Lesson 2

Music in the Medieval and Renaissance Era

I. Music in Ancient Greek

• For religious ceremonies

II. Music in Ancient Rome

• Succeed the art music from Greece
• Christian Church raised while Roman Empire declined

III. Gregoian Chant / Plain Chant (Pope Gregorian II, 8th century)
• 1st survives manuscripts
• were collected from 11th – 13th century
• Monophonic Texture

IV. Mass
• Proper Mass and Ordinary Mass
The High Mass
Proper Ordinary
Introductory *Introit
Kyrie
Gloria
Collects
Epistle
*Gradual
*Alleluia / *Tract
Liturgy of the Word Sequence
Gospel
[Sermon]
Credo
*Offertory
Preface
Sanctus
Litrgy of the Eucharist Agnus Dei
*Communion
Post-Communion
Ite, missa est
* Principal musical portions of the Proper Mass

[Gregorian Chant – Mass for Christmas Day: Kyrie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj2xbwtc0h8

V. Notation

VI. Performing style

• Responsory or Respond

• Melismas: Long melody without text or with one or a few text.

• Sequence: an extended or additional texted melody

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VII. Medieval Music Theory

• Church Modes

i. 8 Modes in a diatonic octave built on the final

ii. *Final and Tenor (2nd characteristic note)

• Final: Step of a mode that is the normal closing not of a Plain Chant or
Tenor part

• Tenor (to hold):

1. Voice part that holds a long note, or the music for that
part.
2. Voice whose compass is approximately from c’ to g”.
3. Reciting tone, or repercussio, in a mode or plain chant

iii. Identified in numbers and grouped in pairs

1. odd-numbered modes: authentic (1. D, 3. E, 5. F, 7. G)
2. even-numbered modes: plagal

VIII. Secular Music in the Medieval Time

1. Goliard songs (11th – 12th century)
• Monophonic songs, texts were in Latin
• Subject: interest to young men of time: wine woman and satire
• Modern settings: Carmina burana by Carl Orff

2. Conductus (11th – 13th century)

• Monophonic songs, texts were in Latin
• Serious non-liturgical Latin song

3. Troubadours (south of France) and Trouvères (north of France) (13 th

c.)
• Poet-composers, inventors of songs
• Simple ballads and ballads in dramatic style or dance songs
• Political and moral subject

[Jeu de Robin et de Marion by Adam de la Halle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFE41w4hX_s

• Rondeau: unison choral refrains ABaabAB

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IX. Medieval Instrumental Music and Instruments

• Strings: Harp, Vielle (bowed, later: Viols), Organistrum (like
hurdy-gurdy), Lute (pluck)

• Winds: Flutes, recorders, Shawn (reed instruments, like oboe),

Slide trumpets, Cornetts, Sackbuts (trombone)

• Percussions: Kettle drums, small bells, cymbals

• Keyboard: Church Pipe Organ, early Harpsichord and Clavichord

[Cantigas de Santa Maria]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVAg0uNADwc

X. Beginning of Polyphony Music (13th century)

• To embellish and elaborate some plain chants (improvised)

• Heterophony: doubling at the third, fourth, fifth

XI. Organum
• Parallel Organum: Plain songs melody in the “principal voice” is
duplicated at a fifth or a fourth below.

• Free organum: contrary motion

[Alleluia Justus ut palma]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgWaz78yuGg

XII. Notre Dame Organum (Paris, France in 12th century)

• Rhythmic Modes: [ref. Grout: p. 79]

• Léonin and Pérotin

• Melismatic Organum: steady long note-against-note style

[Alleluia Pascha nostrum] NAWM 16, CD 1, Tr. 32 – 41

• Organum Duplum (Léonin)

• Clausula: a grammatical close; a close part of a melismatic chant.

• Triplum and Quadrulum (Pérotin)

[Sederunt by Pérotin]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngCRm7uLirA

Polyphonic Conductus
• Motet: Polyphonic vocal composition, most often on a sacred text.

XIII. The Ars Nova in France (13th century)

• Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300 – c. 1377)
- Wrote many motets and Chansons (songs)
- formes fixes (fixed forms) in Mass: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Santus,
Agnus Dei

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[Misa de Notre Dame (Kyrie) by G. de Machaut]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOVsY1rxJB8

• Isorhythm: Repettion in a voice part (usually the Tenor) of an

extended pattern of durations throughout a section or an entire
composition.

[Motet from Roman de Fauvel by Philippe de Vitry (1291 – 1361)]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_kXo_dK_Cs

MUSIC OF THE ENGLAND AND BURGUNDY IN THE 15TH CENTURY

English Sacred and Secular Art Music
♪ Connection with folk style.
♪ Leaned toward major tonality as opposed to the modal system.
♪ Rather homophonic
♪ Use of parallel 3rds.

Old Hall Manuscript

♪ Large number of the repertory in Mass Ordinary, Motets, Hymns and
Sequences.
♪ Use of Plain Chant melodies in the inner voices.
♪ 4-parts voices with Cantus Firmus in the tenor line

Cantus Firmus:
A preexistent melody used as the basis of a new polyphonic composition

Burgundies Music
Guillaume Dufay (ca. 1400 – 1474)
♪ Court chapel musician of Burgundy (Choir master and Composer)
♪ Composition of Mass, Motets, Magnificats and secular Chansons
♪ His own melody as the cantus firmus
♪ Cantus Firmus Mass
[Guillaume Dufay - Missa L'Homme Armé]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdPKFMWNon0

MUSIC OF THE RENAISSANCE

From Italy: revival of Greek ideals
Music
♪ 3rd and 6th intervals became consonance
♪ Just intonation – Method of tuning that affords both perfect and imperfect
consonances in their purest form as demonstrated by simple ratios of their
frequencies, such as 3:2 for the perfect fifth and 5:4 for the major third.
♪ Musical cultural center shifted from France to Italy.

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◆ Italian architecture – chapel – talented singers – business, trading, less

war…

Music Printing
♪ Petrucci (1466 – 1539) – Music publisher, Printing technique from China
and perfected in Europe.
♪ Published music – Music instructions (Late 15th century)

Johannes Ockeghem (1420 – 1497)

♪ French composer, singer
♪ 13 Masses, 10 Motets, 20s Chansons.
♪ Use of imitation: Canon

Josquin des Prez (ca. 1440 – 1521)

♪ “The best composer of all time”, “The master of notes” – Martin Luther.
♪ Singer at Milan Cathedral: 1459 – 72, 1486 – 94)
♪ Compositions: 18 Masses, 100s Motets, 70s secular vocal works.
♪ Imitation Mass: Fugal imitations.
[De profundis clamavi ad te]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iORwtA6R9Jk

Franco Flemish Generation (1520 – 1550)

♪ New Types and forms of vocal music
♪ Instrumental music increased, affected the changing character of vocal
music.
♪ Continuous contrapuntal style
♪ Multiple voice part writing

Adrian Willaert (ca. 1490 – 1562)

♪ Experimenting in chromaticism and rhythm.
♪ Text determines every dimension of musical form.
Madrigal: [Aspro core e selvaggio]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCgbHmQzo2E

RISE OF NATIONAL STYLES

Italian Madrigal
♪ Frottola: Italian strophic song, homophonic.
♪ More than 4 parts, poetic text, sentimental / pastoral poetry
♪ Later: Women’s vocal ensembles
♪ Claudio Monteverdi

French Madrigal
♪ Pierre Attaingnant
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♪ Orlando di Lasso

Germen Lied
♪ Heinrich Isaac (ca. 1450 – 1517) Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jduUFCPl_es

English Madrigal and Lute Song

♪ “Fa-la-la” Thomas Morley: Now is the Month of Maying
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NPFUz-kIu4

Other vocal Genres:

♪ Villanella – peasant song / canzon villanesca
♪ Canzonetta – little songs
♪ Balletto (Ballad)
♪ Lute Songs – solo voice accompanying by lute
John Dowland: Flow, my tears
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3REIVlo2Ss

Instrumental Music
♪ Adapted vocal music to be played by instruments, accompanying vocal
music
♪ Books of instrumental instructions
♪ Consort: Ensemble
 Broken Consort: Lute, Flute, Viols, 4 – 7 instruments
 Instrumental music / accompanying vocal music
[Unto the Prophet Jonah I Read]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m80DTT3iNqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soqw5oSdkVs

Pierre Attaingnant: Danseries a 4 Parties NAWM 46, CD 3 Tr. 8 – 9

♪ Instruments: recorder, viols, flute, lute, vihuela (Spanish), organ,
harpsichord, clavichord
♪ Improvisatory: Toccata

William Byrd (1543 – 1623): Pavana Lachrymae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIW00hNwkgo

Musical Form:
♪ Canzona: chanson/instrumental: light fast moving, rhythmic
♪ Dance music: Ballet
♪ Pavane (slow, in 4) and Galliard (fast in 3) – in pair
♪ Ricercare: use of imitation, small scale
♪ Sonata: not definite, only refer to instrumental music
♪ Variations: use of ostinato
♪ Fantasia: Large-scale imitation.
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[John Dowland: Farewell]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQgY1bz-GTo

MUSIC IN THE LATE RENAISSANCE

Reformation of the Religion: Lutheran liturgy (1517)
♪ Music text: use German translation instead of Latin.
♪ German Mass: omitted Gloria, add recitation text
♪ German Hymns replaced most of the Proper and Ordinary sections
♪ Chorale: 4 parts, mostly new tunes, sing in SATB, Soprano melody, other
harmonized.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525/6 – 1594)

♪ Kidnapped to Palestrina to be a choir boy
♪ Musical education in Rome
♪ Became choir master at the Cappella Giulia at St. Peter in 1551 for Pope
Julius III
♪ Became the most important composer before Bach: Counterpoint
♪ Mastering Franco-Flemish composers style
♪ Multiple vocal part writing: 5 – 8 parts
♪ Clear text

Pope Marcellus Mass: Credo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cuk9bRa8zo

Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 – 1611): Spanish composer

O magnum mysterium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xPh-fXYAc4

Other masterpieces of art

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Michelangelo%27s_Pieta_5
450_cropncleaned_edit.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo#/media/File:%27David%27_by_Michela
ngelo_JBU0001.JPG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo#/media/File:CAPPELLA_SISTINA_Ceiling.
jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation_of_Adam#/media/File:Creaci%C3%B3
n_de_Ad%C3%A1n_(Miguel_%C3%81ngel).jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Last_Judgement_by_Mic
helangelo.jpg