Music 220 Class Period 39 Outline
Fifteenth Century Developments
- England:
- fauxbourdon: like organum but with 3 voices and using 3rds and
6ths
- John Dunstable (1385-1453) most famous English composer from
15th century, travelled to France with employer, brought fauxbourdon to
Burgundy
- Burgundian School: home of Dukes of Burgundy, important center
of culture
- Guillaume Dufay (ca. 1400-1474) was most famous composer. Wrote
sacred and secular music, and some music that combined sacred and secular:
- Mass movements based on secular songs (cantus firmi), e.g. Se la
face ay pale, a mass based on chanson of the same name (used as tenor)
- Chanson: most characteristic composition, secular vocal work
where only top part is sung, other parts played on instruments. Instrumental
writing is idiomatic, there are sections where instruments play alone (without
voice)
- example by Gilles Binchois (ca. 1400-1460): he also popularized cadence
that sounds like V-I progression
Renaissance: rebirth of ideals of Ancient
World; precipitated by two main events:
- Fall of Constantinople (1453): Byzantine scholars fled Constantinople,
brought with them ancient literature, art, etc., to Italy; Europeans were
fascinated
- Invention of Moveable Type (Gutenberg, 1454): essential to growth
of literacy; music printing followed shortly
- Secular Age: age of Humanism, studies and philosophy that benefit
mankind in this life rather than the next
- Musical Developments:
- rise in demand for music leads to more production of music
- more interest in aesthetically pleasing music
- music is constructed to fit texts better
- vocal and instrumental ranges increased
- Two main geographic areas: Netherlands and Italy