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II. The Polyphonic Period (800 - 1600)
A. Early stages of polyphonic music 1. the beginning of polyphony in the 9th C. is the most significant innovation in the entire history of music 2. polyphony is the concept of more than one single melodic line at a time
B. Organum - term is applied to various types of early polyphony; began @ 9th C. singing sacred melody in two parts 4 or 5 notes apart 1. Types of organum a. Parallel organum - consists of two voice parts moving in parallel motion a 4th or 5th apart. b. Converging parallel organum - two voice parts begin on a unison pitch, then while one voice remains stationary, the other voice moves until an interval of a 4th is reached. Both voices then move in parallel motion, converging back to a unison pitch at the end of each phrase. c. Melismatic organum - this type of polyphony uses a Gregorian chant as a “tenor” in long, held out notes, above which another melody is added, with many notes against each “tenor” note. d. Free organum - advanced style that makes use of melodic independence and contrary motion in the voice parts.
C. The Ars Antiqua - refers to the period of the 12th & 13th C. a.k.a. the Middle Ages or Gothic period 1. General characteristics of the period a. Paris became the cultural center of the world b. was the time of the troubadours and trouveres, the late crusades, and the building of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe.
2. General characteristics of the music a. complete melodic and rhythmic independence was established b. octaves, unisons and fifths predominated c. triple time was used almost exclusively d. three and four part harmony began
3. Forms - free organum was used as well as new forms: a. Motet - most important form of this period - usually in 3-part - sometimes called the Paris motet or the 13th C. motet to distinguish it from the motet that developed later in the Renaissance period. Late in the 13th C. secular texts in French were used in all three voice parts b. Polyphonic Conductus - was used for festive occasions. Uses only a Latin text.
4. Important names a. Leonin - perhaps the 1st important composer in music history. Connected with the Notre Dame cathedral in the middle of the 12th C. He was the choirmaster at the cathedral. b. Perotin - was Leonin’s successor in the late 12th & early 13th C. c. Franco of Cologne - important writer and composer of the late 13th C. d. Pierre de la Croix - composer of motets in the late 13th and early 14th C.
D. The Ars Nova - music of the 14th C. - means “the new art”
1. General characteristics of the period a. great literary activity - Petrarch, Dante, and Chaucer b. period of trouble in the Church - dual papacy (Avignon & Rome) between 1378 & 1418 c. the “Hundred Years War” between France & England (1337 - 1453) d. Great Plague of the black death (1349) e. Italy shares musical leadership with France 2. General characteristics of the music a. predominance of secular music due to the trouble in the Church b. new polyphonic forms were added to old ones c. imitation & canon were employed extensively d. duple time dominates over triple time e. predominance of two-part writing, especially in Italy; 3- & 4-part polyphony was used mainly in France and England f. melodies became more decorated and florid g. harmonies made use of dissonance (two or more notes that sound harsh when sounded simultaneously)
3. Important names a. Philippe de Vitry - a French theorist and composer. Wrote an article entitled Ars Nova which dealt with expansion of systems of notation. b. Guillaume de Machaut - the foremost composer of the 14th C. c. Francesco Landini - a blind organist, is the greatest Italian composer of the 14th C.
4. French Ars Nova forms - most of the forms used by French composers in the 14th C. are a continuation of earlier forms of the Middle Ages a. Isorhythmic Motet - developed from the Paris motet of the 13th C. - a polyphonic composition of 3 or 4 parts. Rhythmically more complex than the Paris motet. b. Ballade - a secular, polyphonic form derived from the ballads of the troubadours. c. other forms used in French Ars Nova music are the virelai and the rondeau.
5. Italian Ars Nova forms - in Italy, new secular forms were developed. Very little sacred music was produced in Italy in this period. a. Madrigal - a two-part composition, the upper part is very florid and the lower part is very slow moving and often played on an instrument. Frequently uses imitation. b. Caccia - a hunting song. A long 3-part composition that uses canon in the upper two voices and an instrument on the lower part. c. Ballata - a poetic form consisting of several 6-line stanzas, each preceded and followed by a refrain.
E. The Netherlands Schools (15th C.) - in the 15th C. leadership in polyphonic development shifted from France and Italy to the Netherlands area. There were two “schools”: the Burgundian in the 1st half of the 15th C. and the Flemish in the 2nd half.
1. General characteristics of the period a. 15th C. represents the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance b. breakdown of feudalism - rise of the bourgeois (middle) class. c. France and England rise as national powers d. Leonardo da Vinci, Van Eyck, and Raphael - famous painters from this period |