Unit 2 Notes & Assignments

The Middle Ages 476AD – 1453 AD

Sacred Music

The most important unifying force during the middle ages was the Catholic Church

Liturgy of Roman Catholic Church

The most important form of sacred music was the Mass

Mass – Public Consumption

Ordinary                                                                                Proper

Kyrie                                                                                       Introit

Gloria                                                                                      Graduale

Credo                                                                                      Allelujah

Sanctus                                                                                    Communion

Agnus Dei

Hours of Divine Office – only in monasteries

Matins             Before daybreak

Lauds                          Sunrise

Prime               6:00 AM

Terce               9:00AM

Sect                 12:00 PM

None               3:00 PM

Vespers           Sunset

Compline         After Vespers

Characteristics of Plainchant

-          unaccompanied, monophonic

-          rhythmically free

-          modal

-          sung

Performance Styles

-          direct – choir, priest – sing as unit

-          responsorial – solo voice – response. Congregation.

-          Antiphonal – 2 or more choirs

Melodic Styles

-          syllabic – 1 note per syllable

-          neumatic – more than 1 note per syllable

-          melismatic – many notes per syllable

-          psalmatic – several syllables per note

Regional Chant

Byzantine – Byzantium – Asia minor

Gallicon – France

Sarum – England

Mozarabic – Spain

Ambrosian – Milan – Bishop Ambrose

Gregorian – Rome - Pope Gregory

Sources of Chant

Liber Usualis – most important collection highlights from both

Liturgical Drama

1)      Hildegard von Bingen – 1098-1179

2)      Monophonic

3)      Sometimes acted out in costume

4)      Tropes contributed to development abyss

Secular Music

a)      Conductus (originally monophonic, laree polyphonic) by 12^th century melodies were new.

Goliards – Roving students singing about wine women and satire.

Troubadores – Southern France

Trouveres – Northern France

Trovatore – Italy

Minne Singers – Germany

Jongleurs – Road musicians

Polyphony

            Parallel Organum – locked harmony – late 9^th century

            Free Organum – deviated somewhat at times 11^th

            Florid Organum radical departure from parallel early 12th

Guillame de Machaut ca. 1300-1377?

-          greatest French composer/poet of 14^th century

-          summed up era; wrote music of era better than anyone else.

-          mostly secular music

Messe de Notre Dame – 1364

-          earliest preserved polyphonic setting by one author as a unified form

Musica Ficta – false music

Using accidentals

Establish leading tone at a cadence

Avoid tritone/ harmonic tritone

The Renaissance – 1453-1600

-          rebirth of Ancient Greek culture and a new respect for learning the arts and humanities.

-          1453 – fall of E. Roman empire

-          1456 moveable type – first book printed was the Bible

-          1492 – Christopher Columbus

-          1501 – first music printed

-          1517 – reformation – 95 theses

-          1545-1563 – Council of Trent (counter reformation)

-         Renaissance Motet

-          Motet and Mass were the two types of sacred vocal music

-         Characteristics of Renaissance Motet

-          1.  Sacred Latin text other than the mass ordinary

-          2.  Polyphonic

-          3. Usually a capella

-          The only difference between motet and mass music was the text

-          Ottaviano de Petrucci, Venice Odhecaton

-         Characteristics of Renaissance style

-          Equality of voice and tone / music and text

-          Use of imitation

-          Harmonic conception – conceived with vertical harmony

-          Use of musica ficta

-          Modal Harmony

-          Rhythm

-          1. Free flowing in sacred works

-          Tone Painting – music which reflects the meaning of the text

-          The Reformation – 1517

-         Martin Luther

-          95 theses posted at the church of Vittenburg

-          The Chorale – most important musical contribution by Luther was the Lutheran Chorale

-          Text and tune

-          In Vernacular

-          Most Lutheran church music of the 17^th and 18^th century was an outgrowth of plainsong

-          Giovanni Pier Luigi de Palestrina – perfect model of modal counterpart; spent life in Rome; 102 masses; 450 motels; 56 spiritual madrigals; pope Julius II; Pope Marcellus

-         Secular Vocal Music after 1540

-          England – madrigal

-          Germany – lieder

-          Spain – villancico

-          Italy – frottola/madrigals

-          France – chanson

-         Characteristics of Renaissance secular vocal music

-          Usually a capella

-          Rhythmically strong

-          In Vernacular

-          Erotic or sentimental text

-          Sung by chamber choir

-         Instruments

-         Winds – woodwinds                        Winds – brasses

-          Recorder – no reed                                         cornetto – wood

-          Krumhorn                                                        sackbut

-          Racket – double reed                                      trumpet

-          Shawn                                                             trombone

-          Kortholt – capped reed                                   zinc – wood

-          Rauschpfeife – capped

-         Plucked Strings                                Bowed Strings

-          Lute – most important                                       viola da gamba

-          Theorbo                                                           viola da braccia

-          Cittern                                                             “both had frets and 6 strings”

-          Pandora – metal strings

-         Keyboards

-          Harpsichord

-          Virginal

-          Spinet

-          Portative organ

-          Regal

-         The most important form of vocal music was the madrigal.

-         Characteristics of madrigals:

-          More varied and vivid then motet

-          Sung in vernacular

-          More strongly rhythmic

-          Racy text

-          More then 2000 published between 1530-1630

-         Elizabeth Broken Consort

-          First time specific instruments were designated for specific parts of pieces.

Assignments

1.  Book Summary - p. 108-112

2.  Book Summary - p. 126-128

3.  WB Handout p. 40

4.  Listening Journals - (3)

Music - Link to Music for Listening Test

MIDDLE AGES

1.  Alleluia: Vidimus stellam                                                Tr. 61 - 63

2.  O successores - van Bingen                                               Tr. 64

3.  Alleluia: Nativitas - Perotin                                              Tr. 66

4.  Ecco la primavera - Landini                                              Tr. 67

5.  Agnus Dei from Messe di Notre Dame - Machaut              Tr. 68-70

RENAISSANCE

6.  Ave Maria - Josquin Desprez                                            Tr. 71-73

7.  Kyrie from Missa Papae Marcelli - Palestrina                 Tr. 74-76

8. As Vesta Was Descending -  Weelkes                            Tr. 77

9. Now Is The Month Of Maying -  Morley                        Tr. 78

10. Ricercar in the Twelfth Mode - Gabrielli                    Tr. 79 - 82                                                            

11.  The Most Sacred Queen Elizabeth, Her Galliard - Dowland         Tr. 83-