Classroom Deck Flashcards
context for the 8th and 9th century (west)
Charlemagne building up the Carolingian Empire
uniformity of ritual, music and language
beginnings of western Europe as we might understand it now
Concentor: Isidore of Seville (c.560-636) quote about categories of singer
‘A precentor is one who leads the voice in a song: while a succentor is one who responds by singing afterwards. Now he is said to be a ‘concentor’, who harmonizes: but he that does not harmonize, and does not sing together with others, will not be a ‘concentor’.
organum etymology
used first to denote a musical instrument in c.400
then a song of praise, psalm or book of
sound measured in ratios
rational order of sound
change in the 9th century - Beckow and Roesner (2001) Grove
vox organalis as independent moving voice allowing for different ways of shaping counterpoint
Musica Enchiriadis
handbook of science and understanding of music
music in the 10th century
knowledge of measuring well
measured sound that is rationally ordered
polyphony as beginning of symphonia concept - blended song
mode system in Enchiriadis
plainchant scale - two octave A-A with additional G at the bottom and potential Bb
greater perfect system
descending tetrachords in de institutione musica
less perfect system
descending tetrachords from A-A in T T S pattern
Hucbald 8 modes from tetrachord system
each mode has plagal mode starting 4th below
1 starting on A - protus
2 starting on B - deutrus
3 starting on C - trittus
4 starting on D - tetradus
Enchiriadis/Dasian scale
made up of Dasian signs
each note has a sign and set out intervals between
constructed over wider scale
tetrachords of the same quality
tetrachord of four final tones, which differ in quality, is repeated upwards and downwards
organum in Musica Enchiriadis
Dasian system
beginnings of concept of music today - lines, reading left to write
singing at fifth below]singing in fourths, fifths and octaves
organal voice never descending below boundry tone
variable fourths
diaphonic song in Musica Enchiriadis
different from organum - using dissonance
diaphony at the fourth as variable organum - all in fourths until tritone and then changes
singing dissonantly in concordant fashion
artistic
Scolica Enchiriadis
uses same scale
likely also from North-East France/Belgium
coming together in definitive form
some internal contradictions
vitia as pitch alterations in the tone series - introduction of the F#
singing at octave but with Dasien signs
similar concepts with slight shift in practice
implications for historical practice from Enchiriadis treatises
using teaching to decorate chants
illustrating with examples
perception while singing
genres of organum at the 4th - te deum, psalm 103, v.15
rex caeli
psalm 15 v.18
ferial office antiphons at 5th and 8th
sequence
sung after alleluia in the mass
Frankush cantor adding in own tunes
Notker’s sequence to Christmas day as one of the earliest
adding words to melisma over time
instrumental scales on C - de harmonica institutione (c.900’)
hinting at C system - other systems start start A
cithara of six strings tuning (and water organs C-C scale)
C, D, F, G, A
taking to vocal context these notes often used as starting notes^
opening sequences in Winchester Troper - not modern pitch so notated A was a c. notation from instruments
Bamburg treatise
continues Dasien scale and teaching
Enchiriadis scale and treatise
2 treatises - 1 scholarly teaching and 2 simpler
C and G boundary tones, introduces F (new)
selestat treatise
modal finals
Germany
10th century
inserted into organ pipe treatise
only organum at fifth and fourth
can use 2nd and 3rd but ‘unnatural’
Cologne treatise
modal finals
9th/10th century
self-standing at the end of another manuscript
hinting at simlper organum
unison modal finals
no lower than tone blow final
colon as longer phrase and comma as shorter
go in fourths until end
coming together at end of phrase
companion tones - tones one above and below the final for cadence
Paris treatise
not more than one below final
repetitions characteristic of sequence style
principle under organal voice
tritone
middle, higher and lower regions of organum
Guido of Arrezo Micrologus
2 octave A-A system
hard polyphony - 4ths and 5ths
soft polyphony - using other intervals
Bb means F used more
elongating cadence by extending through dissonance
relaxing rules of going into cadences
Office antiphon examples
chant varied according to word meaning
two types of alleluia melodies
earlier more like elaborate psalmody
larger body with more repetition - simple set of gestures with slight variation
Winchester Troper
1020s-1030s
Two manuscripts - one in Oxford (Bodley 775) and one in Cambridge (473). The latter contains the organum (without the chant notated) and the other contains the chants
originally from Old Minster in Winchester (New Minster next door later replaced by cathedral)
organum in the Winchester troper
variable lower fourth organum
voices can cross
prolonging cadences
reading difficulties with the Winchester Troper
ambiguity about neumes - what is notation and what is not
starting pitch hard to identify
some relation between the height of the neumes
letters giving clues to pitches
transcribing the Winchester Troper
Holschneider did the most
the ones with the most repetition as the most convincing as they evidence underlying rules
oriscus - vocal emphasis or repetition?
Bishop Aethelwold (d.984)
reforms
removes secular clergy from old and new minsters and installs monks
spreading Benedictine rule
reformed liturgy
pupil Wulfstan composed and made another work on the harmony of tones, author of tropes
973 - Regularis concordia
sanctioned by the Council of Winchester
based on customs of Fleury and Ghent
expanded Benedictine ritual and rule
Fleury had own polyphony which links closely to Winchester
Winchester CCC473 order
chants by soloists, Alleluias, TRopes, Sequences and organa arranged by liturgical order and genre
174 organa copied separately from their chant
when would polyphony be sung (1020s)
feasts - festal occasions
Temporale - christ’s life
sanctorale - individual saints
ritual and elaboration for high days
Schneider Winchester transcription
organum above the chant
variant heteropony
5th and 8th interval
assumed scribe made errors
lack of uniformity
Jammers Winchester transcription
lower fourth as predominant interval
unison as favoured final sound, more rarely the lower fourth when voices run parallel for a long time
tone repetition
oriscus inserted before the final note of a section - more notes in organal part
opening lower 4th or unison
Holschneider transcription of Winhester
more reliable transcription
recognises similar chant phrases mean organum does same thing
oriscus at cadences forming occursus
parallel thirds to avoid tritone
extra oriscus in the organal voice delays joining both voices together in the final tone