Download LISTENING GUIDE

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LISTENING GUIDE
Date of composition: Thirteenth century
Choir
Duration: 2:24
Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)
Plainchant hymn, Pange Lingua
Pan ge
San
lin
gua
glo
gui
nis
que
pre
Fruc tus
ven
tris
ge
ri
o
ti
o
ne
ro
si
si,
Cor po
Quem in
si
Rex
T
ef
ris my ste
mun
di
fu
dit
ri
pre
Student CD
I, 29
Complete CD
I, 29
um,
ti
gen
um
ti
um.
he Pange Lingua hymn was written by Thomas Aquinas, one of the foremost scholars and
theologians of the late Middle Ages. The hymn is strophic: All four stanzas are sung to the same
music. Each stanza has six lines, and they seem to fall into pairs. The chant is in the E (Phrygian)
mode, but the only line that ends on E is the last one. This gives the music a sense of continuity until
the end. The chant is almost entirely syllabic, and the text urges praise for the miracle of Christ’s
birth and death.
We will listen to all four stanzas, but what is important here is the music; therefore, the entire text
is not given. Remember: All four stanzas have exactly the same music.
CD
29 (29)
TIME
0:00
0:33
1:04
1:39
2:12
LISTEN FOR
Stanza 1
Stanza 2
Stanza 3
Stanza 4
“Amen”
(“Pange lingua . . . ”)
(“Nobis datus . . . ”)
(“In supremae . . . ”)
(“Verbum caro . . . ”)
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Student CD
I, 30
Complete CD
I, 30
Date of composition: c. 1520
Sopranos, altos, tenors, basses
Duration: 2:51
Josquin Desprez (c. 1440–1521)
Kyrie from the Pange Lingua Mass
TENORS
A
ll of the three basic characteristics of Josquin’s style that we have discussed may be
heard in the opening Kyrie of Josquin’s Pange Lingua Mass:
1. Simple imitation: A point of imitation introduces each short melodic phrase.
2. Overlapping cadences: Just as the first group is completing its phrase and moving into a
cadence, a second group enters, and so on.
3. Paired imitation: One pair of voices sings a phrase of imitation, then another pair enters.
Let us first look at the phrase that provides the material for the first point of imitation. It is
derived from the first phrase of the plainchant hymn. Notice, however, that Josquin adds a short
turning passage between the last two notes to provide intensity and drive to the cadence. Notice, too,
the rhythm that Josquin has applied to the notes. It starts out with long notes (which stress the characteristic E–F half step of the Phrygian mode) and increases in motion until just before the end. The
meter of this music is also very flexible. Composers of this era did not use measures or bar lines
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(as you can see from the facsimile of the original score). This creates a very fluid sound without the
regularly recurring accents that occur in later music.
The movement as a whole has three main sections:
1. Kyrie eleison.
2. Christe eleison.
3. Kyrie eleison.
Each section begins with a new point of imitation, and all are derived from the original hymn.
The “Christe” section is based on the third and fourth lines of the hymn, the final “Kyrie” section
on the fifth and sixth lines. Toward the end of the last section, Josquin adds new rhythmic material
to create a strong drive to the final cadence.
CD
30 (30)
TIME
LISTEN FOR
0:00
Kyrie eleison
0:45
Christe eleison
2:02
Kyrie eleison
(Based on opening of hymn melody.) Tenors and basses; cadence
overlaps with entry of altos. Sopranos enter before final
cadence.
(Based on lines 3 and 4 of hymn melody.) Paired imitation,
overlapping entries.
(Based on lines 5 and 6 of hymn melody.) Sopranos, altos, tenors,
basses enter in turn; increase in activity before final cadence.
THE LATE RENAISSANCE
The sixteenth century was a time of remarkable musical
achievements. The balance, beauty, and exquisite sound
of imitative polyphony were fully explored by composers throughout Europe. In addition, composers
began to use more homophonic texture—chordal
harmonies—in their compositions. There are few
greater contrasts in music than that between imitative
polyphony, with its emphasis on individual melodies
that overlap, and homophony, with its emphasis on
chordal harmonies, and Renaissance composers from
Josquin onward took full advantage of this contrast.
They alternated and interwove the two styles in their
compositions to achieve ever greater variety of texture
and to underscore the meaning of their texts.
In fact, the development of music during the
Renaissance is marked by this increasing focus on
expressing the text. During the sixteenth century, the
combination of a high degree of technical accomplishment and a new interest in text expression led to
the creation of some of the most beautiful works in
the history of music. Masses, motets, and secular
songs were created by composers throughout
Europe—in France and Germany, the Netherlands,
Spain, Poland, and England. But probably the main
center of musical activity was Italy.
Italy was the focal point of the Roman Catholic movement known as the Counter-Reformation, which began
partly in reaction to the Protestant Reformation and
partly as the result of a genuine desire to reform the
Catholic Church from within. The Counter-Reformation
had important consequences for music, as we will see.
One technical change that may be noticed in late
Renaissance music is the sound of the last chord at the
end of sections. Until this time, final chords contained
only the “perfect” intervals (octaves and fifths). But in
the late Renaissance, composers began to think that
final chords should present the fullest sound possible
and, therefore, should include the third, as well as the
root, the fifth, and the octave of the chord. You can
clearly hear the difference between a piece that ends
with the open sound of an octave and a fifth and a piece
that ends with a full chord. (Compare the ending sound
of the Machaut song in the previous chapter with the
sound at the end of the following Palestrina motet.)
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LISTENING GUIDE
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594)
Motet, Exsultate Deo
Date of composition: 1584
Sopranos, altos I, altos II, tenors, basses
Duration: 2:24
T
he motet Exsultate Deo was first published in Palestrina’s fifth book of motets in 1584.
This book contains twenty-one motets written for five voices. The text is from Psalm 81. Palestrina
uses only the first three lines of the psalm.
Sing out in praise of God our refuge,
acclaim the God of Jacob.
Raise a melody; beat the drum,
play the tuneful lyre and harp.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
and blow it at the full moon on the day of your
solemn feast.
Exsultate Deo adiutori nostro,
iubilate Deo Iacob.
Sumite psalmum et date tympanum,
psalterium iucundum cum cithara.
Buccinate in neomenia tuba,
insigni die solemnitatis vestrae.
In his setting, Palestrina concentrates only on these exuberant opening
verses of the psalm, rather than the fierce later ones. The music is bright
and joyful, filled with dotted rhythms and running eighth-note patterns,
which help to enliven the work. In addition, the composer uses some
word-painting (echoing the meaning of words in music), such as on the
opening word “Exsultate,” where the musical line rises triumphantly.
Ex sul
ta
te
De
o
With five independent musical lines, the number of possible combinations is large, and Palestrina constantly varies the texture of his music. The clearest examples of this variation are when the
sopranos drop out briefly, leaving only the lower voices, or (on the words “psalterium iucundum”—
“tuneful lyre”) when only three voices are sounding. Exsultate Deo is full of imitation, but Palestrina
points up the entrance of new lines of text by having them sung homophonically by a pair of voices,
which adds an underlying structure to the work as a whole. Cleverly, he departs from this technique
toward the end of the motet on the words “Buccinate” (“blow”) and “tuba” (“trumpet”), where there
is very close imitation, suggesting the echoing of trumpet blasts.
This performance is by the choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, England. This choir, which has
been in continuous existence since the early sixteenth century, is made up of the same distribution of
voices as it was originally: sixteen boys and twelve men. So all the high voices you hear are those of boys.
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Student CD
I, 31
Complete CD
I, 31
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CD
TIME
31 (31)
0:00
LISTEN FOR
Exsultate Deo
adiutori nostro,
Sing out in praise of
God our refuge,
iubilate Deo Iacob.
acclaim the God of
Jacob.
0:49
Sumite psalmum et
date tympanum,
Raise a melody; beat
the drum,
1:04
psalterium iucundum
cum cithara.
Buccinate in
neomenia tuba,
play the tuneful lyre
and harp.
Blow the trumpet
at the new moon,
insigni die
solemnitatis
vestrae.
and blow it at the full
moon on the day of
your solemn feast.
0:11
0:28
0:37
32 (32)
0:00
0:13
0:23
The Madrigal
[Imitation in pair of upper voices
alone; rising line on “Exsultate.”]
[Pair of lower voices. Cadence in
all five voices; overlaps with:]
[Many entries, suggesting
a crowd “acclaiming.”]
[Lower voices.]
[Quite homophonic, becoming
more imitative. Note dotted
rhythm on “tympanum.”]
[Elaborate flowering of the voices
on “iucundum” (“tuneful”).]
[Multiple echoes on “Buccinate;”
homophonic climax on “neomenia.”]
[Running echoes on “tuba.”]
[Slower, lower, more “solemn.”]
contrast is known as antithesis, and it presented ideal
musical opportunities for madrigal composers. A sigh
might be represented by a sudden, short pause—to be
As we have seen, matching the words of the text with a
musical setting that expresses their meaning was a primary concern of late Renaissance composers. The
madrigal is the musical genre that demonstrates this
desire most colorfully.
The madrigal flourished in the courtly atmosphere
of Italian aristocratic families. The poetry is
serious and elegant, with a sonorous beauty of
In his book, Morley
its own. And the music is carefully designed to
provides a detailed
description of the way to reflect the text.
Composers used a variety of techniques to
write a madrigal. He then
concludes: “Keeping
bring out the meaning of the words they set. In
these rules, you shall
general, the same mixture of chordal textures
have a perfect agreement and imitative polyphony was used in madrigals
and, as it were, an
as in motets, but composers went much further
harmonical consent
in their search for direct expression. If the text
betwixt the matter and
had words such as “rising,” “flying,” or “soarthe music.”
ing,” then the music would have fast upward
scales. “Peace” and “happiness” might be set to
sweet major chords, “agony” and “despair” to wrenchThe title page to Thomas
ing dissonances. In fact, contrasts of this kind—
Morley’s A Plaine and
Easie Introduction to
between happiness and despair, for example—often
Practicall Musicke,
appeared in madrigal texts within the same poem. This
printed in 1597.
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Student CD
I, 33
Complete CD
I, 33
Date of composition: 1595
Thomas Morley (1557–1602)
Two English Madrigals
Two sopranos (Sweet Nymph Come to Thy Lover);
two baritones (Fire and Lightning)
Duration: 2:31
T
he texts for these short pieces were probably written by Morley himself. Each one contains picturesque images, which the music captures beautifully. The first madrigal, Sweet Nymph,
compares the lover, singing his song to his beloved, to a nightingale, a favorite image for composers.
The second, Fire and Lightning, uses the imagery of thunder and storms to describe the “stormy”
nature of love. It is lively and frenetic, with a kicker at the end. Both are primarily imitative, with
very close imitation in some sections to liven up the proceedings or to intensify the sound. The very
last line of Fire and Lightning is suddenly homophonic to draw attention to the sting at the end. This
last line also exploits antithesis (“fair”/“spiteful”) to make its effect.
Both madrigals have such short texts that there are many repetitions of each phrase, and you will
hear many instances of word-painting. The fine performances here are by students Sarah Pelletier
and Suzanne Ehly, sopranos, and faculty members William Sharp and Mark Aliapoulios, baritones,
of the Boston University School for the Arts.
CD
TIME
33 (33)
0:00
0:49
Sweet nymph come to thy lover,
Lo here alone our loves we
may discover,
(Repeat of first two lines)
Where the sweet nightingale
with wanton gloses,
Hark, her love too discloses.
1:03
(Repeat of last two lines)
0:00
0:45
Fire and lightning from heaven fall
And sweetly enflame that heart
with love arightful,
(Repeat of first two lines)
Of Flora my delightful,
So fair but yet so spiteful.
0:47
(Repeat of last two lines)
0:12
0:20
0:39
34 (34)
LISTEN FOR
0:08
0:16
0:31
Imitation.
Touches of homophony on
“Lo here alone.”
Imitation; high notes and
close harmony on “gloses” [trills].
High notes, very close imitation,
especially last time through.
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Lively; very close imitation.
Smooth descending scales on
“sweetly.”
Scales in opposite direction on “delightful.”
Last time through: homophonic, close
pungent harmony, dissonance on “spite-,”
incomplete sound on “ful.”
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Student CD
I, 35
Complete CD
I, 35
Date of composition: 1597
Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1555–1612)
Canzona Duodecimi Toni
Two brass choirs
Duration: 3:53
T
his work by Giovanni Gabrieli is divided into several sections and contrasts two brass
“choirs,” which are heard in dialogue. As in Josquin’s Pange Lingua Mass, the music is pushed forward by overlapping cadences, one choir beginning as the previous choir ends. Sometimes the two
choirs play together. The piece features dynamic contrasts of loud and soft, which are characteristic
of late Renaissance and early Baroque music. A special effect involving dynamic contrast is “echo,”
in which the exact repetition of a phrase at a lower volume suggests distance.
The canzona is full of varied rhythmic patterns, but the most pervasive is the “canzona rhythm,”
LONG-short-short ( h q q ), which you will hear throughout the piece, in fast and slow tempos.
CD
TIME
LISTEN FOR
Introduction
35 (35)
0:00
Both brass choirs. Fairly slow, medium loud; canzona rhythm is prominent.
Section 1
36 (36)
0:15
0:20
0:27
Choir I. Faster tempo, same musical motive and rhythm, faster
tempo, homophonic.
Choir II, growing louder.
Both choirs, loud, featuring flourishes by trumpets in imitation; cadence.
Section 2
37 (37)
0:43
Second idea, quieter, mostly homophonic, echoes, passages of imitation
between choirs, lively rhythms; cadence.
Section 3
38 (38)
1:26
1:43
1:49
Third idea, loud, mostly homophonic, echoes, both choirs.
Trumpet flourishes, cadence.
Canzona rhythm; close imitation, cadence.
Section 4
39 (39)
2:10
2:35
3:02
Fourth idea, quiet, canzona rhythm, lots of imitation between choirs,
cadence.
Multiple echoes, from loud to soft, between choirs; crescendo . . .
Final idea, both choirs loud, leading to big climax.
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LISTENING GUIDE
Complete CD
I, 40
Date of composition: 1551
Tielman Susato (fl. 1543–1561)
Ronde and Saltarelle
Recorders and percussion
Duration: 1:52
T
his example is a dance pair written by the Flemish composer and publisher Tielman
Susato. The ronde and saltarelle are both Renaissance dances in binary form. On the repeats, the
melodies are occasionally ornamented with trills and decorative figures.
The two dances use the same melody, but the ronde is in duple meter, whereas the saltarelle is in
triple meter; the effect of the meter change is dramatic.
CD
TIME
LISTEN FOR
Ronde
(40)
0:00
[duple meter: recorders and drum]
First phrase:
etc.
0:14
0:29
Repeat (ornamented)
Second phrase (higher):
etc.
0:36
Repeat (ornamented)
Saltarelle
(41)
0:43
[triple meter: recorders and tambourine]
First phrase:
etc.
1:05
1:26
Repeat (ornamented)
Second phrase (higher):
etc.
1:37
Repeat (ornamented)
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