Musical
Characteristics
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English and Burgundian Schools
- 3-part polyphony
- Melodic and rhythmic interest in top voice
- Solo songs with textless instrumental parts below
- Melodic progression characterized by numerous thirds
- Use of triple meter
- Homophonic
polyphony (chordal or familiar style)
- Fauxbourdon
(Burgundian) and English
Descant
- Landini cadence still common
- Imitation used infrequently
- Cantus firmi used less frequently than Franco-Flemish music
- Secular continued with polytextuality
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Franco Flemish Style
- Franco-Flemish (or Netherlands) style spread throughout Europe in
the 15th and 16th centuries
- Exemplified, dignified and sophisticated musical techniques
- 4-part writing (added part below the tenor, melody on top, created
conventional parts:
- superius
- altus
- tenor
- bassus
- Use of complete triads
- Balanced polyphony - stylistic equality among parts
- Development of contrapuntal techniques
- Imitation important
- New types of canon
- Pairing of voices (duet style)
- Use of combined styles within the same piece (alteration of
chordal and contrapuntal passages)
- Fauxbourdon and Landini cadences disappeared
- Authentic
and plagal
cadences most common
- musica reservata initiated by composers
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National Schools (Roman, Spanish, Venetian, English)
- Continued spread of Franco-Flemish style throughout Europe
- Development of other national schools
- Vocal polyphony attained the highest level of perfection
- Highest development of a cappella for church music
- Vocal style was dominant, but independent instrumental styles were
beginning to emerge
- Religious music was still the dominate over secular music, but
this was decreasing
- Religious music still dominated by the Roman Catholic Church, but
protestant music began to increase in Germany, France and England
- Secular music increased in importance under the patronage system
of the nobility
- Major/minor tonality gaining in importance, but modality still
influenced both sacred and secular music
- Development of music printing
- Triad is the basic unit of composition
- Dissonances were prepared and resolved
- Generally balanced polyphony with equality of parts
- Use of both homophonic and contrapuntal textures in same piece
- Use of cori
spezzati
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Secular Music
- Gaining in importance because of:
- Growing spirit of secularization
- Patronage System of the nobility
- Flourishing of poetry
- Intended as entertainment for amateur performers
- Composed and performed as chamber music for small ensembles
- Italian secular music influenced the French, German and English
secular schools
- 1565 - the use of castrati
emerged as a way to preserve the sound
of a women's voice in Italian music since St. Paul's dictum
prohibited women from performing on stage or in churches
- 1588 - the English Madrigal School is firmly established, led by
Thomas Morley, and produces some of the most delightful secular
music concerning love and/or grief
- 1590-1604 - The camerata
was established by Count Giovanni de
Bardi
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Roman Catholic Music
-
Equality of parts
-
5-part texture most common, but ranged from 3- to 8-parts or more
-
Triad is basic unit of composition
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Treatment of dissonant intervals was strict and limited to a few
devices
-
passing tones
- neighboring tones
- anticipations
- suspensions
- cambiatas
-
Music was written a cappella,
although instruments were most likely used in performance
-
mostly diatonic, but chromaticism began to
appear
-
Continued use of Latin, but some places
outside Italy began to use the vernacular
-
1562 - Pope Pius IV's
Counter-Reformation
-
1574 - use of castrati became common and
were used in the Sistine Chapel choir
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Protestant Music
- Germany
- The chorale was the most important new musical contribution of
the Lutheran Reformation
- Chorales at first were monophonic, then set in simple 4-part
harmony with chorale melody in the uppermost voice
- France
- Biblical psalms were translated into French verse
- Unison congregational singing
- England
- The Anglican Church adapted many of the styles of the Roman
Catholic Church
- The Anglican Service took the place of the Catholic Mass
- Anglican chant was largely based on Catholic plainsong
- English text was used in place of Latin
- Metrical organization was given to the melodies
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Genre and Forms
- Plainsong
- Liturgical Drama
- Mass
- Prolation
- Cantus Firmus
- Motto
- Parody/Imitation
- Sine nomine
- Freely composed
- Lauda
- Carol
- Motet
- isorhythmic
- panisorhythmic
- Flemish
- Declamatory (England)
- Choral melodic
- Venetian
- Concerti Ecclesiastici
- Rondeau
- Virelai
- Ballade
- Caccia
- Ballata
- Polyphonic chanson
- Lied
- Canon
- Quodlibet
- Meistergesang
- Canzone
- Prelude
- Canzona/Fugue
- Suite
- Toccata
- Variation
- Madrigal
- Chorale
- Service
- Anthem
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Theorists, Treatises and Collections
- ca 1410-1450 - Old Hall Manuscript masses and motets
by English composers
- Johannes
Tinctoris (1435-1511)
- Terminorum Musicae Diffinitorium (ca 1475) first
dictionary of musical terms
- Liber de arte contrapunté
- Heinrich
Isaac (1450-1517) Choralis Constantinus - first
collection of motets for the entire church year
- Franchino Gaforio (1451-1522) Practica musicae (1496)
examples of mensural notation in block print
- Ottaviano
dei Petrucci (1466-1539) Odhecaton (1501) first printed
music
- Trent Codices - contain 1585 compositions by around 75
composers
- Henricus Glareanus (1488-1563) Dodecachordon (1547)
establishes presence of 12 church modes
-
Ludwig
Senfl (1490-1543) Liber selectarum cantionum (1520)
includes the earliest form of musical notation printed in Germany
- Gioseffo Zarlino (1517-1590) Le Institutione Harmoniche
(1558) lists the Ionian mode as most important of the modes
-
Vincenzo
Galilei (ca 1520-1591) Dialogo . . . (1581)
- William
Byrd (1543-1623) My Ladye Nevelle's Booke (1591)
- Thomas
Morley (1557-1602) A Plaine and Easie Introduction to
Practicall Musicke (1597)
- 1588 - Musica Transalpina
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Composers and Major Works
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Hymnology
- John Hus (1373-1415) Led a Pre-Reformation
movement; resulted in banishment of polyphonic music and instruments
in church music until mid-16th c.
-
Martin
Luther (1483-1546)
- Formula missae (1523) Luther's first liturgy
- Deutsche messe first German Mass to use vernacular for
hymns
- Achtliederbuch
- "Ein' Feste Burg ist unser Gott" chorale
- EIN FESTE BURG - chorale tune
- Ulrich
Zwingli (1484-1531)
- Thomas Cranmar (1489-1556) First Book of Common Prayer
(1549)
- Hans
Sachs (1494-1576)
-
Johann
Walter (1496-1570) Gesangbüchlein (1524)
-
Clément
Marot (1497-1544)
- Claude
Goudimel (ca 1505-1572)
- John
Calvin (1509-1564)
- Louis Bourgeois (ca 1510 - ca 1561)
- OLD 100TH
- OLD 134TH
- PSALM 42
- John Marbeck (ca 1510 - ca 1585) The Booke of
Common Praier Noted (1549)
- Paul Eber (1511-1569)
- Anabaptist and Moravian movements begin
-
Theodore
de Bèze (1519-1605)
- Claude
Le Jeune (1528-1600)
- 1539 - French Psalter
- Myles
Coverdale (ca 16th c.) Goostly Psalmes and Spirituall
Songes (1539)
- 1542 Genevan Psalter
- Philipp
Nicolai (1556-1608)
- 1562 - Genevan Psalter
- 1562 - Sternhold and Hopkins' "Old Version"
- Ausbund (ca 1565)
- Hans
Leo Hassler (1564-1612)
- Kirchengesänge (1608) compiled
- PASSION CHORALE - chorale tune
- Jan
Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)
- 1592 - Este's Whole Book of Psalms
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