14 Century Music 14 th Century Music Age

14 Century Music

14 th 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)

14 th 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 1 st important composers whose music survived Decline of church reflected in musical output; later wrote mostly love songs for 1 -4 performers

14 th century music • Notre Dame Mass Written by Machaut • 1 st 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 14 th 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 (16 th 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 • • 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