Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Concise History of Western Music Fourth Edition Chapter 4 French and Italian Music in the Fourteenth Century By Barbara Russano Hanning Based on J. Peter Burkholder, Donald J. Grout, and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music, Eighth Edition © 2010, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. PRELUDE Prelude • Conditions were more difficult than in the thirteenth century. • The Hundred Years’War (1337–1453) strained the economy. • Bad weather, famine, and floods Prelude • The Great Plague (known as the Black Death) killed a third of Europe’s population during 1348–50. – Victims died in agony within days of contracting the plague. – Survivors often fled Europe’s cities. • Peasant and urban rebellions occurred in many European regions. A divided Church • King Philip IV (the Fair) of France engineered the election of a French pope, who resided in Avignon rather than Rome. • During the Great Schism of 1378–1417 there were two and sometimes three claimants to the papacy. • When the papacy returned fully to Rome, it brought French music. • The Church and corrupt clergy were targets of much criticism. Science and secularism • Philosophers distinguished between divine revelation and human reason. • Church and state were seen to have dominion over different realms. • These views spurred advances in science and technology. • Interest in the world, the individual, and human nature made way for a growing secular culture. The arts enjoyed remarkable creativity • Increased literacy led to more literature in the vernacular. – Dante’s Divine Comedy (1307) in Italian – Boccaccio’s Decameron (1353) in Italian – Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1387–1400) in English • Giotto (ca. 1266–1337), a Florentine painter, created a more naturalistic style in art. • Secular songs received more attention. Ars nova • Ars nova (“The new art,” early 1320s) by Philippe de Vitry (1291–1361) • The title of this treatise denotes the French musical style during the first half of the fourteenth century. • The stylistic innovation of this era centers on rhythm and its notation Ars nova • Changes to the motet – The subjects of motets became more political and less amorous. – The structure became more complex, as seen in isorhythm. • Changes to secular songs – The polyphonic art song was the most important new genre of the era. – Machaut in France and Landini in Italy mastered this genre while writing love lyrics in the tradition of the trouvères. THE ARS NOVA IN FRANCE Roman de Fauvel • The Roman de Fauvel (Story of Fauvel) captures the spirit of the turn of the century. – This allegorical poem satirizes corrupt politicians and church officials. Roman de Fauvel • Fauvel is the main character. – Fauvel is an anagram for Flattery, Avarice, Villainy (u and v were interchangeable), Variété (fickleness), Envy, and Lâcheté (cowardice). – Fauvel, a jackass who rises to a powerful position, symbolizes a world turned upside down. – He marries and produces offspring that destroy the world. Roman de Fauvel • The manuscript contains 169 pieces of music – Some were written for this collection; others were chosen for their relevance to the poem’s message. – Most are monophonic. – Thirty-four polyphonic motets, many denouncing the clergy, are among the first examples of the Ars Nova and of isorhythm. – Philippe de Vitry composed at least five motets. Isorhythm • The tenor is laid out in segments of identical rhythm. – Thirteenth-century motets often have short, repeating patterns in the tenor. – In the fourteenth century, the tenor pattern grew longer and more complex. – The slow pace of the tenor makes it less a melody and more of a foundational structure. – The rhythmic pattern is called talea. – The melody, called color, may also repeat but may not coincide with the rhythm. Isorhythm • In arboris/Tuba sacre fidei/Virgo sum, attributed to Vitry – The tenor has two statements of the color. – The color statements have three repetitions of the talea. – The upper voices are isorhythmic during the duple sections of the tenor. GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT Guillaume de Machaut • Machaut (ca. 1300–1377) is the leading composer of the Ars Nova. – Born in northeastern France, probably to a middle-class family – He composed in most of the major genres of his time. Motets • Twenty-three motets, most from early in his career • Traditional texture: borrowed tenor and two upper voices with different texts • Longer and more complex than thirteenthcentury motets Motets • Nineteen use isorhythm, sometimes in all three voices. • Frequent use of hockets, passages featuring a quick alternation of voices with one resting while the other sings Messe de Nostre Dame • Probably the earliest polyphonic setting of the Mass Ordinary composed by a single composer and conceived as a unit Messe de Nostre Dame • Composed for the cathedral in Reims – Performed at a Mass for the Virgin Mary celebrated every Saturday – After Machaut’s death, an oration for his soul was added to the service. – It continued to be performed there until the fifteenth century. Messe de Nostre Dame Messe de Nostre Dame • The six movements are linked by style and approach. – All six movements are for four voices. – Recurring motives and cadence tones unify the movements. – The Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Ite, missa est are isorhythmic, each with a different cantus firmus. – The Gloria and Credo, with longer texts, are in discant style and end with elaborate isorhythmic “Amens.” Messe de Nostre Dame • Kyrie – The tenor is from a chant on the same Ordinary text. – The contratenor, a second supporting voice in the same range as the tenor, is also isorhythmic but with its own talea. – The upper voices are partially isorhythmic. Messe de Nostre Dame Monophonic works in the trouvère tradition • Performed in the courts of the elite • Machaut composed numerous lais, a twelfthcentury form similar to the sequence. Monophonic works in the trouvère tradition • The virelai is one of the formes fixes. – A popular poetic form in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries often intended for dancing (see Figure 4.7) – The form is AbbaA: A is the refrain, a has the music of A but new words, and b is a contrasting musical phrase. Monophonic works in the trouvère tradition Monophonic works in the trouvère tradition • Machaut, Foy porter – Monophonic virelai – The text pays homage to the poet’s beloved. – Machaut uses innovative rhythms and supple syncopations. Polyphonic chanson (“songs”) • Treble-dominated songs were a major innovation of the Ars Nova. – The treble or cantus carries the text. – A slower-moving, untexted tenor supports the cantus. – A contratenor may be added. Polyphonic chanson (“songs”) • Most are settings of the formes fixes – The formes fixes are fixed poetic forms. – Musical settings generally reflect the poetic rhyme scheme. – Principal types: virelai, rondeau, and Ballade – In polyphonic settings, Machaut preferred the rondeau and ballade. Polyphonic chanson (“songs”) • Rose, liz, printemps, verdure – This work is a rondeau: ABaAabAB. – Long melismas fall on structural points and enhance the appeal. – Varied rhythms, including supple syncopations, are typical. – Machaut uses both duple and triple meters. – The unusual fourth voice was probably added later. Polyphonic chanson (“songs”) • Ballades – Apparently Machaut’s favorite, these works were more serious than the other chansons. – Form: aabC – Machaut composed more than forty ballades for two, three, and four parts. – Typical setting: high tenor solo and two lower parts ITALIAN TRECENTO MUSIC Italian Trecento Music • Music was important to Italian social life. • Boccaccio’s Decameron describes music in social life (see Vignette, p. 78). • Most music was not written down, as even polyphony was largely improvised. • In Italian courts, travatori followed the tradition of the troubadours. • The only examples surviving in manuscripts are monophonic laude, processional songs that are devotional in nature. Italian Polyphony • Largest body is from the repertory of secular songs. • The principal centers are in central and northern Italy, including Florence. • Few examples of polyphony come from before 1330. • After that date, there are several manuscripts, including the Squarcialupi Codex. Squarcialupi Codex • One of the main sources for Italian secular polyphony • Named for a former owner • There are 354 pieces, grouped by composer. • A portrait of each of the twelve composers appears at the beginning of the section containing his works. Squarcialupi Codex • Most are for two or three voices. • Types of works – Madrigal – Caccia – Ballata Madrigal • Madrigal (not related to the sixteenth-century madrigal) • Subjects: love, satire, pastoral life • Usually for two voices Madrigal • Form – Each stanza set to the same music – Ritornello (Italian for “refrain”), a closing pair of lines set to different music in a different meter Madrigal Madrigal • Non al suo amante by Jacopo da Bologna (fl. 1340–?1370) – Unlike in the French chanson, the voices are relatively equal. – The last accented syllable of each poetic line is set to a long, florid, melisma. – The melody lacks the syncopations common in French music. Caccia (Italian, “hunt”) • Similar to the French chace (“hunt”), a popularstyle melody set in strict canon with lively, descriptive words • Two voices are in canon at the unison with an untexted tenor. • Sometimes the text plays on the concept of a hunt, as in Tosto che l’alba by Ghirardello da Firenze. – Imitations of hunting horns – High-spirited and comic Ballata • Popular later than the madrigal and caccia • Influenced by the treble-dominated French chanson • Ballata is from ballare (“to dance”), and it was originally a song to accompany dancing. Ballata • The form is AbbaA, like a single stanza of a French virelai. – The ripresa (refrain) is sung before and after the stanza. – The stanza consists of two piedi (feet) and the volta, the closing line sung to the music of the ripresa. Ballata Francesco Landini • Landini (ca. 1325– 1397)was the leading composer of the trecento. – He was blind since boyhood. – He played many instruments but was a virtuoso on the small organ (organetto). Francesco Landini • He composed 140 ballate. – Most are for two voices. – Others, presumably later works, have three parts in a treble-dominated style similar to Machaut’s. Francesco Landini • Non avrà ma’ pieta – Many sonorities containing thirds and sixths, though never at the beginning or end of a section – Despite syncopation, arching melodies are smoother than Machaut’s – Melismas on the first and penultimate syllables of a poetic line are characteristic of the Italian style. – Under-third cadences, known as “Landini cadences,” are typical of trecento music. Francesco Landini Francesco Landini Foreign influences • French influence overtook the Italian style at the end of the century, particularly after the papal court moved back from Avignon. • English polyphony was also influential; this would become more pronounced in the next century. THE ARS SUBTILIOR The Ars Subtilior • In the late fourteenth century, French and Italian music became more refined and complex. • Music catered to the extravagant tastes of performers and the courtly elite. • The papal court at Avignon was one of the main patrons of secular music. Polyponic chansons predominated • The formes fixes continued to be set. • Most were love songs. • Composers were fascinated with technique and extreme complexities. • This repertory is known as the Ars Subtilior (“the subtler art”). Polyphonic chansons predominated • The written music often included fanciful decorations and ingenious notation. – Love song in the shape of a heart – Canon in the shape of a circle • Rhythmic complexity – The level of complexity is not matched until the twentieth century. – Works feature voices in contrasting meters and conflicting groupings. – Harmonies are purposely blurred through rhythmic disjunction. En remirant vo douce pourtraiture • En remirant vo douce pourtraiture by Philippus de Caserta (fl. 1370s) • Ballade • The three voices move in different meters. • Each phrase has a distinctive rhythmic profile. • Modern performance of the tenor and contratenor can be either vocal or instrumental En remirant vo douce pourtraiture Additional Art from Chapter 4 Figure 4.4 Figure 4.5 This concludes the presentation slides for Chapter 4: French and Italian Music in the Fourteenth Century For more, visit our online StudySpace at: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/music/concise-history-western-music4/