Download MUH 2011 Chapter 9 SLIDES

Chapter 9
Part 4
Listening to Western Classical Music
Music to 1600
Greek Roots of Western Music
• Greek Music Theory
– Theoretical Ideas Only
(Greek musical
practice was lost.)
– 500 B.C.-200 A.D.
– Plato
– Pythagoras
– Aristotle
– Vocabulary (Many
modern musical words
have Greek roots.)
The Roman Catholic Church
(200-1600 A.D.)
• Liturgy from Jewish
• Terms
Practice
– Chant/Gregorian Chant
– Melisma/Melismatic
• Dominant Force in all
– Syllabic
Cultural Matters for
1400 years.
– Monophony/Polyphony
– Liturgical Dramas
• Music Mostly Vocal
– Monks
– Boy Choirs
• Great Repertoire of
Chant Melodies
– Secular/Sacred
• More on the
Renaissance later…
Chant
Called “Gregorian Chant” or just “Chant”
Pope Gregory I organized the many chants to coincide better with
the church calender and services
Sung by the Priest or Cantor, or the Men/Boys Choir or congregation
in that order of importance and frequency
Can be syllabic or melismatic
Typically a flat contour (or shape) melodic line
Follows church scales or “Modes”
As time continues….
add an extra voice
add more than one voice
add an instrument to double the voice part
according to what is allowed at this time in history and who is the
Pope…
leading us into polyphony (another slide…)
The Development of Musical
Notation
• Aid to Memory
• This Invention had to Specify:
– Notes
– Rhythms
– Relationships between Parts
• First Notated (Polyphonic) Composers
– Léonin (French, not Italian (Roman))
– Perotin (French too!)
Polyphony
• Other melodies added to Chant
– Some parallel, some faster than the melody
• Imitative Counterpoint/Contrapuntal (Similar to a “canon” like Row,
Row, Row Your Boat.)
– Each line independent
• Unified the Compositions
• Characteristics of Polyphonic Texture
– Comparing the Lines
• Usually Different Texts
• Sometimes Different Languages
• Often Difficult to Understand
• In 1500’s, Intersection of musical lines creates the Chord Concept
– Now an intended part of the music, formerly random events in 1200’ &
1300’s
• As time goes forward, more experimentation occurs and is allowed
The Renaissance
• Humanism (Drama, Arts,
Philosophy, History, Poetry
from Classical Authors)
• Optimism
• Reform (Religion esp.)
• Historic Names
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–
–
–
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Michelangelo (Art)
Leonardo da Vinci (Art)
Martin Luther (Religion)
Gutenberg (Printing)
Shakespeare (Literature)
European “discovery” of
Gunpowder (after China and
Muslim worlds ironically)
• Composers
– Josquin des Prez
– Giovanni Pierluigi da
Palestrina
– Giovanni Gabrieli
Choral and Vocal Music part 1 of 3
• Mass
– Low Mass – Priest only
– High Mass – Choir sings service in chant form
usually in LATIN
• Proper = varies according to season or event
• Ordinary = same all the time
– Five typical sections – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus &
Benedictus, and Agnus Dei
– First Polyphonic settings of Mass by Machaut
by/in/for Notre Dame Cathedral
– Josquin (French) and Palestrina (Italian) are other
big composers of Masses
Choral and Vocal Music part 2 of 3
• Motet (Sacred Polyphonic work)
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–
–
–
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In Latin
a Cappella (Voices Only)
Sung by Choirs (instead of congregations)
4 – 6 parts
Cantus Firmus used as a basis for the Work, but
the CF had no liturgical use/function
– Gabrielli – Polychoral (Instruments and voices)
and homorhythmic used in his works within St.
Marks Cathedral (Venice)
Choral and Vocal Music part 3 of 3
• Madrigal
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–
–
–
4-5 Parts
Vernacular language
Chamber Music
Secular (away from the church) subjects – love,
pastoral scenes, other secular topics)
– Lively and Metrical
– Italy and England
– Since it was free from the Church structures,
experimentation was common, and forcast the
Baroque practices…
Instrumental Music
• Beginning to be Notated (Preserved)
• Modeled the Vocal Styles that were prevalent in the
day…
• Grouped into “Consorts” of similar Instruments
(Recorders or Viols typically)
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–
–
–
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
• Instrumental Music
– Ricercar (typically Keyboards)
– Canzona (typically others)
Instruments
• String Instruments
– Lyre
– Lute
– Vielle
• Wind Instruments
– Recorder
– Shawm (Straight horn w/reed)
– Krummhorn (Bent horn w/reed)
– Cornett
• Keyboard Instruments
– Harpsichord
– Clavichord
– Organ
The Reformation
• Martin Luther does it in 1517
• Creates Protestantism (vs. Catholic)
• Vernacular Services (instead of Latin)
– Psalters were created in these Vernacular languages
• Church of England did it again in 1534
– Allowed for the development of the Anthem sung in
English (Anglican version of the Latin Motet)
• Counter Reformation of Catholic Church – the
response from CC
– Palestrina – Good guy for promoting the musical
aspects of the Latin / Catholic music and making
easier to understand for the average “Joe”
Hildegard of Bingen
•
•
•
•
•
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German
Nun
Theologian
Mystic
Poet
Scientific Writer
One of the earliest known Composers
Could she have foretold the Women’s
movement…??
Josquin des Prez or just “Josquin”
• French
• Court musician and Composer in Italy
• A Motet man
– Variety of texts
– Flowing melodies
– Rich harmonies (intended)
– Less restricted rhythms
– Humanistic attitudes/subjects
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina or
just “Palestrina”
•
•
•
•
Italian
Choirmaster
Composer
Polyphonic
– Overlapping cadences, although the ending cadences show
clear harmonic intentions leading towards the Major-Minor tonal
concepts of later history
– Singable
– Diatonic melodies (vs. Chromatic)
• Primarily sacred works
– Pure from secular influences
– Used extensively in the RC church
– Good example of the Counter Reformation of the CC’s musical
styles
Giovanni Gabrielli or just “Gabrielli”
•
•
•
•
Italian
Organist
Choirmaster
Composer – especially for multiple choirs
(polychoral) and combinations of
voices/instruments
• Established Antiphonal writing and Chordal
Homorhythmic writing which contrasted to the
contrapuntal (polyphonic) sections of the music
Review your Boldfaced Vocabulary
in the Text
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Texture
Chant
Gregorian Chant
Monophony
Homophony
Polyphony
Vernacular
Melismatic
Syllabic
Conjunct
Disjunct
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Imitative Counterpoint
Cantus Firmus
High Mass / Low Mass
Ordinary / Proper
Sacred / Secular
Motet
Homorhythmic
Madrigal
Polychoral
All the instruments and
their modern counterparts