Mid-Term Terms/Definitions Flashcards
Gregorian Chant
the repertory of ecclesiastical chant used in the Roman Catholic Church
Gallican Chant
the liturgical plainchant repertory of the Gallican rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Gaul, prior to the introduction and development of elements of the Roman rite from which Gregorian chant evolved
Old Roman Chant
a repertory of ecclesiastical chant preserved in 11th and 12th century manuscripts from Rome representing a local tradition; a near relative of Gregorian chant
Syllabic
having one note sung to each syllable of text
Neumatic
having 1-7 notes (or one neume) sung to each syllable of text
Melismatic
of a melody, having many melismas (many long passages of notes sung to one syllable of text)
Direct
a manner of performing chant without alternation between groups
Antiphonal
a manner of performance in which two or more groups alternate
Responsorial
a manner of performing chant in which a soloist alternates with a group
Psalm Tone
a melodic formula for singing songs in the Office; there is one psalm tone for each mode
Antiphon
a liturgical chant that precedes and follows a psalm or canticle in the Office; in the Mass, a chant associated with the communion and the first and final portion of the Introit
Neume
a sign used in notation of chant to indicate a certain number of notes and general melodic direction (in early forms) or particular pitches (in later forms)
Ligature
neume-like noteshape used to indicate a short rhythmic pattern in 12th to 16th century notation
Heightened Neumes
in an early form of notation, neumes arranged so that their relative heights indicated higher or lower pitch
Solmization
a method of assigning syllables to steps in a scale, used to make it easier to identify and sing the whole tones and semitones in a melody
Hexachord (natural, hard, soft)
the six notes used to represent the six solmization syllables (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la) which could be transposed into three positions
Natural: C-D-E-F-G-A
Hard: G-A-B-C-D-E
Soft: F-G-A-Bb-C-D
Office
a series of eight prayer services of the Roman church, celebrate daily at specified times, especially in monasteries and convents
Mass
the most important service in the Roman church; a musical work setting the texts of the Ordinary of the Mass
Introit
first item in the Mass Proper, originally sung for the entrance procession, comprising and Antiphon, Psalm Verse, Lesser Doxology, and reprise of the antiphon
Gloria
second of the five major musical items in the Mass Ordinary
Kyrie
one of the five major musical items in the Mass Ordinary
Gradual
item in the Mass Proper, sung after the Epistle reading, comprising a Respond and Verse; melismatic and responsorial
Alleluia
item from the Mass Proper, sung just before the Gospel reading, comprising a respond to the text “Alleluia,” a verse, and a repetition of the respond; melismatic and responsorial
Sequence
a category of Latin chant that follows the Alleluia in some Masses
Credo
third of the five major musical items in the Mass Ordinary, a creed or statement of faith
Offertory
item in the Mass Proper, sung while the Communion is prepared, comprising a respond without verses
Sanctus
one of the five major items in the Mass Ordinary
Agnus Dei
fifth of the five major musical items in the Mass Ordinary
Communion
items in the Mass Proper, comprising an antiphon without verses
Post Communion
follows the Communion during the Mass
Ite missa est
the concluding Latin words addressed to the people in the Mass
Proper
texts of the Mass that are assigned to a particular day in the Church Calendar
Ordinary
texts of the Mass that remain the same on most or all days of the Church Calendar, although the tunes may change
What is the Mode #, final, range, and repercussio of the Dorian mode?
Mode 1
Final = D
Range = Above
Repercussio = A
What is the Mode #, final, range, and repercussio of the Hypo-Dorian mode?
Mode 2
Final = D
Range = Around
Repercussio = F
What is the Mode #, final, range, and repercussio of the Phrygian mode?
Mode 3
Final = E
Range = Above
Repercussio = C
What is the Mode #, final, range, and repercussio of the Hypo-Phrygian mode?
Mode 4
Final = E
Range = Around
Repercussio = A
What is the Mode #, final, range, and repercussio of the Lydian mode?
Mode 5
Final = F
Range = Above
Repercussio = C
What is the Mode #, final, range, and repercussio of the Hypo-Lydian mode?
Mode 6
Final = F
Range = Around
Repercussio = A
What is the Mode #, final, range, and repercussio of the Mixolydian mode?
Mode 7
Final = G
Range = Above
Repercussio = D
What is the Mode #, final, range, and repercussio of the Hypo-Mixolydian mode?
Mode 8
Final = G
Range = Around
Repercussio = C
Repercussio
the second most important note in a mode (after the final), often emphasized in chant and used for reciting text in a psalm tone (also called the reciting tone)
Constantine the Great
Founder of Constantinople
Pope Gregory I “The Great”
founded the medieval papacy and was pope from 590-604; also may have written early Frankish chant books
Pope Stephen II
wanted to spread Gregorian chant throughout the Roman Empire and protect the papacy from the Lombard; 752-7
Pepin III “The Short”
first Frankish king to rule during the Carolingian Renaissance; 751-68
Charlemagne
Pepin III’s son; major influence in the spread of Gregorian chant across the Roman Empire; 768-814
Guido d’Arezzo
developed the idea of using a staff for notation; also developed the hexachord system
Secular Monophony
a genre composed by the Troubadours, Trovères, and Minnesingers in the 12th and 13th centuries
Troubadour
a poet-composer of Southern France who wrote monophonic songs in Occitan (langue d’oc) in the 12th or 13th cent.
Trouvère
a poet-composer of Northern France who wrote monophonic songs in Old French (langue d’oil) in the 12th or 13th cent.
Minnesinger
a poet-composer of medieval Germany who wrote monophonic songs, particularly about love, in Middle High German
Strophic
consisting of two or more stanzas that are equivalent in form and can each be sung to the same melody
Refrain
a recurring line(s) of text usually set to a recurring melody
Canso
Troubadour song about courtly love
Alba
Troubadour “Dawn song”
Rondeau
French forme fixe with a single stanza and the musical form ABaAabAB
Ballade
French forme fixe, normally in three stanzas, in which each stanza has the musical form aabC
Virelai
French forme fixe in the pattern Abba Abba AbbaA
Courtly Love (fin’ amour / fine amour)
an idealized love for an unattainable woman who is admired from a distance
Polyphony
music or musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody
Homophony
musical texture in which all voice move together in essentially the same rhythm, as distinct from polyphony and heterophony
Parallel Organum
type of polyphony in which an added voice moves in exact parallel to a chant, normally a perfect fifth below it
Modified Parallel Organum
starts at unison and moves to fourths then back to unison again
Parallel Motion
two voices moving in the same direction at equivalent melodic intervals
Similar Motion
two voices moving in the same direction but at different melodic intervals
Oblique Motion
one voice stays on the same pitch while another voice moves
Contrary Motion
two voices moving in opposite directions; the melodic intervals of these voices are irrelevant
Aquitanian Polyphony
style of polyphony from the 12th cent., encompassing both discant and florid organum
Notre-Dame Organum
style of polyphony from the late 12th and 13th cents., associated with the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris
Organum
one of several styles of pearly polyphony from the 9th through 13th cents., involving the addition of one or more voices to an existing chant
Tenor
in polyphony of the 12th and 13 cents., the voice part that has the chant or other borrowed melody, often in long hold notes
Duplum
in polyphony of the late 12th through 14th cents., second voice from the bottom
Triplum
in polyphony of the late 12th through 14th cents., third voice from the bottom; in Notre Dame polyphony, an organum in three voices
Florid Organum / Organum Purum
12th cent. style of two-voice polyphony in which the lower voice sustains relatively long notes while the upper voice sings note-groups of varying length above each note of the lower voice
Discant Clausula
a contained section in polyphony in which the upper voice has about one to three notes for each note of the lower voice
Conductus
a serious medieval song, monophonic or polyphonic, setting a rhymed, rhythmic Latin poem
Cauda
melismatic passage in a polyphonic conductus
Simple Conductus
non-melismatic conductus?
Substitute Clausula
in Notre Dame polyphony, a new clausula (usually in discant style) designed to replace the original polyphonic setting of a particular segment of a chant
Motet
polyphonic vocal composition; the earliest motets add a text to an exisiting discant clausula; 13th cent. motets feature one or more voices, each with its own text in Latin or French
Motetus
the voice above the tenor in a motet
Franconian Motet
b
Petronian Motet
b
Rhythmic Modes
system of six durational patterns used in polyphony of the late 12th and 13th cents., used as the basis of the rhythmic notation of the Notre Dame composers
Franconian Notation System
system of notation described by Franco of Cologne around 1280, sing noteshapes to indicate durations
Longa (Long)
Rectangle (Double Brevis, Quadruple Semibrevis)
Brevis (Breve)
Square (Half Longa, Double Semibrevis)
Semibrevis (Semibreve)
Diamond (Half Brevis, Quarter Longa)
Duplex Long
6 tempora
Perfect Long
3 tempora
Imperfect Long
2 tempora (combined with brevis to create group of 3)
Brevis Recta
1 tempora (when combined with a second brevis); brevis recta usually comes first
Brevis Altera (Altered Breve)
2 tempora (when combined with a second brevis); brevis altera usually comes second
Major Semibreve
2/3 of a tempus; analogous to the brevis altera
Minor Semibreve
1/3 of a tempus; analogous to the brevis recta
Tempus
in medieval systems of notation, the basic time unit (1 beat)
La Comtessa de Dia
Who dat?
Bernart de Ventadorn
…?
Adam de la Halle
Don’t give Adam about who this is
Leonin
wrote the Magnus Liber Organi and combined discant and florid organum (soloists) with plainchant (choir)
Anonymous IV
wrote about Leonin and Perotin
Franco de Cologne
wrote the Ars Cantus Mensurabilis; first to create idea that noteshape = length
Perfection
in medieval systems of notation, a unit of duration equal to three tempora (3 beats)
Perotin
great discant writer who wrote four-part organum
