Lecture 5 Early Music

Terms Minnesingers alba pastourelle strophic form estampies organum melismas motet Ars antiqua Ars nova

More Terms ars isorhythm hocket

Objectives Hear how elements and structures of music were typically used in the Middle Ages Identify and follow principle types of music written in the Middle Ages: plainchant, troubadour songs, Notre Dame organum, and ars nova motets

When? 476 C.E. (A.D.) or the fall of the Roman Empire to What do you know about this period? Seen anything in movies?

Stuff you should know Europe was invaded all the time. Huns, Goths, Vikings, Mongols, Islamic armies. European access to international commerce and communication dropped off. So the economy shifted to feudalism Mass migration, invasions, famine, plagues. Average person lived in primitive brutal conditions Greco-Roman advances lost.

General Observation Polyphony and music notation were the major musical achievements of the era.

Plainchant Roman Catholic Church was the primary patron of all things musical. Standardized liturgy led to a standardized was of writing music, called notation. By 1000 music was notated. Singing heightened speech to the glory of God.

Plainchant Characteristics Called “plain” because it is an unaccompanied, monophonic, unmetered, and non-rhythmic. Not constructed on major/minor system Modes around D(Dorian), E(Phrygian), F(Lydian), G(Mixolydian). Describe the mood of In Paradisum Look for characteristic uses of musical elements.

Characteristics Smooth legato melody Moderate dynamic level Monophony Easy tempo Mode is Mixolydian

But what is most striking is what is not there... Lack of meter Lack of strong cadences Lack of clear symmetrical phrase relationships Creates floating otherworldlyness, passionate yet serene.

Next... Recitation Vere dignum Simplification of melody. Text is more important rather than mood. Greater rhythmic feeling. Solo. Mode is Dorian

Plainchant sequence Columba aspexit Series of short melodies sung twice. Once by the soloist, once by the choir and modified. Drone. A A’

Music at Court 12th and 13th century. Troubadours in southern France, Trovères in northern France and Minnesingers in Germany. All were of noble birth Jongleurs were song writers of common station. Alba was a “dawn song”. Pastourelle, seduction song of knight on horseback and a maiden.

Evolution of Polyphony Organum is the earliest type of polyphony (900) Tradition plainchant with another person singing a different tune at the same time to the same words. Polyphony “evolved” in the period between

Evolution Each note accompanied by another single note (counterpoint). Parallel organum. Same interval same melody. Then the lines became more independent Then they started to embellish. The embellishments became so many that the original tune became long a drawn out. Then two counterpoints were added. Then then it was metered

The two organum guys in Paris, Léonin Pérotin Lets listen to Alleluia. Diffusa gratia. Melisma

Later Medieval Polyphony After 1200 polyphony distanced itself from the church. Upper lines given their own words. Now they were called a Motet from the french word ‘mot or word.

Ars Nova Started around 1300 with “new heights” of sophistication in motet writing. This motet writing was known as the “new technique” or Ars Nova and the old was organum or Ars Antiqua. Turbulent time in the world Rhythm was the main pre-occupation of the composers most notably...

Guillaume de Machaut (c ) The Motet “Quant et moi” Based on plainchant, played underneath the singers in this case by a viol. Isorhythm-successive lengthy passages to identical rhythms but to different melodies. Hocket is a hiccup.