Chapter 2: Polyphony to 1300 Flashcards
When was the peak of secular monophony?
11th and 12 century
When was the emergence of polyphony?
9th century
Polyphony
Having 2 or more voices
Musica Enchiriadis
First preserved reference of polyphony
Organum
Polyphonic work with an original plainchant and at least 1 voice above or below
Parallel organum: Organum where the additional voice runs on a constant 4th or 5th below the chant
Vox principalis and Vox organalis
The principal (original chant) and organal (additional) voice(s)
Ad organum faciendum (on the making of organum)
A treatise (1100) outlining the vox organalis above the vox principalis
John Cotton
Writer who recommended the switch between the organal and principal voices
Melismatic organum
Organum with multiple notes in the vox organalis over a single note in the chant
How was “tenor” derived?
Melismatic organum slowed down the pace of the original chant. “Tenere” means to hold. Tenor derives from the word, meaning “The voice that holds”
Notre Dame School composers
Leonin, Perotin
Different kinds of organum
Melismatic organum (aka free/unmeasured organum). duplum voices moves rapidly against the slower chant notes.
Measured organum (aka discant organum). Two voices move at the same speed in what is known as “note against note style”.
What was Perotin credited for?
Adding a third voice (triplum) and 4th voice (quadruplum)
What allowed composers to distinguish long and short notes in Leonin and Perotin’s time?
Rhythmic modes. Numbered 1-8
Magnus liber organi
“The great book of organum”. A compilation of the works that came out of the Cathedral of Notre Dame School of Polyphony.
Clausula
An independent, and optional (not meant to be sung on its own) segment that was meant to be inserted into the melismatic organum. Discant organum only for Gloria.
They led to the motet. Later on, a secular duplum was added to the motet.
Leonin
French Composer. Invented Notre Dame School
Responsorial chanting: solo/soloist would sing a line, and then the chorus would respond.
His use of responsorial chanting, free organum, and measured organum, depending on the nature of the original plainchant
Laying down the foundation for rhythmic modes
Motet
An unaccompanied sacred song with a “motetus”; a secular duplum voice.
Motetus
The secular texted duplum in a motet. A love song.
Polytextual motet
Two or more texts heads simultaneously; as a result, words were hard to distinguish. Characteristic feature of the 13th century motet.
Conductus
A sacred, yet non liturgical vocal composition of one or more voices. No borrowed pre-existing material. Freely composed poems written in metered verse.
Unlike the prevailing melismatic organum of the time, Voices moved in discant.
Cauda
A long melisma, characteristic at the end of a conductus piece.
Mensural notation
A notation system that assigned specific rhythmic meanings to each of the various note shapes.
Franco of Cologne
Outlined the principals of mensural notation.
Ars Cantus Mensurabilis
“The art of measurable song”, A text written by Franco of Cologne outlining his system of mensural notation
Franconian notation
A form of music notation that indicated the rhythm of a note by way of it’s shape, and not its relation to the other notes in the piece.
Main rhythms: Long, breve, and semi-breve
What was the tempus?
The tempus was the basic unit of measurement. The same duration of the breve.
e.g. a note 3 breves in duration= 3 tempora 3 semibreves (perfect) = 1 breve 2 unequal breves (imperfect) = 1 breve
Why were rhythmic values in franconian notation divided into divisions of 3 (perfect) and 2 (imperfect)?
Divisions of 3: Were “perfect” because they reflected the holy trinity (father son and holy spirit)
Divisions of 2: Were not “perfect”
Petronian notation
A refined form of the Franconian system outlined by Petrus de Cruce, a French composer and theorist.
Added more subdivisions to the breve; up to 9 “semibreves” for every breve.
Semibreves could be further split into minims and semiminims; minim= 1/3 or 1/2 a semibreve, but semiminim was always 1/2 a minim.
Punctus divisionis
dot used in perfect mensurations to separate groups of notes
Notre dame organum
The organum that emerged from the Notre dame school of polyphony composers.
Prolatio
The division of semi breves into minims
