Transcript 14 Century Music

14 Century Music
14th Century Music
• Age of disintegration (100 years war,
black death,etc…)
• Weakened feudal system;literary works
focused on sensuality
• Secular music became more important
• Polyphonic music written NOT based on
gregorian chant (birdcalls, barking
dogs,etc.. Were imitated)
14th century music
• New set of music notation evolved;composers
specified almost any rhythmic pattern
• Beats subdivided into 2; syncopation used
and became common practice
• Changes so profound, music theorist referred
to French and Italian music as the new art
(Ars Nova,Latin).
• Guillaume De Machaut (1300-1377) French
Composer (read section in your book)
Guillaume De Machaut
1300-1377. French Composer, musician and
poet
Worked in many royal courts
Known for presenting beautifully decorated
copies of his music
One of 1st important composers whose music
survived
Decline of church reflected in musical output;
later wrote mostly love songs for 1-4
performers
14th century music
• Notre Dame Mass Written by Machaut
• 1st polyphonic treatment of the mass ordinary
by a know composer
• Mass Ordinary: texts that remain the same
• 5 sections: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus,
Agnus Dei.
• Same sections have been polyphonic since
the 14th century, inspired other great works in
future centuries.
• Composers have written the mass in their
own particular style for centuries.
Music in the Renaissance
(1450-1600
• Horizons of music were expanding
• Invention of the printing press (1440,
Johannes Gutenberg) allowed for more
circulation of music
• Appearance of more composers and
performers
• “Universal Man”- every educated person
trained in music
Renaissance Music
• Like in past, musicians worked in the church,
but also in courts of nobles and in secular
situations
• Church choirs grew in size; some were all
male
• Church remain important, but music activity
shifted to courts of nobles
• Kings, Dukes,etc… competed for the best
composers
• Single court may have 10-60 musicians,
including singers; women functioned as the
Renaissance Music
• Court music director composed secular music
to entertain; secular music for court chapel.
• Nobility would bring musicians along when
traveling to another noble’s residence
• Town musicians performed for typical town
functions (weddings, religious services,etc._
• Musicians had higher status;composer
weren’t unknown and sought credit for their
work.
• Leading composers came from Netherlands,
Belgium, Northern France & held important
Renaissance Music
• Vocal Music more important, like before
• Interest in language influenced the music in new
ways; close relationship between music and word
• Composers wrote music to enhance meaning and
emotion of text.
• “When one of the words expresses weeping, pain,
heartbreak, sighs, tears, and other similar things, let
the harmony be full of sadness” Gioseffo Zarlino (16th
century music theorist)
• Medieval composers uninterested in expressing
emotions of the text
Renaissance Music
• Word painting: musical representation of
poetic images
• i.e. descending from heaven: descending
melodic line; “running”: series of eighth notes
• Music still sounded calm and restrained
• Music expressed in a balanced way: no
extreme changes in dynamics tone color or
rhythm
Renaissance Music: Texture
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Mostly polyphonic; 4-6 voices of equal melodic interest
Imitation common: all voices present same melodic ideas
Homophonic music used in lighter music such as dances
Renaissance music has fuller sound; bass register used
expanding to an 4 octave range
• Composers began to think in chords
• All melodic lines conceived at the same time; individualized
parts
Texture, pt 2
• Stable constant chords were favored, triads
occurred often
• Choral music didn’t need instrumental parts
• “golden age” of a-capella choral music
• Instruments often combined with voices;
duplicate vocal lines
• Parts specified for instruments hardly found in
renaissance choral music
Rhythm and melody
• Gently flow; not a sharp defined beat
• Melodic lines have great rhythmic
independence.
• Music sung in “round”, not necessary a
strict one
• Renaissance melodies easy to sing;
scale like melodies with few large leaps