Use of the Simultaneous Cross-Relation by Sixteenth Century English and Continental Composers Tim Montgomery
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Phrase Painting and Goal Orientation in Two Late Gesualdo Madrigals
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by IUScholarWorks Phrase Painting and Goal Orientation In Two Late Gesualdo Madrigals MICHAEL E BURDICK I The late madrigals of Carlo Gesualdo have challenged the minds and ears of theorists for over three centuries. This challenge comes largely from the unorthodox type of chromatic harmony that we find in certain passages-a chromaticism that seems to belie its own place in the history of Western music. Of the late madrigals of Gesualdo, two of the most frequently quoted and analyzed are "Io pur respiro" and "Moro lasso" from his sixth book of madrigals. These two works, likewise, are the focus of at tention in this article. It is not the intent of this paper to attempt an explana tion of Gesualdo's unique chromaticism in terms of the harmonic practices of the Renaissance or Baroque periods. This has already been attempted by numerous authors over the years, with highly diversified and controversial results. However, some of these results will be presented here as a preliminary setting to the principal goal of this paper, which is to examine two structural principles in operation in these madrigals that offer to give greater understanding and meaning to the chord progressions themselves. Perhaps the most objective attempt to catalogue Gesualdo's chromaticism in a stylistic approach can be found in John Clough's article "The Leading Tone in Direct TWO GESUALDO MADRIGALS 17 Chromaticism: From Renaissance to Baroque."l The article gives a summary of different types of chromatic progres sions, with the emphasis on chromatic-third relationships (the chromatic-third progression being the salient feature of Gesualdo's more unconventional chromatic progressions). -
A Byrd Celebration
A Byrd Celebration William Byrd 1540–1623 A Byrd Celebration LECTURES AT THE WILLIAM BYRD FESTIVAL EDITED BY RICHARD TURBET CMAA Church Music Association of America Cover picture is of the Lincoln Cathedral, England, where William Byrd was the choirmaster and organ- ist for nine years, 1563–1572. Copyright © 2008 Church Music Association of America Church Music Association of America 12421 New Point Drive Harbor Cove Richmond, Virginia 23233 Fax 240-363-6480 [email protected] website musicasacra.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments . .7 Preface . .9 BIOGRAPHY . .11 William Byrd: A Brief Biography . .13 Kerry McCarthy “Blame Not the Printer”: William Byrd’s Publishing Drive, 1588–1591 . .17 Philip Brett Byrd and Friends . .67 Kerry McCarthy William Byrd, Catholic and Careerist . .75 Joseph Kerman MASSES . .85 The Masses of William Byrd . .87 William Peter Mahrt Byrd’s Masses in Context . .95 David Trendell CANTIONES . .103 Byrd’s Musical Recusancy . .105 David Trendell Grave and Merrie, Major and Minor: Expressive Paradoxes in Byrd’s Cantiones Sacrae, 1589 . .113 William Peter Mahrt Savonarola, Byrd, and Infelix ego . .123 David Trendell William Byrd’s Art of Melody . .131 William Peter Mahrt GRADUALIA . .139 Rose Garlands and Gunpowder: Byrd’s Musical World in 1605 . .141 Kerry McCarthy The Economy of Byrd’s Gradualia . .151 William Peter Mahrt 5 6 — A Byrd Celebration ENGLISH MUSIC . .159 Byrd the Anglican? . .161 David Trendell Byrd’s Great Service: The Jewel in the Crown of Anglican Music . .167 Richard Turbet Context and Meaning in William Byrd’s Consort Songs . .173 David Trendell UNPUBLISHED MOTETS . .177 Byrd’s Unpublished Motets . -
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. -
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. -
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. -
'The Performing Pitch of William Byrd's Latin Liturgical Polyphony: a Guide
The Performing Pitch of William Byrd’s Latin Liturgical Polyphony: A Guide for Historically Minded Interpreters Andrew Johnstone REA: A Journal of Religion, Education and the Arts, Issue 10, 'Sacred Music', 2016 The choosing of a suitable performing pitch is a task that faces all interpreters of sixteenth- century vocal polyphony. As any choral director with the relevant experience will know, decisions about pitch are inseparable from decisions about programming, since some degree of transposition—be it effected on the printed page or by the mental agility of the singers—is almost invariably required to bring the conventions of Renaissance vocal scoring into alignment with the parameters of the more modern SATB ensemble. To be sure, the problem will always admit the purely pragmatic solution of adopting the pitch that best suits the available voices. Such a solution cannot of itself be to the detriment of a compelling, musicianly interpretation, and precedent for it may be cited in historic accounts of choosing a pitch according to the capabilities of the available bass voices (Ganassi 1542, chapter 11) and transposing polyphony so as to align the tenor part with the octave in which chorale melodies were customarily sung (Burmeister 1606, chapter 8). At the same time, transpositions oriented to the comfort zone of present-day choirs will almost certainly result in sonorities differing appreciably from those the composer had in mind. It is therefore to those interested in this aspect of the composer’s intentions, as well as to those curious about the why and the wherefore of Renaissance notation, that the following observations are offered. -
Image and Influence: the Political Uses of Music at the Court of Elizabeth I
Image and Influence: The Political Uses of Music at the Court of Elizabeth I Katherine Anne Butler Royal Holloway, University of London Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Acknowledgements With thanks to all the people who supported me throughout my research, especially: My supervisor, Stephen Rose, My advisors, Elizabeth Eva Leach and Anna Whitelock, The Arts and Humanities Research Council for funding this research, Royal Holloway Music Department for conference grants, My proofreaders, Holly Winterton, Sarah Beal, Janet McKnight and my Mum, My parents and my fiancé, Chris Wedge, for moral support and encouragement. Declaration of Authorship I, Katherine Butler, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: ______________________ Date: ________________________ 2 Abstract In their Cantiones sacrae (1575), court musicians William Byrd and Thomas Tallis declared that ‘music is indispensable to the state’ (necessarium reipub.). Yet although the relationship between Elizabethan politics and literature has been studied often, there has been little research into the political functions of music. Most accounts of court music consist of documentary research into the personnel, institutions and performance occasions, and generally assume that music’s functions were limited to entertainment and displays of magnificence. However, Elizabethans believed that musical concord promoted a social harmony that would ease the process of government; hence politics and music were seen as closely connected. This thesis is an interdisciplinary investigation into the role of music in constructing royal and courtly identities and influencing Elizabeth’s policies and patronage. -
William Byrd Festival 2008
This book has been published by the Church Music Association of America for distribution at the William Byrd Festival 2008. It is also available for online sales in two editions. Clicking these links will take you to a site from which you can order them. Softcover Hardcover A Byrd Celebration William Byrd 1540–1623 A Byrd Celebration LECTURES AT THE WILLIAM BYRD FESTIVAL EDITED BY RICHARD TURBET CMAA Church Music Association of America Cover picture is of the Lincoln Cathedral, England, where William Byrd was the choirmaster and organ- ist for nine years, 1563–1572. Copyright © 2008 Church Music Association of America Church Music Association of America 12421 New Point Drive Harbor Cove Richmond, Virginia 23233 Fax 240-363-6480 [email protected] website musicasacra.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments . .7 Preface . .9 BIOGRAPHY . .11 William Byrd: A Brief Biography . .13 Kerry McCarthy “Blame Not the Printer”: William Byrd’s Publishing Drive, 1588–1591 . .17 Philip Brett Byrd and Friends . .67 Kerry McCarthy William Byrd, Catholic and Careerist . .75 Joseph Kerman MASSES . .85 The Masses of William Byrd . .87 William Peter Mahrt Byrd’s Masses in Context . .95 David Trendell CANTIONES . .103 Byrd’s Musical Recusancy . .105 David Trendell Grave and Merrie, Major and Minor: Expressive Paradoxes in Byrd’s Cantiones Sacrae, 1589 . .113 William Peter Mahrt Savonarola, Byrd, and Infelix ego . .123 David Trendell William Byrd’s Art of Melody . .131 William Peter Mahrt GRADUALIA . .139 Rose Garlands and Gunpowder: Byrd’s Musical World in 1605 . .141 Kerry McCarthy The Economy of Byrd’s Gradualia . .151 William Peter Mahrt 5 6 — A Byrd Celebration ENGLISH MUSIC . -
Gesualdo Cruel Ecstasy City 2021 PROG-2
City Summer Sounds 21 June 2021, 7pm Festival Concert Filmed at Holy Trinity Hoxton EXAUDI Gesualdo: Cruel Ecstasy Programme Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613): Madrigals from Books V and VI (1611) Gioite voi col canto (Libro V) Itene, o miei sospiri (V) Deh, come invan sospiro ‘Io parto’, e non più dissi (VI) Asciugate i begli occhi (V) Patrick Hegarty (*1996): Recitation (2019) Gesualdo: Madrigals from Books V and VI Se la mia morte brami (VI) O dolorosa gioia (V) Al mio gioir (VI) Mille volte il dì (VI) Tu piangi, o Filli mia (VI) Languisce al fin chi da la vita parte (V) EXAUDI Juliet Fraser soprano Lucy Goddard mezzo Tom Williams countertenor Stephen Jeffes, David de Winter tenor Jimmy Holliday bass James Weeks director The Department of Music at City, University of London, would like to thank Fr Andrew Newcombe at Holy Trinity Hoxton for his generosity in hosting this event. Notes on the Music Gesualdo: Madrigals from Books V and VI Four hundred years after his death, Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa, remains the most tantalising of musicians, the most alluring of myths. We are drawn back to the dark flame of this strange, obsessive music like moths to the candle, like lovers who can’t let go. At the heart of his work we sense a mystery, an inward-turning, a kind of silence: its extreme chromatic harmonies and wild polarities no mere artifice or exoticism, but emanating from a soul whose nature is other, lying apart from us, outside our cosmology, orbiting a different sun. This is music which begets myths, and its composer’s sad and troubled life supplies plenty. -
ONE INTENTION: a STUDY of the DEVELOPMENT of MUSIC in the CHURCH Renee A
Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Research Papers Graduate School 4-2011 MANY GENRES; ONE INTENTION: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC IN THE CHURCH Renee A. Rybolt Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp Recommended Citation Rybolt, Renee A., "MANY GENRES; ONE INTENTION: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC IN THE CHURCH" (2011). Research Papers. Paper 106. http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp/106 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Papers by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MANY GENRES; ONE INTENTION: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC IN THE CHURCH by Renée A. Rybolt B.A., Saint Joseph’s College, 2009 A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music Department of Music in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale May 2011 RESEARCH PAPER APPROVAL MANY GENRES; ONE INTENTION: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC IN THE CHURCH By Renée A. Rybolt A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music Approved by: Dr. Susan Davenport, Chair Dr. Melissa Mackey Dr. Christopher Morehouse Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale April 12, 2011 AN ABSTRACT OF THE RESEARCH PAPER OF RENÉE A. RYBOLT, for the Master of Music degree in CHORAL CONDUCTING, presented on 25 MARCH 2011, at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. -
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 -
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.