Final Exam Flashcards
What was polyphony based/derived from
chant
Guido wrote four treatises, what were they on?
modes, scale systems, organum (polyphony)
What are the names and functions of the two voices in organum?
Vox principalis is the original chant voice, and the vox organalis which is the added voice above or below the chant voice
What are the three types of movement in organum?
parallel motion, contrary motion, and oblique motion which is one voice repeating one pitch while the other line moves
What are hexachords?
hexachords are a stepwise series of six notes with a whole tone between each pitch except for mi and fa which have a semitone between them. They were basically just teaching tools
What are the perfect consonances in medieval music?
1, 5, and 8, and later, the fourth as well
What are the imperfect consonances in medieval music?
3 and 6 which are imperfect but slightly less so than imperfect dissonances
What are the imperfect dissonances in medieval music?
2 and 7, and they were used less frequently because of this
What interval is ALWAYS not allowed?
Tritones, as they are the devil’s interval and everything was about perfection in this era
What is melismatic organum?
Melismatic organum is where a single note in one voice was counter imposed with a number of notes in the other, long notes were always in the vox principalis and melismas were in the vox organalis
What are the rhythmic modes and how are they used?
rhythmic modes were a system using the relationship between long and short notes, most of which used a triple meter because three was perfection (holy trinity). The shorts were always and eighth but the long could be a quarter or a dotted quarter. It was used basically as an ornamentation and to embelish certain words and syllables in the chant, they can change throughout the piece but only at logical points like a new syllable
What is mensuration?
Mensuration is the division into two parts: tempus, which is the time, and prolation, which is basically how many eighths are in each group, and are then combined to create new rhythms
What is perfect time, perfect prolation?
equivalent to 9/8, 3 groups with 3 eighths
What is perfect time, imperfect prolation?
equivalent to 3/4, 3 groups of 2 eighths
What is imperfect time, perfect prolation?
equivalent to 6/8, 2 groups of 3 eighths
What is imperfect time, imperfect prolation?
equivalent to 2/4, 2 groups of 2 eighths
What is isorhythm?
Isorhythm is where a chant is divided into two parts, the color, or the melody, and the talea, or the rhythm, which repeat throughout the whole piece. The color and the talea are of different lengths so that they overlap with the different notes of the melody having a different duration/rhythm after every repetition
Who is Boethius and why is he important?
Boethius is a theorist and philosopher, he is the first to ever write a treatise on music theory, and he solidified the links between math and science and music, which made music equally important and forged the way for virtually all future theorists
When did the Byzantine Empire/Eastern empire fall and why is this time important?
Fell in 1453, it is important as it marks the general shift from the middle ages to the renaissance
Who is Charlemagne and why is he important?
He was the Frankish king, and he protected Spain from Islamic invasion, preserving Christianity. He also was the ruler during the rise of religious houses and he was the first “Holy Roman Emperor” meaning he was the first emperor of the roman emperor sanctioned by the Pope
What is the Edict of Milan?
It is a proclamation by Constantine in 313 essentially legalizing christianity, which he came to decide as he was preparing for battle and saw a flag with the cross bearing the motto “by this sign thou shall conquer” (and he won so there’s that…)
What is the Battle of Agincourt and why is it important?
A battle where King Henry V took over France while remaining the King of England, thus introducing the English intervals of 3rds and 5ths to the more strict 5ths of the Notre Dame Polyphony
Who is Gregory the Great and why is he important?
He was the Pope who declared the codification and preservation/notation of chant, which also led to less segragation because of the codification. It was a sacred duty to preserve the chant after him
What are the three Liturgical Books?
The antiphonal, which brought together all of the words and chants of the office, the gradual, which brought together the words and chants of the mass, and much later, the liber usualis which essentially combined the antiphonal and the gradual
What are the three rules to determine the reciting tone of the church modes?
If the mode is authentic, the reciting tone is a fifth up from the final. If it is a plagal mode, the reciting tone is a third down from the corresponding authentic reciting tone. If the above rules lead to a reciting tone on B, raise it to a C to avoid the tritone
What is the divine office?
It is the division of the day into hours, dictated by the singing of certain chants/rituals
What are the 8 hours of the day?
Matins at roughly 2 am, Lauds at daybreak, Prime around 6 am, Terce at about 9 am, Sext at about noon, None at about 3 pm, Vespers in the early evening and Compline before bed
Which four hours were considered the “little hours?”
Prime, Terce, Sect, and None, determined by the sundial and seperated by three hour intervals
What is the central part of the mass?
Communion
What is the central/key belief in catholicism?
Transubsantiation
