Music 326/526 - Music Before 1600

RENAISSANCE

·         This word means rebirth; in this instance, rebirth or re-discovery of ideals of ancient Greece and Rome.  This was achieved through “discovery” of the art and literature from pre-Christian and early Christian eras

·         Events that sparked Renaissance:

·         1453 Constantinople captured by Turks; this was the final fall of Eastern (branch of Roman) Empire and the end of direct link with ancient world.

·         Constantinople had been home of Byzantine scholars; they kept ancient traditions alive by studying them

·         In 1453 many of those scholars fled to Italy, brought knowledge and some literature and artifacts with them

·         Europeans “discovered” them, very attracted to the logic and reason of ancient world; imitated ancient forms, e.g. in architecture

·         Invention of Moveable Type by Johannes Gutenberg 1454.  Profound improvement over hand-copying documents (mass production possible, causes increase in literacy, more sharing of ideas)

·         Other events and conditions:

·         Explorers “discover” the New World

·         A growing trend comes to fruition: secularism

·         Music has moved from sacred genres being all that is recorded or discussed

·         Mix of sacred and secular elements within single piece of music

·         Increase of secular culture in general

·         This study and philosophy are known as Humanism

·         Concurrent events:

·         Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519; Mona Lisa 1503)

·         Michaelangelo (1474-1564; Sistine Chapel 1508)

·         Machiavelli (1469-1527; The Prince 1514)

·         Musical Trends in the Renaissance

·         More demand for music than ever before

·         Music is now (again) supposed to be aesthetically pleasing

·         Music will fit texts better

·         Vocal and instrumental ranges extended; many developments in instrumental music

·         More practical treatises on singing, playing instruments, and improvisation

·         Specific changes

·         By 1450 we see bass part in vocal works pretty regularly; standard number of parts in vocal works is now four

·         Bass voice becomes important because all voices above it must be consonant; this is the beginning of the idea of a bass line

·         Four voices are used differently than before: all are now equally important; texture is homogeneous; this is also true of instrumental textures

·         In earlier Renaissance there is an “international” style in Western Europe; later there are more national/local preferences

Renaissance Part I: Netherlands

·         For our purposes, the Netherlands is general region of Northern France, Belgium, Holland. 

Netherlands Composers

·         Johannes Ockeghem ( born c. 1410-20; died 1497)

·         Early details of his life are uncertain (date and place of birth) but was familiar with Burgundian court; other travels to Spain and possibly Italy gave him a broad background

·         Main output is 14 mass cycles including Prolation Mass, several masses based on chansons (his and Binchois’); and earliest polyphonic Requiem setting.  A few other masses are known but lost; he wrote a few motets and some other sacred music.  Also about 20 chansons

·         Imitation: he was especially known for this technique; his followers also explored

·         Dfn: two or more voices have the same motivic or melodic material, and state the material in succession.  Each voice makes its statement, then continues to do other things while next voice states motive.  Before this era, imitation is rare

·         In Ockeghem’s and his followers’ works, it was usually canon.

·         Example from his Prolation Mass: first section of the Sanctus

·         Actually a double canon (two ideas used in imitation); soprano is in canon to alto; tenor is in canon to bass.

·         Prolation refers to rhythmic relationships: upper voices are in “Major prolation” meaning they have triple subdivisions of measure; lower vocies are in “Minor prolation,” meaning they have duple subdivision. 

·         The canons in this mass are canons by successive intervals: each one has the imitating voice starting a step higher; e.g. first canon is at unison; next movement has canon at 2^nd; next has canon at 3^rd, etc. 

·         He experimented with all kinds of canon schemes: inversion, retrograde (cancrizans), augmentation, and diminution canons.

·         Ockeghem experimented with sources of tenors:

·         Sometimes used same melody (sacred or secular) in each movement

·         Plainsong mass: tenor is different in each movement, but comes from a corresponding movement of a Gregorian (monophonic) mass

·         Parody mass: whole sections of polyphony are borrowed from another composition, such as a chanson. 

·         Sometimes composed a mass with no borrowed materials

·         Also wrote chansons: usually 3 voices with text only in top line, others played on instruments.