Medieval Period (Middle Ages):
time period?
setting?
genres?
forms?
400-1400
world=fallen man=depraved
world sucks to deep ct it symbolically rather than realistically
stylistic descriptors are symbolic:
- monophonic-unity of the believers
function of music at this time=prayer
medieval genres:
- organum -Gaude Maria Virgo-notre dame school
- plain chant-kyrie-anonymous, and alleluia-hildegard of Bingen (woman!)
forms: aba-alluleuia, abc(tripartite)- kyrie
Plain Chant (Gregorian Chant)
- mostly by “anonymous”
- traditional music of the Catholic Church
- unaccompanied, vocal, monophonic, mostly latin
- passed down by oral tradition-listen, repeat learning and then put in musical notation later
- legend says it was given to pope Gregory by a dove (the Holy Ghost or god), but it has been disproven as there was no musical notation during the time of pope Gregory
examples to know Kyrie and alleluia
Kyrie
means “lord have mercy on us”
ordinary chant
non metrical, melismatic, range of an octave (narrow).
form=aaa,bbb,ccc tripartite form
Alleluia
by Hildegard of Bingen a talented woman who ran a nunnery and received revelation and then composed beautiful music.
-means praise the lord
-proper chant
-not Gregorian because we know who wrote it but it is plain chant
-mselismatic, acapella, monophonic, nonmetrical, expanded range (ecstatic gesture)-octave and a half
-ABA form
-impassioned and emotional quality
Organum
acapella, new melodies layered on top of a plain chant=polyphonic texture
within an octave or just outside it: narrow range
long-short rhythms, melismatic
written in notre dame cathedral in Paris by anonymous
1 chant with long sustained notes (Drone)= 1+faster moving melodies (ies)
example to know: Gaude Maria Virgo
Gaude Maria Virgo
praising Mary’s holiness, virginty, and role
organum>monophonic>organum
1st section: gaude maria
2nd section virgo heresies sola interemisti
nonmetric
no beat, free rhythms
monophonic
everyone sings the same melody
acapella
only voices: “in the manner of the chapel”
all plain chant is in latin except..
kyrie which is in greek
oral transmission
taught by sound and listening and wasn’t notated for a long time
polyphonic
multiple melodies simultaneously
metric
has a rhythmic pattern(ex: for organum: long short, long short, long short, etc.
Genre
a category of music determined by style
Renaissance Period
when?
goal of music?
composers?
genre?
form?
range?
1400-1600
world=beautiful mankind=noble so art=realistic music=beauty not just prayer
- rebirth of values of grecoroman culture, literature, sculpture, art, and music
- goal of music changed: Humanism-we like certain sounds and should create music that sounds good because of that
composers:
-farmer
-jusqen
-suzanto
-soprano, alto tenor, base=3 octave range: because of this music had increased resonance
- form for dance=binary: aa, bb,cc,dd
- Genres: Motet and madrigals: which were both acapella, imitative, vernacular
Renaissance Motet: Ave Mario Virgo Serena
Ave Maria….Virgo Serena
about Hail Mary!
Josquin des Prez
(ca. 1450/55-1521)
solemn and reverential
homophonic section at end highlights words:”mother of God, remember me!”
homorhythms in middle highlight:”Hali virginity, unspotted chastity, whose purification was our cleansing” groups of three beats =
divine perfection
the rest is imitative polyphony: triad harmonies
triple meter symbolizes the trinity 3 is holy
homorhythms: to emphasize this heartfelt appeal “mother of god remember amen.”
imitative polyphony with “ave Maria” “virgo Serena” dominus tecum”
- motet
- SATB
- a cappella
- imitative polyphony
- homorhythms (to
emphasize the text) - steady beat
- varied rhythms
Madrigal- Fair Phyllis
John Farmer
(c. 1570-1603)
Farmer: Fair Phyllis (1599)imitative polyphony and homophony (same textures as the motet)
biggest difference from the motet:
- in vernacular language so its secular
- lively rhythms
text painting: Expression!
—text painting (word painting): see screen shot for examples in this song
- secular vocal genre
- SATB
- a cappella
- vernacular language
- imitative polyphony
- steady beat
- lively rhythms
fell a kissing (embarrassing sounding)
Ronde: Three Dances
Dances- a line or circle dance for couples
* outdoor (loud) ensemble
* three rondes
* binary form: aabb
* steady beat
* lively rhythms
Tielman Susato: Three Dances
Dance #1
||: a :||: b :||
Shawm plays melody; tabor at repeat
at b other instruments join in
Dance #2
||: c :||: d :||
Cornetto plays melody; tambourine
Transition: Dance #1 (a)
Dance #3
||: e :||: f :||
Shawm plays melody again (higher, louder)
Coda: Dance #1 (b)
Loud (outdoor) instruments of the renaissance
cornetto: trumpet made of ivory with holes for fingers to cover, horn shaped (in middle dance)
shawm: ancestor of the oboe, wood long reed (double reeded)(in first and last dance)
dulcian-ancestor of the bassoon (double reeded)
Sackbut- ancestor of the trombone
tabor: side drum
Tamborine
soft (indoor) instruments of the renaissance
(not in our recordings)
lute: guitar with round back
most string instruments
recorder
Renaissance: 3 principles of musical beauty
- vocal sonority
- imitation
- harmony
Renaissance: vocal sonority
range expands and increases resonance
Vocal ranges: Renaissance polyphony
-surprano
- alto
-tenor
-base
Renaissance: imitation/imitative polyphony
see screen shot
Imitative polyphony is a musical texture where two or more melodic lines are similar in sound and shape, and they play simultaneously. The different parts of the melodic line interact to create a polyphonic texture.
Renaissance Harmony
dissonance?
consonance?
cadence?
HARMONY = two or more pitches sounding simultaneously
CONSONANCE = a state of harmonic rest
DISSONANCE = a state of harmonic tension
- consonance: the triad
triad (notes C, E, and G) - consonance
predominant; dissonance
carefully controlled
CADENCE = a “punctuation mark” in music, marking the end of a
phrase or a section
