Chapter 3: Music in the 14th Century Flashcards
Characteristics of 14th century music
Regionalism (vernacular replaced latin texts, composers started writing music in native languages)
Individualism (Composers became less anonymous, connecting their works to their names)
Duple meter became legitimized
Characteristics of Ars Nova
Enhanced rhythmic flexibility:
- Increased use of minim and semiminim
- Duple meter was legitimized
- Use of red ink to indicate imperfect rhythmic values (divisions of 2)
Famous people of Ars Nova (“new art”)
Phillipe de Vitry: Author of the ars nova treatise. Developed isorhythm.
Guillaume de Machaut: Messe de Notre Dame (first known complete Ordinary mass). Isorhythmic motets.
Theorist: Johannes de Muris. Wrote ars novae musicae “The new art of music”
Criticism towards Ars nova
Pope John XXII- believed that rhythmic flexibility was disturbing to the divine office
Theorist Jacques de Liege- believed ars nova was indulgent, immodest and sensual
Isorhythmic tenor
A fixed rhythmic and melodic pattern repeated over the course of the work.
Idea of taking a section of music and changing it; rhythm and melody would be separated, and would be repeated throughout the piece in different segments
Talea: The rhythmic pattern
Color: The melodic pattern
Used by Guillaume de Machaut and Philippe de Vitry
Isorhythm
A musical technique that arranges a fixed pattern of pitches with a repeating rhythmic pattern
3 forms of French secular song (Formes fixes)
Ballade: 3 strophes of 7-8 lines each, the last of which is a refrain. Most melismatic. Machaut’s “je puis trop bien ma dame comparer”.
Virelai: AbbaA. Refrain is sung at beginning and end of each strophe. Syllabic.
Rondeau: 8 lines of text set to music. ABaAabAB
Ars subtilior
“The more subtle art”
Obscure movement instigated by rich, elitist gentlemen who fancied themselves as composers
Characteristics: special note shapes (swirls), puzzle-like notation, notational inconsistencies (same note values changing through the piece)
3 forms of Italian secular song (The Trecento)
Ballata: Similar to French Virelai. AbbaA. Polyphonic, 3 strophes.
Madrigal: 2-3 strophes, each with 3 lines. Contrasting meter; strophes in duple, triple meter ritornello at end of each strophe. End of individual lines are set to elaborate melismas.
Caccia: Replaced madrigal at the end of 14th century. Texts deal with lively scenes such as fires, and the bustling marketplace. Usually written for 3 voices, with 2 canonic upper parts and an independent tenor Ended with ritornello. Could be monophonic, polyphonic or canonic.
Famous composers of the 14th Century Trecento (AKA Italian Ars nova)
1) Francesco landini: Blind. Organist in Florence. 140 ballate (pl. for ballata)
2) Jacopo Da Bologna: Wrote mostly madrigals for 2 voices. Wrote treatise on mensuration; l’arte del biscanto misurato
3) Lorenzo Da Firenze: Studied with Landini. 7 monophonic ballate, 10 madrigals, 3 voice caccia, and 2 mass movements
4) Johannes Ciconia: Motets, mass movements and variety of songs
Famous composers of French secular song Formes fixes
Guillaume de Machaut, Philippe de Vitry
Tempus
The relationship of the breve to the semibreve. When perfect, there are 3 semibreves to every breve; if imperfect, there are 2.
Prolatio
The relationship of the semibreve to the minim. When perfect, there are 3 minims to each semibreve; when imperfect, there are 2.
Messe de Nostre Dame (“Mass of our lady”) by Guillaume De Machaut
Only 14th century polyphonic setting of the complete Mass Ordinary known to be written by a specific composer
The French secular songs (formes fixes) were both ________ and musical forms
The French secular songs (formes fixes) were both poetic and musical forms.
