Ars Antiqua ("Old Art," 1150-1300) Musical developments centered on Polyphony. After Ars Antiqua comes

Ars Nova ("New Art," beginning of 14th Century) musical attention turns to Rhythm

• rhythm had always been based on triple subdivisions; now duple and quadruple will be used.
• Most important new genre is Isorhythmic Motet
• defined by the tenor which has recurring patterns of pitch and rhythm
• patterns have different lengths
• Guillaume de Machaut (1304-1377): most important composer of Ars Nova
• wrote lots of isorhythmic motets
• wrote first complete polyphonic setting of Ordinary of Mass: Messe de Notre Dame
• parts were Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus/Benedictus, Agnus Dei

Ars Nova in Italy: had different preferences from French composers:

• liked note against note style rather than very long notes in Tenors
• liked duple meters all along
• didn't like using cantus firmi (usually composed new melodies)
• didn't like putting text in every voice
• didn't like isorhythmic motet
• usually put melody in uppermost voice
• most important composer is Francesco Landini (1325-97), originator of Landini Cadence: a melodic formula, not a chord progression
• Genres:
• Ballata was Landini's favorite; secular song derived from dance form
• Madrigal is a poetry format: most of poetry was in one meter, but a few lines at the end in a different meter (emphasis on rhythm in 14th century)

Musica Ficta: a set of rules governing the use of chromatic alterations to notes

• at cadences: to create a leading tone
• to avoid melodic or harmonic tritones (Diabolus in Musica)
• aesthetic pleasure: use accidentals because the music "sounds good"
• practice continued to be found in manuscripts until about 1450