern France who composed lyric poetry and song.
Trouvères
Northern French counterparts to troubadours, known for their own style of lyric poetry and song.
Canso
A type of lyric poem or song composed by troubadours, often about courtly love.
Alba
A dawn song, typically lamenting the departure of lovers at daybreak.
Tenso
A poetic debate or dialogue between two troubadours, often set to music.
Fine amour
A concept of courtly love celebrated in the poetry and music of troubadours.
Minnesinger
German lyric poets and musicians of the medieval period, known for their songs of love and chivalry.
Crusade Song
Songs that reflect the themes and experiences of the Crusades, often with religious undertones.
Organum
The earliest form of polyphony, where a plainchant melody is accompanied by one or more additional voices.
Discantus style
A style of organ
Leoninus
A composer from the late medieval period known for his contributions to early polyphony. He was associated with the Notre Dame school of music and is recognized for his use of organum, a style that involves adding one or more voices to an existing chant. His works often feature rhythmic innovation and a focus on melodic lines.
Magnus Liber Organi
A key collection of 12th-century liturgical music by a notable composer, foundational to early polyphonic music. It highlights the evolution of organum and impacts later Western musical practices, showcasing the integration of sacred text and music while emphasizing harmony and melody in church music.
Collection of 2-voice settings for major feast days.
Included various settings for the same chant passages.
Structure was combination of plainchant, organum, and discant
Perotinus
a prominent composer of the late 12th and early 13th centuries, associated with the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He is recognized for his contributions to early polyphony, particularly in the development of 3- and 4-voice organum, which includes styles such as organum duplum, triplum, and quadruplum. Perotinus was likely trained as a singer under Leoninus and is celebrated for his mastery of discant style, where multiple voices move in a more rhythmic and structured manner, often featuring long, unmeasured notes in the tenor voice. His notable work, "Vidunt omnes," exemplifies his innovative use of modal rhythm and complex polyphonic textures.
Clausula
a self-contained section of an organum, characterized by a discant style that is more consonant than traditional organa. It features short phrases and lively pacing, often serving as a substitute for the original chant setting. Clausulae can include repeated rhythmic motives in the tenor, contributing to coherence in the music, and they became significant in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Saint Augustine
A prominent theologian and philosopher of the 4th century, made significant contributions to the understanding of music, particularly in its relationship to poetry and mathematics. In his work, the treatise "De musica," Augustine analyzed poetic meters and their musical qualities, referring to them as "sounding numbers." He identified six rhythmic modes that correspond roughly to the arrangement of long and short syllables found in ancient Latin verse.
Rhythmic Modes
LB 2. BL 3. LBB 4. BBL 5.LL 6. BBB
These systems consist of specific combinations of long and short notes, often associated with poetic meter. They were foundational in the development of Western music notation and influenced the structure of compositions during the Middle Ages. Examples include the patterns of long and breve, and they were used to create a sense of meter and flow in vocal music.
Motet
polyphonic choral composition that emerged from the troped repertory of clausulae. It featured upper voices with Latin or French texts, utilized chant material in the tenor voice as the cantus firmus, and were composed for both liturgical and nonliturgical purposes. This versatility marked a significant evolution in the genre, allowing for greater creative expression beyond church music.
Franconian motet
A Franconian motet is a medieval musical form characterized by multiple independent melodies sung simultaneously, typically used in religious contexts. It evolved from earlier chant traditions and is notable for its rhythmic complexity and use of textural variation.
What is a type of polyphonic vocal composition from the 13th to 15th centuries, often featuring sacred themes and intricate counterpoint?
A Franconian motet
Conductus style
characterized by 2- to 4-voice settings of rhymed, metrical, strophic Latin poems that typically address sacred or serious topics. It is distinct from Notre Dame polyphony, featuring newly composed melodies in the tenor voice. All voices sing the text together in the same rhythm, creating a nearly homorhythmic quality, and it primarily employs syllabic text setting. Additionally, the style includes caudae, which are melismatic passages that occur at the beginning, end, or before significant cadences. Typically used in the context of sacred music, it combines elements of chant and early polyphony, allowing for expressive and improvisational performance. This style emerged in the 12th century and played a significant role in the development of Western music
Ars Nova
A musical style that emerged in the 14th century, characterized by more complex rhythms and the use of polyphony. It marked a shift from the previous medieval practices, allowing for greater expression and innovation in composition. Key features include the use of isorhythm and the development of secular music. Notable composers from this era include Guillaume de Machaut and Francesco Landini, who contributed to the evolution of polyphonic song.
Speculum musica
to a medieval treatise on music theory, often attributed to the 14th-century theorist Jacobus of Liege. This work discusses various aspects of music, including notation, scales, and the mathematical relationships between musical intervals. It serves as an important historical document that reflects the understanding of music theory during the medieval period, particularly in relation to the practices and developments of polyphony and the use of instruments. The work is significant for its influence on music education and theory in the Middle Ages.
Isorhythm
a musical technique where a tenor (the foundational voice) is structured using segments of identical rhythm, which may recur multiple times within a piece. This method produces a motet characterized by "equal rhythm" or "imperfect rhythm." In isorhythmic motets, two key components are involved: the "talea," which is the repeating rhythmic unit, and the "color," which is the recurring segment of melody. This approach allows for the creation of complex rhythmic patterns, particularly prominent in the 14th century, extending practices from earlier musical forms like the Notre Dame clausulae. Isorhythm enables singers to grasp the shape of the music, facilitating memorization and performance.
Talea
The repeating unit of rhythm
Color
the recurring segment of melody
Roman de Fauvel
a narrative poem that satirizes political corruption, both secular and ecclesiastical. It was apparently written as a warning to the King of France. The character Fauvel symbolizes a world turned upside down, and his name is an acrostic representing the sins he embodies: Flattery, Avarice, Villainy, Variété, Envy, and Lâcheté. The poem, created around 1317, is notable for its illuminated manuscript format and includes 169 pieces of music interspersed within the text. Most of the music is monophonic, featuring a range from Latin chants to secular songs, and includes 34 motets, which showcase early examples of the Ars Nova style. One significant motet from the work is "Cum statua/Hugo, Hugo/Magister invidie" by Philippe de Vitry, which employs a structured musical form with a tenor and three statements of the color, divided into equal parts that align with the talea.
Guillaume de Machaut
Note 
Flashcard (106)