Unit 6: Mass

Question 1

Mass (Middle Ages) background and origins

Answer 1

• the earliest Mass settings took the form of monophonic chants (ex Haec dies from the Gregorian Mass for Easter Day)
• in the 12th and 13th centuries, many chants-particularly those from the Mass Proper-served as the basis for organum)
• The first complete polyphonic setting of the Mass Ordinary, Messe de Nostre Dame by Guillaume de Machaut is among the longest extant works form the Middle Ages

Question 2

Mass (Middle Ages) characteristic features

Answer 2

• the most important service in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church
• consists of texts that are variable according to the church calendar (Proper) and texts that remain the same (Ordinary)
• the earliest musical settings were monophonic, modal with unmeasured rhythm
• with the development of polyphony, the Ordinary movements were set more frequently
• composers explored the musical devices and techniques of their time within this genre

Question 3

Mass

Answer 3

• the most important service in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church
• includes prayers, readings from the Bible, and a reenactment of the Last Supper
• consists of texts that are variable according to the church calendar (Proper) and texts that remain the same (Ordinary)
• became an important genre, particularly during the Renaissance era

Question 4

Mass Ordinary

Answer 4

• unchanging prayers of the Mass

- the components are: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei

Question 5

Mass Proper

Answer 5

• changing, variable prayers of the Mass
• linked to church calendar
• sections include; Gradual, Introit, Communion, Alleluia

Question 6

ars nova style

Answer 6

_Latin for “new art,” from the title of a treatise by composer Philippe de Vitry

• used in reference to French music of the 14th century; the previous era came to be known as ars antiqua
• involved greater complexity in melody, harmony, and rhythm and included use of isorhythm, hocket, and musica ficta

Question 7

musica ficta

Answer 7

• Latin for “false music”
• performance practice applied in modal music of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance
• performers raised or lowered pitches by a half step to avoid undesirable intervals
• much like modern-day accidentals

Question 8

isorhythm

Answer 8

• a compositional device perfected in the Ars nova
• combines melodic patterns (color) with rhythmic patterns (talea)
• color and talea are typically not the same length, overlapping rather than coinciding

Question 9

hocket

Answer 9

• from French word hoquet meaning “hiccup”
• a rhythmic and melodic technique frequently employed in ars nova style
• 2 voices combine to create a single melody: one resting while the other sings

Question 10

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the tritone (augmented fourth or diminished fifth) was referred to as

Answer 10

diabolus in musica or “the devil in music”

Question 11

The tritone was typically avoided because of its

Answer 11

dissonant quality

Question 12

The application of _ helped to soften the unwanted dissonances, often by transforming objectionable augmented fourths into consonant perfect fourths

Answer 12

musica ficta

Question 13

The 14th century saw a shift from

Answer 13

church-centered life view toward a more secular society

Question 14

In an important treatise called _, Philippe de Vitry described some of the changes that had already taken place in music and art

Answer 14

Ars nova

Question 15

While the Ars nova represents a high point in the development of music in the Middle Ages, it also foreshadowed many changes to come in the

Answer 15

Renaissance

Question 16

By the 14th century, the development of _ had advanced significantly

Answer 16

musical notation

Question 17

The evolution of polyphony in both sacred and secular genres was spurred on by the perfection of _ coupled with more sophisticated _

Answer 17

• pitch notation

- rhythmic notation

Question 18

The significance of the new notation system was that rhythmically complex music could be notated in a _ than previously been possible

Answer 18

much clearer way

Question 19

The musical developments in the Ars nova extended to the

Answer 19

chanson, which in the 14th century became an elegant, courtly song

Question 20

In terms of formal structure, the vocal music of this period often derived its shape from the

Answer 20

poetry itself; whatever form the poem took might be clearly reflected in the constructino of the music

Question 21

Philippe de Vitry

Answer 21

• author of the treatise Ars nova (1322)
• innovator in the notation of rhthm, including the “imperfect” diision of notes into 2 equal units (away from the division of notes into 3 equal units considered “perfect”)
• broke free from older patterns and rhythmic modes
• used isorhythm, the repetition of an extended pattern, in which melodic patterns and hythmic segments of different lengths are comined