Music 326/526

The Burgundian School

Some regard the Burgundian school as the first part of the musical Renaissance

Dukes of Burgundy very powerful in 15th Century (until 1477 when Louis XI took back control over Burgundy)

·         Ducal court was center for artistic and intellectual activity (until 1477)

·         Musicians lived at court, were basically servants of aristocrat, created/performed music at patron’s order

·         Most important Burgundian composer was Guillaume Dufay (c.1400-1474); not actually employed, but was active there.  He was an accomplished composer, ordained priest, knowledgeable about law

·         Burgundian court had lots of music, secular and sacred.  Dufay wrote both. 

·         Secular: main genre was chanson (the most characteristic composition of the Burgundian School. 

·         The term is used generically to mean secular vocal music; includes some previously discrete types: rondeau, virelai, ballade).

·         They were accompanied solo songs: top part sung, lower parts (tenor, contra-tenor) played on instruments. 

·         Writing of lower parts is more idiomatic to instruments than voices (wider leaps); there were also sometimes instrumental sections with no singing at all.  Upper voice has step-wise motion.

·         Lots of syncopation

·         After ~1450, contra-tenor was divided into two voices: contratenor altus (high) and contratenor bassus (low)

·         Chansons are still modal, but Aeolean and Ionian have been added: more signs of incipient tonality.

·         Another Chanson composer: Gilles Binchois (c.1400-1460): among other things, he was famous for a new cadence formula that sounds like modern Authentic cadence

·         Sacred music: people were composing masses (5 parts of ordinary: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus-Benedictus, Agnus Dei): they set all parts in similar style to increase musical unity.  By end of 15th Century this is the norm. In 15th Century, they look at new ways of doing this, using related cantus firmi

·         Plainsong Mass: a different Gregorian chant would be used in each movement as cantus firmus for tenor. 

·         Soon they started using the same tune for each movement;

·         sometimes just a fragment of the tune (Motto Mass)

·         sometimes complete tune for each movement (Cantus Firmus Mass)

·         Dufay was one of first composers to base a mass on a secular tenor, e.g. “Se la face ay pale,” a chanson composed by Dufay and very popular in its own right; then he used it as cantus firmus for mass. Cantus Firmus is same for each movement of mass (in tenor), though words and other voices will be different in each

·         tune usually only in tenor in long note values

·         texture of mass movement is similar to chanson texture: some instrumental sections with no singing 

·         Another  famous chanson was L’homme armé: often used by composers for masses

·         Burgundian court was very cosmopolitan: sharing of ideas from all over Europe.  Many musical details of later times began in 15th C France, set stage for Renaissance:

·         use of 3rds in harmony

·         control of dissonance

·         something very close to authentic cadence

·         more emphasis on vertical structures (harmony) than linear (melody)

·         Burgundian court stripped of power in 1477 when French king reasserted authority.  Now all the great artists disbanded, moved to other places, inspiring growth in other regions