Music 326/526

Organum and Early Polyphony

Earliest Sources on Organum were two anonymous treatises from c. 900 AD:

·         Music enchiriadis (“Handbook of Music”) and

·         Scholica enchiriadis, commentary/companion to first volume

·         These treatises focus on Gregorian chant, but organum is described in the scholica as singing Gregorian melody, duplicated by another voice or group at an interval of usually a 4th or 5th below.  This is strict organum

·         Main voice (original melody) is called Vox principalis; second voice is Vox organalis. 

·         The Scholica also describes how organum is used: voices begin in unison, principalis continues with Gregorian melody, organalis stays behind until they are a 4th or 5th apart; then they travel in parallel motion until they approach a cadence, when organalis rejoins principalis.  This is parallel organum

Organum was first found in sacred music, both in Mass and Offices.

·         usually found in tropes; sources:

·         Winchester Troper, 11th century collection of tropes from Winchester Cathedral (England); contains ~175 organa

·         Micrologus: 11th C treatise by Guido d’Arrezzo.  Records some evolution in organum

·         in Free Organum (11^th Century), voices can run in oblique, similar or contrary motion

·         Melismatic Organum (12th Century) (Also called florid, St. Martial after abbey at Limoges in So. France where developed):

·         principalis is lower voice, and in very long note values; functions more like a drone, not a melody; sometimes a newly composed melody (not Greg. Chant).  Because of sustained nature, begins to be called tenor from Latin tenere, to hold

·         organalis upper voice and moves rapidly in comparison to principalis

Notre Dame Organum and Notre Dame School.  Named after Church of Notre Dame in Paris where style originated.  12th Century.  Notre Dame Organum is chief musical form of Ars Antiqua (mid-12^th to late 13^th Centuries)

·         The term “organum” now means music with a plainchant melody for tenor, and is only used in certain parts of mass: graduals, alleluias, responsories, benedicamus domino. 

·         During this time two other polyphonic forms developed: conductus and motet: they were distinguished from organum.

·         Notre Dame organum is rhythmic, at least for part of the composition: rhythmic sections alternate with freer style (melismatic organum).

·         Criteria for rhythmic treatment: if a portion of original chant (now the notes of the tenor) was syllabic, that section of the organum was set as melismatic organum.  Sections that were originally melismatic were treated rhythmically.

·         Rhythm: Rhythmic modes were based on poetic meters; combinations of long and short, accented and unaccented syllables.  There were six patterns, all triple meters (not duple).  I = long-short; II = short-long; III = bar; short-long; IV = short-long, bar; V = bar, bar; VI = three short (one bar)

·         sections in rhythm were clausulae; rhythmic style was called discant style

·         in discant style, two voices moved more or less together

·         Composers of Notre Dame School:

·         Leonin (possibly fictional character; c. 1150-1185).  Reputed to be choir master at church of Notre Dame, greatest composer of organum.

·         Leonin-style pieces were collected in Magnus liber organi (Big Book of Organum) 

·         Leonin was first composer recognized for writing a complete set of liturgical music for the whole liturgical year. 

·         Perotin (c.1183-1238): a generation younger than Leonin, also big contributor to organum, also choir master at Notre Dame.  His innovations:

·         Increased the frequency of discant style

·         Added more voices to organum.  Second (organal) voice began to be called duplum; he added triplum and sometimes quadruplum.  3-part writing became the standard for about 100 yrs

·         Perotin often wrote clausulae with a repetitive rhythmic pattern in tenor