Module 4 Flashcards
Medieval Period
-500-1453 AD
Plainchant/ Gregorian Chant
- Developed in churches for the praise of God
- Promote unification of the churches throughout Europe and to read the church goes their pesky pagan tendencies
Monophonic
- One melody without harmony resulting in just one musical part
- No background singers or instruments
Organum
- Simple two-part medieval harmony
- Around 900 AD two vocal parts was allowed
- Was made in one of two ways
~One way a drone or one low continuous note was sung while the main melody was sung at the same time
*Dones are often still used in bagpipe music today
~The second way was the words of the song would be sung on two different pitches at the same time
Hildegard on Bingen (12th c)
- Was a German nun who wrote over 70 works of plain chance
- Know for writing songs that were uncharacteristically melodic for the time period
Polyphonic
- Two or more differing parts
- Adding more vocal parts and developed rhythmic notations into measurable notes
Motets
- Sacred songs whit multiple vocal parts of varying texts also became popular
- An unaccompanied choral composition based on a sacred Latin text
Secular (non-religious music)
- became more and more complex with multiple voices and instruments
Two types of court musicians and poets
- Minstrels
- Troubadours
Minstrels
-Were a bit less refine than troubadours and had other job of entertaining such as juggling
Troubadours
- Sing songs of chivalry and courtly love
- Travel and far away lands as they were quite the jet setters of the day
Ars Nova School of musical thought
-Which encompassed more complex rhythms and polyphony of secular music
Renaissance Era
-1450-1600
Sacred music
- Motets
- Mass
Secular Music
- Madrigals
- Instrumental Music
- Dance Music
Imitative Polyphony
-Successive voice parts that echo each other
Giovanni Pier Luigi de Palestrina
- The style was conservative and balanced as he gave careful consideration to both the beauty of the music and the comprehensibility of the words
- Importance of simple melodies that are easily sung and gave focus to the words rather than complicated harmonies
Pop Marcellus Mass (missa Papae Marcelli)
- A perfect fit for the needs of the Catholic church at a time when the supposedly had been considering dismissal of polyphonic music from the service
Madrigals
- Secular multi-voice songs sung without accompaniment
- Based on love related poetry
Word Painting
- In which the music reflects the action of the text
-Where the pitches of music literally reflect the meaning of the text
~If the texts states running down, the notes will descend in sound
Carlo Gesualdo
- Known for emotional madrigals
Thomas Weelkes
-As Vesta From Latmos Hill Descending is a well known example which includes several instances of word paining
Acapella
-Without accompaniment
Popular instrument during the Renaissance
- Lute
- Recoreder
- Shaum
- Tabor
Formal Dances
-Pavane
-Galliard
~Were reserved for elite gatherings
Informal Dances
-Branle
-Jig
~Purely for fun
-The Jig is still preformed today in the form of the Irish Jig
Madrigal
- Secular multi-voice song sung without accompaniment with poetry based lyrics
- A style of a Capella
- Started of with the soprano, alto, tenor, and bass
~Soprano and alto (typically sung by women)
~Tenor and bass (typically sung by men)
-First written in Italy around 1520 AD
four to six voices
-In any given song and all voices played an equal role
Jacques Arcadelt
- Used synchronous rhythms and light emotions
~Mostly with four parts
Mid-sixteenth Century Madrigals
- Incorporated more emotion
- Greater care was taken to reflect the text within the music
- Added fifth and sixth vocal parts
Cipriano dr Rore
-Used more independent rhythms and richer expressions
Late sixteenth Century Madrigals
- Pinnacle of the Madrigal
- Used many new techniques to weave the music and poetry into something greater than just the sum of its parts
Luca Marenzio
- Used music to express contrast and visual details
- Matched the pace and tone of the music to the words of the text
Chromaticism
- Involved using unexpected pitches to create tension and expression of pain or grief
Carlo Gesualdo
-Famous for chromaticism and highly emotional madrigals
Claudio Monteverdi
- Wrote some of the first operas
English Madrigals
- Tended to be less serious and lighter topics
- Incorporated simpler texts and humor
- Add nonsense words like”fa-la-la”
Thomas Weelks
- Wrote one of the famous English madrigals “As Vesta Was From Latmos Hill Descending,” notable for its word painting
- Wrote poetry specifically for use in music
