Final Flashcards
Dates for the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods
5th-15th century, 1400-1600
Definitions of the names of these periods; meanings behind the naming of these periods
Middle Ages or Dark Ages because the people looking back on this period thought there was very little education and musical influence during this period.
Renaissance Period is considered the rebirth of the Greek mythology.
Musical characteristics of Gregorian chant and how they relate to the text
Monophonic, Male voices used, responsorial (2 or more parts that respond to each other), antiphonal (sound returning), direct (without altering), syllabic (almost every syllable has a single note), neumatic , melisma, melismatic (long passages with a single syllable)
The number of Medieval church modes 8
The difference between the Ordinary and the Proper of the Mass
The Ordinary is five parts Kyrie, Gloria, Creed, Sanctus, Agnus Dei
The mass proper contains all the ordinary as well as other parts of the mass. The texts vary from day to day and are collectively called the mass proper.
The movements of the Mass Ordinary
Kyrie, Gloria, Creed, Sanctus, Agnus Dei
What is meant by antiphonal, direct, and responsorial performance of chant
- antiphonal: two groups or halves of choirs that alternate the music
- direct: no alternating occurs, it is a direct group of singers
- Responsorial: soloist alternates with the choir or congregation
Why Guido D’Arezzo is remembered by music history
- Guido D’Arezzo is known for creating a system that told singers exactly what pitch to
sing. It is sometimes considered the very beginning of notation. - Guidonian Hand- Sort of the earliest form of solfege
The most famous composers of the school of Notre Dame and of the Ars Nova
- Léonin-was the first known significant composer of polyphonic organum.
- Pérotin- was one of the first composers to experiment with 3-4 part polyphony
Why Boethius is important to the study of the Middle Ages
-Most revered authority on music in the MA
-viewed music as a science
-Three Divisions:
-Musica mundana - music of universe
-Musica humana - human music
-Musica instrumentalis - instrumental music (voices considered instrumental in this
sense)
Who used modal rhythms. Also, who used isorhythm.
-Rhythmic Modes: Musicians at Notre Dame
-Isorhythm: musicians of the Ars Nova, Particularly Philippe de Vitry
but also Machaut
Why Machaut’s La Messe de Nostre Dame is important
-it was one of the earliest polyphonic settings of the Mass Ordinary, probably the first
polyphonic mass to be written by a single composer and conceived as a unit
The dominant musical textures of Renaissance music
Imitative Polyphony and Homophony
The primary sacred genres of the Renaissance
- Motet
- Magnificat
- Polyphonic settings of the Mass Ordinary
The musical genres that resulted from the Reformation
- Chorale (Luther)
- Psalter (Calvin)
- Anthem (Byrd)
The significance of the Renaissance madrigal and how it related to technological innovations
- the ability to sing and read music became a factor of social status
- brought music into homes
- Artistic Identity
- Printing press
The definition of a Renaissance consort
- a distinctively English genre for voice accompanied by a consort of viols (string
ensemble) - mastered by William Byrd
- a distinctively English genre for voice accompanied by a consort of viols (string
ensemble) - mastered by William Byrd
The importance of abstract genres developed for performance by instruments
Some of the compositional devices used by Renaissance composers to give the Mass Ordinary musical coherence
-stylistic-set in same style
-Plainsong- each movement based on an existing chant for that text
-Motto Mass- use of same thematic material in all movements of the, this motive was
called a head-motive
-Cantus Firmus Mass- the use of a head-motive combined with constructing each one
around the same cantus firmus (usually placed in the tenor)
-using a common tune, but changing the rhythmic values, 3:2:1
Who are Guillame Du Fay and Josquin Desprez?
Du Fay: 1397-1474
- French
- most famous of his time
- Burgundian court, Cathedral of Cambrai
- blended national musical traits
Josquin: 1450-1521
- highly renowned
- "the master of the notes..."
- Motets
- Text depiction
be able to order names correctly
Gregory I (590-604) Guido D'Arezzo (1025ish) Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) Bernart de Ventadorn (1170s) Leonin (1150s-1201) Perotin (late 12th -early 13th centuries) Machaut (1300-1377) Du Fay 1397-1474 Josquin 1450-1521 Martin Luther 1483-1546 Jean Calvin 1509-1564 Palestrina 1525-1594 William Byrd 1540-1623 Baroque Composers Below Monteverdi 1567-1643 Frescobaldi 1583-1643 Corelli 1653-1713 Vivaldi 1678-1741 Rameau 1683-1764 Bach 1685-1750 D. Scarlatti 1685-1757 Handel 1685-1759
