Music History

What are the formes fixes?

virelai, ballade, rondeau

What was the sixteenth-century polychoral style performed at St. Mark's (Venice)?

Cori spezzati.

True or false: The interest in ancient texts, such as Cicero and Quintilian, was a characteristic of classical humanism.

True

What did the Ars Nova provide notation for for the first time?

duple rhythms

The French improvisatory process of elaborating a plainchant into parallel triads was called:

fauxbourdon

Troubadour poetry that emphasized the admiration of a lady is called:

fin' amors

Chromatic notes that lay outside of the traditional Medieval gamut are called:

musica ficta

Which of the following does not help to identify a chant's melodic mode?: ending note, reciting tone, tempo, range

tempo

In Nuper rosarum flores, the mensuration proportions 6:4:2:3 represent:

the architectural proportions of solomon's temple

Who was Ottaviano Petrucci?

the first music printer to use moveable type

Which harmonic interval became a consonance through early fifteenth-century English influence?

the third

How is the music of successive stanzas related in a strophic song?

they are the same!

The earliest form of notated polyphony is called:

Organum

Was most of the music of troubadours and trouveres monophonic or polyphonic?

monophonic

Define: Ars perfecta

"Ars perfecta" was a term coined by music theorist Glareanus in reference to the work of Josquin. The term went on to define the new aesthetic of the music of the 16th century, which emphasized poetry and emotion interpreted into music instead of mathematics. Musical example: Josquin's "Ave Maria, Virgo Serena" exemplifies Ars perfecta with its humanism and perfect cadences.

Define: Cyclic Mass

A cyclic Mass is a setting of the Mass Ordinary by a single composer that uses unified musical motives throughout the entire work. Musical example: Busnoy's "L'homme arme" Mass is a cyclic mass because each part of the Mass ordinary is a different setting of the tune, "l'homme arme."

Define: Ligature

A ligature is a unit of musical notation in which the pitches of an ordo, or pattern, are bound together in one clump. Musical example: idk

Define: Madrigal

A madrigal is a type of Italian song-poem consisting of stanzas set to the same music which end or alternate with a refrain in a different meter or rhyme scheme. Musical example: Jacopo da Bologna's "Osellecto selvaggio" with three stanzas (or terezzi) and a ritornella that contrasts the rest of the music with a different rhyme scheme and by starting with a harmony not yet previously explored in the music.

Define: Motet

A motet is a piece of music in which a melismatic upper voice of an organum is fitted syllabically with text. Musical example: The motet "Ex semine rosa" gets its melody from the triplum part from Perotin's "Alleluia Nativitas"

Define: point of imitation

A point of imitation is a phrase that is sung in different voices, one after another, at the beginning of their own melodic lines. Musical example: The voices in Josquin's "Ave Maria Virgo Serena" enter two measures after each other.

Define: Troubadour

A troubadour is a 12th-century knightly poet-musician from Southern France who typically wrote or performed secular music in the language of Provencal. Musical example: Bernart de Ventadoorn was a court musician in Southern France, and most of his music, including "Can vei a lauzeta mover," is in the language of Provencal.

Define: Trouvère

A trouvere is a 13th-century musician from Northern France who typically wrote or performed secular music in the language of Old French. Musical example: Adam de la Halle was a composer from Northern France whose music, including "Fines amouretes," is in Old French.

Between, Kyrie, Gloria, Alleluia, and Credo, Which is not an item in the Mass Ordinary?

Alleluia

Define: Antiphonal

An antiphonal prayer or chant is one that is recited/performed by two groups alternating back and forth, such as two halves of a choir. Musical example: traditionally, the Gregorian chants of the Mass Ordinary would be sung with the choir answering a cantor's intonation of the beginning.

Define: Isorhythm

An isorhythm is a repeating pattern of rhythm or pitch. Musical example: de Vitry's "Merito" is isorhythmic because it has a repeating pitch sequence (a color) and repeating rhythmic sequence (a talea).

Josquin's Ave Maria . . . Virgo serena is an example of: a. polytextuality b. Ars Perfecta c. seconda pratica d. cori spezzati

Ars Perfecta

Define: Prolation

Coming from the Latin word "prolate," meaning "extension," the prolation refers to the number of minims in a semibreve. Its modern-day equivalent is the bottom number on a time signature. Musical example: John Dunstable's "Quam pulchra es," an ars nova Cantilena motet, begins in "prolatio minor," meaning that there are two minims in a semibreve.

Define: Discant style

Discant style is a style of early polyphony where a formally melismatic chant is arranged into a simple, repeating rhythm while an added upper voice sings in a rhythmic triple meter. Musical example: In Leonin's "Alleluia, Dies sanctificatus," the melismatic parts of the chant (particularly the words magna, venite, and nobis), are arranged on to regular patterns so that the upper voices can still sing more complicated lines.

The Old Hall Manuscript contains many important compositions from which country?

English

Define: Faburden

Faburden is an English tradition of improvised harmony in which two outside voices sing chords parallel to the inner plainchant voice. Musical example: While not faburden, itself, Dunstable's "Quam Pulchra es" expanded on the general style of parallel triads prevalent in faburden and more thoroughly and carefully composed the music so that the dissonances would be minimized

True or false: The texts for the Mass Ordinary change every week, while texts for the Proper remain the same from week to week.

False

Define: Fauxbourdon

Fauxbourdon is a French tradition of improvised harmony in which an inside voice sings notes parallel to the inner voices in order to create 6/3 chords. Musical example: du Fay's "Ave maris stella" is fauxbordoun because it is harmonized in parallel 6/3 chords.

The first body of chant to be written down extensively was:

Gregorian chant

Define: Gregorian chant

Gregorian chant is a genre of music in which traditionally Catholic religious texts are sung in unison by a choir. Musical example: The Kyrie, a part of the Mass Ordinary, is typically sung by a choir, and was originally done so monophonically by a choir in the form of gregorian chant.

Of the following, who is not a fifteenth-century composer? a. Guillaume Du Fay b. John Dunstable c. Gilles Binchois d. Guillaume de Machaut

Guillaume de Machaut

Who was the last of the trouveres?

Guillaume de Machaut

Which of the following is not true of Josquin's career? a. He was born in Italy. b. He sang in the papal choir in Rome. c. He worked at the court of the Duke of Ferrara. d. He worked for the Sforza family in Milan.

He was born in Italy

Define: Humanism

Humanism is an interest of studying the philosophy and literature of the ancient Greeks and Romans. This idea was important in the foundation of the Renaissance. Musical example: Josquin's "Ave Maria, Virgo Serena" exemplifies humanism with its emphasis on the text

What is the term for talea and color in 14th century motets?

Isorhythm

Of the following, which composer does not come from French or Flemish lands? a. Antoine Busnoys b. Gilles Binchois c. Johannes Ockeghem d. John Dunstable

John Dunstable

Quam pulchra es was written by:

John Dunstable

The composer who had the most prominent place in Ottaviano Petrucci's early music editions was:

Josquin

Define: L'Homme armé

L'Homme arme was a secular French song that was so popular that it was used as the cantus firmus in over 40 discovered cyclic masses from the 15th century. Musical example: Busnoys' "Missa l'Homme Arme" is a l'homme arme mass because it uses the l'homme arme song in every Mass ordinary tune. How many times can one say l'homme arme in one sentance? apparently too many times because this assignment requires that you give a musical example that is not just the title of the song even though this word is a song and the musical example has the same song title because it is p much the same mf song...kms...this class...

What was the main language of the Medieval Mass?

Latin

What Mass parts are composed for a cyclic mass?

Mass ordinary

Define: Melismatic style

Melismatic style is a style of Gregorian chant, usually reserved for Ordinary chants with simple words. In melismatic style, a single syllable may be sung on many notes. Musical example: the upper voices in Perotin's "Viderunt Omnes" sing very long melismatic, with dozens of notes per syllable.

Define: Mensural notation

Mensural notation is a type of musical notation that allows for the communication of precise rhythmic values. Musical example: The motet "On Parole" was written with mensural notation and has semibreves in every voice.

Define: Monophonic

Monophonic is a style of music with only one voice, or many voices that move in unison. Musical example: The gregorian chant, "Kyrie," is completely monophonic because it is just one choir singing the melody together.

Define: Neumatic

Neumatic style is a style of Gregorian chant that lies between syllabic and melismatic singing, which means that a syllable is sung on three or four notes. It is often used in chants that, while are not very textually dense or important, follow a specific physical task in the Mass. Musical example: the Gregorian chant Introit: Puer Natus Est, on the syllable "Na" in Natus, the melody has three notes.

Define: Organum

Organum is a style of early polyphony in which one voice sings many notes on a particular syllable while another voice sings only one note on that same syllable. Musical example: In Leonin's "Alleluia: Dies Sanctificatus," the tenor voice holds one note on a syllable while the upper voice sings a long, melismatic line on that same syllable.

According to legend, who saved church music during the Counter Reformation?

Palestrina

Where did Leonin and Perotin live and work?

Paris

Who was the main theorist of the Ars Nova?

Phillippe de Vitry

Define: Plainchant

Plainchant is another word for Gregorian Chant.

Define: Polyphony

Polyphony is a style of music in which multiple voices sound different notes at the same time. Musical example: Perotin's "Viderunt Omnes" consists of four voices singing independent moving lines.

Troubadours were knightly poet-musicians from

Southern france

Define: Sustained-note organum

Sustained-note organum is a subsect of the polyphonic style, organum, in which the notes of a chant are sung very slowly in a low voice while a second voice sings a faster, free or improvised sounding melody above it. Musical example: Musical example: In Leonin's "Alleluia: Dies Sanctificatus," the tenor voice holds one note on a syllable while the upper voice sings a long, melismatic line on that same syllable.

Define: Syllabic

Syllabic style is a style of Gregorian chant in which the singer sings only one syllable for note, usually on a very simple melody or even just one pitch. It is usually used with dense, complicated texts that change from week to week. Musical example: In the Gregorian chant, "Introit: Puer Natus Est," the cantor sings the more complicated text of the verses alone and with only one syllable per note so that the people can easily understand him.

Define: Tempus

Tempus, meaning time, refers to the number of semibreves in a breve. Its modern-day equivalent is the top number on a time signature (the number of beats in a measure). Musical example: John Dunstable's "Quam pulchra es," an ars nova Cantilena motet, begins in "tempus perfectum," meaning that there are three semibreves in a breve.

What was the earliest form of motet?

Texted discant clausula

Define: Council of Trent

The Council of Trent was a gathering of clergy of the Catholic church in 1545 where it was decided that the text of liturgical music should be made more intelligible. Musical example: Palestrina's "Missa Papae Marcellus" was written in response to Pope Marcellus stressing intelligibility on text, which was later reiterated in the Council o Trent.

Define: Ordinary (as in Mass Ordinary)

The Mass Ordinary is the collection of chants in a Mass whose texts do not vary from celebration to celebration. A few examples of chants in the Ordinary are the Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. Musical example: The Gregorian chant "Kyrie" is part of the Mass Ordinary.

Define: Proper (as in Mass Proper)

The Mass Proper is the collection of chants in a Mass whose texts vary from celebration to celebration. A few examples of chants in the Proper are the Alleluia, the Offertory, and Communion. Musical example: Leonin's "Alleluia, Dies Sanctificatus" is part of the Mass Proper because its specific text is only sung on Christmas.

Define: Old Hall Manuscript

The Old Hall Manuscript is the oldest surviving codex of liturgical polyphonic music from England

Define: Cantus firmus

The cantus firmus is the base, usually pre-existing chant used in a polyphonic organum. It is also typically the slowest line around which the other voices perform much more complicated, melismatic lines. Musical example: the tenor voice in Perotin's "Viderunt Omnes" sings the traditional Gregorian chant setting, or cantus firmus, while the top three voices sing complicated, melismatic lines.

Define: Color

The color is a repeated pattern of pitches. Musical example: The color of de Vitry's "Merito" is CDEDDDEFEDDEGDEDDC, and it repeats once.

Define: Formes fixes

The formes fixes are the forms of lyric poetry music clearly established by Adam de la Halle in the 13th century. The formes fixes are virelai, ballade, and rondeau. Musical example: Adam de la Halle's "Je muir, je muir" is a rondeau with two returns to the music of the opening line.

Define: stile antico

The stile antico was a style of liturgical music composition that adhered to the rules brought forth by the writings of Palestrina. Musical example: Palestrina's "Missa Papae Marcelli" exemplifies the stile antico with its expressivity mixed with strategic and very clean harmonic planning.

Define: Talea

The talea is a repeated pattern of rhythms. Musical example: The talea of Phillipe de Vitry's isorhythmic motet "Merito" is half note, whole note, half note, half rest, and this repeats eleven times.

Define: Tenor

The tenor typically refers to the voice in an organum which sings the cantus firmus. Musical example: the bottom voice in Leonin's "Alleluia, Dies Sanctificatus" sings the original chant and is called the tenor.

Define: la contenance angloise

The term "la contenance angloise" can be loosely translated from French into "the English capacity." It more generally refers to the attitude and musical features of the English tradition of music brought into France and the rest of Europe by John Dunstable

Define: Musica ficta

The term Musica ficta refers to performed chromatic alterations to the musical mode. Musical example: in Machaut's "Kyrie" from "Messe de Notre Dame," in the fourth measure there is an f# in the triplum part, even though the piece begins in d dorian. This is musica ficta.

Define: Duplum

The word "duplum" refers to the top or melismatic singer in a two-part organum that sings against the cantus firmus. Musical example: the upper voice in Leonin's "Alleulia, Dies Sanctificatus" which sings melismatic lines over the cantus firmus of the tenor voice is called the duplum voice.

Define: Triplum

The word "triplum" refers to the top singer in a three-part organum that sings against the cantus firmus, usually at the same rate as the duplum. Musical example: the motet "Ex semine rosa" has three voices, the top voice being named the triplum, which sings at similar divisions (eighth notes) as the duplum, while the tenor sings much slower.

Define: Paraphrase

To paraphrase is to rewrite a plainchant with embellishments. Musical example: du Fay's "Ave Maris Stella" paraphrases the original chant by filling in its beginning leap of a 5th with stepwise motion.

The extended meeting of the Catholic church, called to respond to the Protestant Reformation, was the Council of:

Trent

Josquin's piece Ave Maria . . . Virgo serena is: a. a Mass b. a madrigal c. a chason d. a motet

a motet

What is a contrafactum?

a piece that puts new text to a preexisting tune

What is tales?

a rhythmic pattern

Guillaume de Machaut composed: a. motets b. chansons c. masses d. all of the above

all of the above!

Which of the following describes the music of Quam pulchra es? a. pervasive consonance b. based on love poetry c. prevalence of triadic harmony d. all of the above

girl u know it all of the above ;)

What is "Nuper rosarum flores?"

isorhythmic motet by du Fay

Why is Franconian notation significant?

it used different notehead shapes to indicate rhythmic notation

Sixteenth-century composers used the Ars Perfecta style in which of the following genres? a. Mass b. motet c. ricercare d. all of the above

its allll of those!

The main theoretical organization of Medieval chant melodies was:

melodic modes

What is a contrapuntal technique in which a melodic line in one voice is imitated in other voices?

point of imitation