THE REFORMATION Beginnings of Modernity
THE REFORMATION Religious rebellion against the authority of the Catholic Church Germany and Scandinavia: LUTHERAN Switzerland, Low Countries: CALVINIST England: CHURCH OF ENGLAND
MARTIN LUTHER (1483–1546)
THE REFORMATION MARTIN LUTHER (1483–1546) Trains as for Law profession Thunderstorm in the summer of 1505. A lightning bolt struck near him as he was returning to school. Terrified, he cried out, “Help! Saint Anne, I will become a monk!” He left law school, sold his books, and entered the monastery.
THE REFORMATION MARTIN LUTHER (1483–1546) Professor of biblical theology at the University of Wittenberg in Germany
City of Wittenberg THE REFORMATION MARTIN LUTHER (1483–1546) Believes salvation comes through FAITH, not good works or penance as taught by the Catholic Church Rebelled against nonbiblical practices in the Catholic Church
THE REFORMATION Writes ninety-five theses (points or arguments) A list of complaints against the Catholic practices, posted on a door of the Schlosskirche in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517
Schlosskirche in Wittenberg The door that Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to THE REFORMATION Sale of indulgences
THE REFORMATION The theses are printed and widely disseminated— within two weeks it had spread throughout Germany, within two months throughout Europe making Martin Luther famous
Beginning of Martin Luther’s 95 theses THE REFORMATION The theses are translated into German in 1518
THE REFORMATION Pope Leo X writes a papal enclyclical in reply When Martin refused to recant his theses, he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church
THE REFORMATION Martin Luther translates the Bible into German Printed in 1522 and sells 2000 copies in 2 months.
THE REFORMATION Luther marries Katharina von Bora (a former nun) on June 13, 1535, and reintroduces the practice of clerical marriage to the Western Christian traditions
THE REFORMATION New Evangelical, or “Lutheran” Church German princes adopted Lutheranism, freeing them from Roman control. The vernacular was used for the liturgy, but Luther considered Latin essential for education.
THE REFORMATION Music important in Lutheran Church because of Luther’s belief in its ethical power and his appreciation of composers such as Josquin Thanks, Martin!
THE REFORMATION Did not do away with church music or even Latin church music “Music is a gift from God”
THE REFORMATION “It is not my view that the Gospel should cause all the arts to be struck down and disappear; on the contrary, I should like to see all the arts, and especially music, used in the service of God who gave and created them.”
THE REFORMATION Texts were in the vernacular, but much of the Latin Catholic liturgy was retained.
THE REFORMATION Churches were free to use music as they wished Large churches with trained choirs kept much of the Latin liturgy and polyphony.
CHORALE Most important form of Lutheran church music Congregations sang several chorales at each service Luther wrote many chorales himself. Four collections were published in 1524.
“Ein neues Lied wir heben an” Geistliche gesang Büchlein, 1524 CHORALE Metric, rhymed, strophic poetry for unison, unaccompanied performance by the congregation
CHORALE MELODIES Adaptation of existing Gregorian chants Existing devotional songs in German Secular songs given new words Newly composed melodies
“Why should the Devil have all the good tunes?” Secular songs were given new words CONTRAFACTA
CHORALE MELODIES Adaptation of existing Gregorian chants Veni redemptor gentium = Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
CHORALE MELODIES Newly composed melodies Ein feste burg
CHORALE MELODIES Newly composed melodies: Ein feste Burg
CHORALE MELODIES Luther adapted Psalm 46 for the text Ein feste Burg became an “anthem” of the Reformation The original rhythm suits the text, but modern versions use a more regular rhythm.
Polyphonic Chorale Settings Group singing in home settings Performance in church by choirs, alternating stanzas with the congregation in unison Luther wanted “wholesome” music for young people, to “rid them of their love ditties and wanton song.”
Polyphonic Chorale Settings Lied Style “Lied” technique with melody in TENOR Three or more free polyphonic parts Johann Walter was Martin Luther’s chief musical collaborator.
Johann Walter Ein feste Burg
Music Viva, “Ein feste Burg” Polyphonic Chorale Settings Chorale Motets Josquin-like motet style Chorale appears as a cantus firmus in long notes in some motets Some chorale motets use the chorale imitatively in all voices
Polyphonic Chorale Settings Cantional Style Homophony (cantional style, from the Latin cantionale, “songbook”) Tune in the highest voice Accompaniment in block chords
COUNTER REFORMATION Catholic Response to the Reformation (Counter-Reformation or Catholic Reformation) Jesuits (Society of Jesus) Founded St. Ignatius Loyola (1491–1556) in 1534 Founded schools to teach proper Catholicism Proselytized, reconverting Poland, southern Germany, and much of France
COUNTER REFORMATION Council of Trent (1545–1563) Series of meetings held in Trent (northern Italy) Reaffirmed doctrines that Luther attacked Purged the Church of abuses and laxities
COUNTER REFORMATION Council of Trent (1545–1563) Music was a subject for debate, especially the use of secular song in the composition of masses. Eliminated tropes and all but four sequences
COUNTER REFORMATION Council of Trent (1545–1563) The use of secular music in sacred music The density of polyphony The different musical practices The use of instruments in sacred music The irreverent attitude of church singers
COUNTER REFORMATION Council of Trent (1545–1563) The final statement was vague, leaving it to bishops to regulate music.
COUNTER REFORMATION Catholic Church Music: 1520–1550 Franco-Flemish composers dominated the generation active
COUNTER REFORMATION STYLE FEATURES Clearly defined mode Careful treatment of dissonance Equality of voices Five- or six-voice compositions, using contrasting combinations of voices Duple meter with brief passages in triple
COUNTER REFORMATION STYLE FEATURES Imitative polyphony Imitation mass the most common type, but composers still use paraphrase and cantus firmus techniques
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c1525–1594) Born in Palestrina, near Rome Educated in Rome, where he was a choirboy 1544–1551: Organist and choirmaster in Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina 1551–55 : Choirmaster of Julian Chapel 1555: Sang in Sistine Chapel briefly but could not continue because he was married 1555––1566: Important posts in Rome 1571–1594: Choirmaster of Julian Chapel
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Spent his last forty years as choirmaster and teacher at influential churches in Rome Taught music at the new Jesuit seminary
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina 104 masses, more than any other composer Over 300 motets Participated in the reformation of chant-books, which were published after his death Madrigals, which he later regretted
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Credited with saving polyphony from the Council of Trent According to legend, his Pope Marcellus Mass, dedicated to the pope, demonstrated that sacred words could be intelligible in polyphonic music.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina STYLE Long-breathed melodies Easily singable Moves mostly by steps Most leaps followed by stepwise motion in opposite direction
Counterpoint follows the rules Dissonances introduced in suspensions and resolved on strong beats Dissonances between beats are allowed if the moving voice is doing so in a stepwise fashion or as a suspension Downward leap of a third, from a dissonance to a consonance (later called cambiata), is also allowable.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina The resulting harmonic style comprises an alternation between consonance and “allowable” dissonance
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Palestrina makes the text intelligible by using syllabic text-setting and homophony in movements with long texts Palestrina’s style was a model for subsequent generations and is still the ideal in present-day textbooks on counterpoint
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Pope Marcellus Mass: Credo
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Pope Marcellus Mass: Credo Each new phrase uses a different combination of voices. All six voices come together for important words, cadences, and musical climaxes. Voice combinations sometimes used for text- painting, e.g., three voices to symbolize the Trinity.
St. Peter’s Basilica, June 29 2012 St. Peter’s Basilica, June 12, 2012
Westminster Abbey Choir, Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina