Music History Notes Medieval and Renaissance

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Music History Notes Medieval and Renaissance Medieval Period (600-1400) The center for music in the Medieval Period was the church. Since there were no schools or town centers, church was the main gathering place for people. This early music, called chant, was sung in unison, in Latin, and only by men. It was not written down, but instead passed from church to church by memorization. Then in 1026 AD, Guido of Arezzo create a method of writing music on paper called black-square notation, which allowed music to be carried by merchants to countries throughout Europe. As the music spread it changed. Parts were added to create harmony and words were stretched or shortened to create changes in rhythm. These changes continued until the year 1400 and the time of the Renaissance. Renaissance Period (1400-1600) Church was still main place for music. Parts had been added to create four-part harmony. Music was also performed more in the royal courts and town squares. Guillaume Dufay (1400?-1474) was an early Renaissance composer who skillfully handled several parts at once. Unlike many other composers, Dufay’s music was pleasant to hear. Josquin Des Prez (1450-1521) used the form called canon, in which each part enters singing the same music, but at different times. El Grillo But unlike the birds who The cricket is a good singer fly off when they've sung a bit, Who sings for a long time The cricket just stays where he is. The cricket sings just for fun When the weather is really hot, The cricket is a good singer he sings solely for love. Renaissance instruments: lute, recorder, tambour (hand drum), shawm, crum horn, sackbut, flute, lyre. Giovanni Palestrina (1525-1594) was one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance. He began to introduce new harmonies into his music. Giovanni Gabrielli (1554-1612) was a late Renaissance composer who loved to write music for brass instruments. Terms: chant, unison, sacred, secular, drone, black-square notation, canon, harmony, rhythm. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Multiple Choice
Unit 4: Renaissance Practice Test 1. The Renaissance may be described as an age of A. the “rebirth” of human creativity B. curiosity and individualism C. exploration and adventure D. all of the above 2. The dominant intellectual movement of the Renaissance was called A. paganism B. feudalism C. classicism D. humanism 3. The intellectual movement called humanism A. treated the Madonna as a childlike unearthly creature B. focused on human life and its accomplishments C. condemned any remnant of pagan antiquity D. focused on the afterlife in heaven and hell 4. The Renaissance in music occurred between A. 1000 and 1150 B. 1150 and 1450 C. 1450 and 1600 D. 1600 and 1750 5. Which of the following statements is not true of the Renaissance? A. Musical activity gradually shifted from the church to the court. B. The Catholic church was even more powerful in the Renaissance than during the Middle Ages. C. Every educated person was expected to be trained in music. D. Education was considered a status symbol by aristocrats and the upper middle class. 6. Many prominent Renaissance composers, who held important posts all over Europe, came from an area known at that time as A. England B. Spain C. Flanders D. Scandinavia 7. Which of the following statements is not true of Renaissance music? A. The Renaissance period is sometimes called “the golden age” of a cappella choral music because the music did not need instrumental accompaniment. B. The texture of Renaissance music is chiefly polyphonic. C. Instrumental music became more important than vocal music during the Renaissance.
[Show full text]
Josquin Des Prez: Master of the Notes
James John Artistic Director P RESENTS Josquin des Prez: Master of the Notes Friday, March 4, 2016, 8 pm Sunday, March 6, 2016, 3pm St. Paul’s Episcopal Church St. Ignatius of Antioch 199 Carroll Street, Brooklyn 87th Street & West End Avenue, Manhattan THE PROGRAM CERDDORION Sopranos Altos Tenors Basses Gaude Virgo Mater Christi Anna Harmon Jamie Carrillo Ralph Bonheim Peter Cobb From “Missa de ‘Beata Virgine’” Erin Lanigan Judith Cobb Stephen Bonime James Crowell Kyrie Jennifer Oates Clare Detko Frank Kamai Jonathan Miller Gloria Jeanette Rodriguez Linnea Johnson Michael Klitsch Michael J. Plant Ellen Schorr Cathy Markoff Christopher Ryan Dean Rainey Praeter Rerum Seriem Myrna Nachman Richard Tucker Tom Reingold From “Missa ‘Pange Lingua’” Ron Scheff Credo Larry Sutter Intermission Ave Maria From “Missa ‘Hercules Dux Ferrarie’” BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sanctus President Ellen Schorr Treasurer Peter Cobb Secretary Jeanette Rodriguez Inviolata Directors Jamie Carrillo Dean Rainey From “Missa Sexti toni L’homme armé’” Michael Klitsch Tom Reingold Agnus Dei III Comment peut avoir joye The members of Cerddorion are grateful to James Kennerley and the Church of Saint Ignatius of Petite Camusette Antioch for providing rehearsal and performance space for this season. Jennifer Oates, soprano; Jamie Carillo, alto; Thanks to Vince Peterson and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for providing a performance space Chris Ryan, Ralph Bonheim, tenors; Dean Rainey, Michael J. Plant, basses for this season. Thanks to Cathy Markoff for her publicity efforts. Mille regretz Allégez moy Jennifer Oates, Jeanette Rodriguez, sopranos; Jamie Carillo, alto; PROGRAM CREDITS: Ralph Bonheim, tenor; Dean Rainey, Michael J. Plant, basses Myrna Nachman wrote the program notes.
[Show full text]
I Al the MULTIVOICE SACRED MUSIC of NICOLAS GOMBERT: A
THE MULTIVOICE SACRED MUSIC OF NICOLAS GOMBERT: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION by Brandi Amanda Neal Bachelor of Arts in Music, University of South Carolina, 2003 Master of Arts in Music, University of Pittsburgh, 2006 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2011 al i UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Brandi A. Neal It was defended on April 1, 2011 and approved by James P. Cassaro, Adjunct Assitant Professor, Department of Music, Head, Theodore M. Finney Music Library Alan Lewis, Director of Music, Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Don O. Franklin, Professor Emeritus, Department of Music Francesca L. Savoia, Associate Professor of Italian, French and Italian Languages and Literature Dissertation Advisor: Mary S. Lewis, Professor Emerita, Department of Music ii Copyright © by Brandi A. Neal 2011 iii THE MULTIVOICE SACRED MUSIC OF NICOLAS GOMBERT: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF STYLE AND CONTEXT Brandi A. Neal, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2011 This dissertation examines the sacred compositions for six or more voices by Nicolas Gombert (1495-1560). Two multivoice (six or more voices) compositional techniques emerged in sixteenth-century Europe. The first of these, the Italian double-choir (coro spezzato) technique, has received far more attention from scholars. This practice divided the vocal ensemble into two groups that sang either separately or together, and whose members remained consistent throughout the musical composition. The second technique, practiced by composers in northern Europe, also split settings into two or more vocal groups, but the members of the groupings constantly changed.
[Show full text]
Stile Antico Josquin
Boston Early Music Festival in partnership with The Morgan Library & Museum present Stile Antico Josquin: Father of the Renaissance Ave Maria…virgo serena Josquin des Prez (ca. 1450–1521) Kyrie from Missa Pange lingua Josquin Vivrai je tousjours Josquin El grillo Josquin Inviolata, integra et casta es Maria Josquin Gloria from Missa Pange lingua Josquin Mille regretz Josquin Salve regina a5 Josquin O mors inevitabilis Hieronymus Vinders (fl. ca. 1525) Agnus Dei I and III from Missa Pange lingua Josquin Dum vastos Adriae fluctus Jacquet de Mantua (1483–1559) Friday, February 26, 2021 at 8pm Livestream broadcast Filmed concert from All Saints Church, West Dulwich, London, England BEMF.org Stile Antico Helen Ashby, Kate Ashby, Rebecca Hickey, soprano Emma Ashby, Cara Curran, Eleanor Harries, alto Andrew Griffiths, Jonathan Hanley, Benedict Hymas, tenor James Arthur, Will Dawes, Nathan Harrison, bass This concert is organized with the cooperation of Knudsen Productions, LLC, exclusive North American artist representative of Stile Antico. Stile Antico records for Decca. PROGRAM NOTES Our program tonight is devoted to the wonderful music of Josquin des Prez, marking 500 years since his death in 1521. Josquin was unquestionably a star in his own time: no lesser figure than Martin Luther praised him as “the master of the notes,” while for the theorist Glarean, “no one has more effectively expressed the passions of the soul in music…his talent is beyond description.” So what is it about Josquin that exerted such a spell on the generations that followed—and which still speaks so eloquently to us today? Much about Josquin’s biography and career remains shadowy: it isn’t always possible to pin down where he was working, and—with a few exceptions—the chronology of his works can only be attempted on stylistic grounds.
[Show full text]
The Transcriber's Art – #51 Josquin
The Transcriber’s Art – #51 Josquin des Prez by Richard Yates “Take Five. There's a certain piece that if we don’t play, we’re in trouble.” —Dave Brubek It was a familiar situation: deep in the stacks, surrounded by ancient scores, browsing for music that might find artful expression through the guitar. Perusing pages of choral music, I was suddenly struck by the realization that what I was doing was precisely what lutenists 400 years ago had done. While not exactly déjà vu, there was a strong sense of threading my way along paths first explored centuries ago. And if I was struggling with this source material, did they also? What solutions did they find and what tricks did they devise? What can we learn from them to help solve the puzzle of intabulating Renaissance vocal polyphony? The 16th century saw the gradual evolution of musical ideals that culminated in the works of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–94). Polyphonic music was to be a smooth, effortless flow of independent voices. Predominant stepwise movement emphasized continuity of individual lines but without drawing undue attention to any particular one. Dissonance was largely confined to the weak beats and passing tones or softened through suspensions. With its unique capacity for continuous modulation of timbre, pitch and volume, the human voice was exquisitely suited to this style. The articulation of syllables, true legato and subtle, unobtrusive portamento that connects phonemes and that is inherent in singing all facilitated the tracking of voices through a closely woven texture. Renaissance choral music is inextricably bound up with, and dependent on, the qualities of human voice.
[Show full text]
The Renaissance Period
The Renaissance Period The Renaissance, which literally means “rebirth” in French, saw movement and change in many different spheres of cultural activity as Europe began to rediscover and identify with its Greco-Roman heritage. The natural sciences (in particular astronomy) began advancing at a rapid pace, and some philosophers began to discuss secular humanism as a valid system. The discovery of the American continents by European navigators resulted in the first widespread speculations of international law and began a crisis of consci ence over human rights that would haunt the West for centuries to come. In particular, however, the Renaissance is remembered for a great a flourishing of the Arts. Secular instrumental music (for early instruments like shawms, crumhorns, and sackbuts) became increasingly popular during this period and composers began to write it down for the first time. The polyphonic madrigal became very popular in England thanks to composers like John Dowland and William Byrd. The motet, a three-part polyphonic composition written for voices or instruments, became popular around this time as well. Despite the increase in secularism, it was still within a religious context that the Renaissance arts truly thrived. Renaissance popes (corrupt as they were) were great patrons of such artists as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Gianlorenzo Bernini. Composers of church music expanded polyphony to six, eight, or even ten interwoven parts. The masses of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Tomás Luis de Victoria, and Orlando di Lasso in particular remain some of the most beautiful music ever composed. This polyphonic style was also used by the French composer Josquin des Prez, who wrote both sacred and secular music.
[Show full text]
Music History Lecture Notes Renaissance & Reformation 1450 AD – 1600 AD
Music History Lecture Notes Renaissance & Reformation 1450 AD – 1600 AD This presentation is intended for the use of current students in Mr. Duckworth’s Music History course as a study aid. Any other use is strictly forbidden. Copyright, Ryan Duckworth 2010 Images used for educational purposes under the TEACH Act (Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act of 2002). All copyrights belong to their respective copyright holders, This Unit We Will Take Coded Notes: • If you need to take Cornell notes for another class (e.g. AVID), this method of note taking will still work. • As you take notes, underline all names and dates. • At the end of the unit, you will go back and highlight key concepts. The Renaissance • Literally means: Rebirth • High Renaissance 1450-1500 C.E. • 1453 Turks conquer Constantinople – Byzantine scholars take Greek artifacts back to Italy • Transitional Renaissance 1550- 1600 • Great renewal of European interests in Ancient Greek & Roman Cultures Constantinople Europe around 1500 AD The Renaissance • A new concept emerges • Humanism – A dedication to human, instead of spiritual ideals and values – Salvation after death is no longer the only goal – Fulfillment in life and enjoyment the pleasures of the senses Important Renaissance Artists • Michaelangelo • Leonardo Da Vinci • Raphael • Shakespeare Art by Michelangelo Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Sistine Detail Art by Raphael Lady with Unicorn, St. George & the Dragon Raphael’s “The Crucifixion” and “A Knight’s Dream” Art by Leonardo Da Vinci Madonna of the
[Show full text]
Renaissance Terms
Renaissance Terms Cantus firmus: ("Fixed song") The process of using a pre-existing tune as the structural basis for a new polyphonic composition. Choralis Constantinus: A collection of over 350 polyphonic motets (using Gregorian chant as the cantus firmus) written by the German composer Heinrich Isaac and his pupil Ludwig Senfl. Contenance angloise: ("The English sound") A term for the style or quality of music that writers on the continent associated with the works of John Dunstable (mostly triadic harmony, which sounded quite different than late Medieval music). Counterpoint: Combining two or more independent melodies to make an intricate polyphonic texture. Fauxbourdon: A musical texture prevalent in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, produced by three voices in mostly parallel motion first-inversion triads. Only two of the three voices were notated (the chant/cantus firmus, and a voice a sixth below); the third voice was "realized" by a singer a 4th below the chant. Glogauer Liederbuch: This German part-book from the 1470s is a collection of 3-part instrumental arrangements of popular French songs (chanson). Homophonic: A polyphonic musical texture in which all the voices move together in note-for-note chordal fashion, and when there is a text it is rendered at the same time in all voices. Imitation: A polyphonic musical texture in which a melodic idea is freely or strictly echoed by successive voices. A section of freer echoing in this manner if often referred to as a "point of imitation"; Strict imitation is called "canon." Musica Reservata: This term applies to High/Late Renaissance composers who "suited the music to the meaning of the words, expressing the power of each affection." Musica Transalpina: ("Music across the Alps") A printed anthology of Italian popular music translated into English and published in England in 1588.
[Show full text]
Josquin Lives! Crudely Put, a Set of Directions for Producing Art
Humanities of Music, he occupies an endowed chair (presumably for as long as he wants it). The problem, rather, has to do with the separation of concept from performance in music. In fine art, concept and performance are one; both the art-lover and the art historian have thousands of years of paintings, drawings, and sculptures to study and enjoy. Similarly with literature: poetry, fiction, drama and criticism survive on the printed page or in manu script for judgment and admiration by succeeding generations. Josquin des Prez (Ca. 1440-1521) But musical notation on a page is not art, no matter how lofty or excellent the composer’s conception; it is, Josquin Lives! crudely put, a set of directions for producing art. Being Martin Luther called him “the master of the notes,” the highly symbolic, musical notation requires training be first who “made them do what he wanted; the other fore it can even be read, let alone performed. More composers had to do what the notes wanted.” Classi over, because the musical conventions of other days cist Henricus Glareanus in the sixteenth century felt are not ours, translation of a Renaissance score into that ‘‘no one has more effectively expressed the pas modern notation brings difficulties of its own. sions of the soul in music . no one has been able For example, Lowinsky points out, the Renaissance to compete in grace and facility on an equal footing notation of Josquin’s day did not designate the tempo with him, just as there is no Latin poet superior in the at which the music should be played or sung.
[Show full text]
Jean Richafort Requiem
ARTIST NOTE des Bois. Josquin’s own death inspired some JEAN RICHAFORT REQUIEM sublime works by Benedictus Appenzeller, Nicolas TRIBUTES TO JOSQUIN DESPREZ It is a great pleasure for us to present this Gombert, Jacquet of Mantua, Hieronymus Vinders recording of music written to honour one of the and Jean Richafort, whose Requiem in Memoriam great composers of the Renaissance, Josquin Josquin Desprez forms the backbone of this Desprez. Josquin’s sacred and secular works recording. We are delighted to be presenting 1 Musae Jovis á 4 Benedictus Appenzeller (c.1480-c.1558) [5.47] have long been a part of our repertoire, thanks these tributes alongside two of Josquin’s 2 Musae Jovis á 6 Nicolas Gombert (c.1495-c.1560) [5.31] largely to the fact that he scored so many works own works in new editions prepared by Dr for 5 or 6 voices, which suits our line-up. David Skinner. 3 Salve regina Josquin Desprez (c.1450-1521) [4.37] 4 Dum vastos Adriae fluctus Jacquet of Mantua (1483-1559) [7.52] Josquin’s influence on choral music in the years The King’s Singers would like to thank David after his death was huge. Throughout the 16th Skinner for his scholarship, and for his 5 O mors inevitabilis Hieronymus Vinders (fl.1510-1550) [2.51] century composers were still using material enlightened approach to the performance of Requiem in Memoriam Josquin Desprez Jean Richafort (c.1480-c1550) from his motets as the basis for masses, this wonderful music. Thanks also must go to (Missa pro defunctis) magnificats, and other motets.
[Show full text]
Lecture 14 Outline: Vocal Music: Josquin, His Contemporaries, And
SECOND BRIDGE: THE RENAISSANCE PART 2: JOSQUIN AND HIS FOLLOWERS / FRENCH MUSIC 1. Theorist: Tinctoris (1435–1511) a. Estimation of music of his time in the Art of Counterpoint (1477): Nothing over 40 years old which is thought by the learned as worthy of performance b. Brought Gregorian “mode” to polyphonic music. 2. Josquin des Prez i. Martin Luther: “Josquin is master of the notes, which must express what he desires; other composers can only do what the notes dictate.” ii. Other contemporary writers praised figures such as Michelangelo by calling him the Josquin of painting and architecture. iii. Stubbornness may have cost him opportunities. A “letter of recommendation” comparing Josquin to Heinrich Isaac (another major composer) for Ercole (Hercules) d’Este, Duke of Ferrara: “To me [Isaac] seems well suited to serve Your Lordship, more so than Josquin, because [Isaac] is more good-natured and companionable, and will compose new works more often. It is true that Josquin composes better, but he composes when he wants to and not when one wants him to, and he is asking 200 ducats in salary while Isaac will come for 120.” b. Josquin continued some trends; Created cantus firmus in Missa “HErcUlEs dUx FErrArIE” c. However, well known for a move toward greater simplicity d. Secular Music i. Frottola: short songs sung basically homophonically ii. bawdy or humorous (sometimes sexually explicit) texts iii. El grillo e. (NON-ISORHYTHMIC) Motet: Ave Maria…virgo serena (ca. 1490?) i. Points of imitation ii. “Pervasive myth of pervasive imitation” 3. Petrucci – printing! 4. Unlikely to have time, but maybe (if not, pick up after England): a.
[Show full text]
Renaissance & Response January
Renaissance & Response POLYPHONY THEN & NOW JANUARY 21 ° 22 ° 23 AUSTIN, TEXAS 2010-2011 season 1 2 Renaissance & Response POLYPHONY THEN & NOW Early Voices Friday, January 21, 8:00 pm Pre-concert talk at 7:00 pm Craig Hella Johnson Defining Mastery Artistic Director & Conductor Saturday, January 22, 4:00 pm Pre-concert talk at 3:00 pm Robert Kyr Composer-in-Residence A Flowering in Spain Saturday, January 22, 8:00 pm Renaissance & Response is funded in part through Meet the And Then Came Bach Composer’s MetLife Creative Sunday, January 23, 3:00 pm Connections program. Pre-concert talk at 2:00 pm St. Martin’s Lutheran Church 606 W. 15th Street, Austin Season Sustaining Underwriter 3 Supporters Season Sustaining Underwriter Business & Foundation Supporters The Kodosky The The Meadows Russell Hill Rogers Foundation Mattsson-McHale Foundation Fund for the Arts Foundation The Rachael & Ben Vaughan Foundation Public Funding Agencies Conspirare is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Media Sponsors Leadership support for Meet The Composer’s MetLife Creative Connections program is generously provided by MetLife Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Amphion Foundation, Argosy Foundation Contemporary Music Fund, BMI Foundation, Inc., Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, Jerome Foundation, mediaThe foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Virgil Thomson Foundation, Ltd.
[Show full text]