I. Ars Nova
A. Ars nova background
1. Ars nova: title of a treatise written ca.1322-23 by French composer
Philippe de Vitry, Bishop of Meaux (1291-1361)
2. Ars nove musice (1321) treatise by Jehan des Murs
3. Speculum musicae ('The Mirror of Music', ca.1325): treatise by Flemish
theorist Jacob of Liege which defended the 'old art' of the 13th c. against
the innovations of the moderns.
4. Important issues:
long and breve and eventually semibreve).
a. Acceptance in principle of the modern duple (imperfect division of the
1. Motet continues to become increasingly secularized.
b. Use of four or more semibreves as equivalent to a breve and eventually
still smaller values.
B. Ars nova in France
2. Roman de Fauvel
pieces of music are interpolated.
a. Earliest 14th c. French document dated from 1310-14.
b. Manuscript contains a satirical poem 'Roman de Fauvel' in which 167
c. Essentially an anthology of 13th and early 14th c. music.
1. These include late-13th c. examples with the duple division of the
d. Most pieces are monophonic
1. Rondeaux
2. Ballades
4. Varieties of plainsong
3. Chanson-refrains
breve
e. Collection also includes 34 polyphonic motets
2. Motets possesing repetitions of talea and color are called isorhythmic
f. Composers represented:
1. Several three-part motets by Philippe de Vitry
1. Tenors composed with two main elements in mind:
C. Isorhythmic Motet
a. Color (pitch element)
in the upper two voices.
b. Talea (rhythmic element)
3. Isorhythm provided a means of musical unity, structure to long compositions
1. Leading composer of the ars nova in France
D. Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377)
2. 23 motets:
a. 19 lais
a. Based on traditional patter: inst. liturgical tenor and different texts
b. Continued trend towards greater secularity, length and rhythmic complexity.
d. Considerable use of hocket
c. Isorhythmic structure sometimes involves upper parts as well as the tenor.
3. Secular Works: monophonic songs in the trouvere tradition:
b. Still uses parallel fifths, but also uses milder sonorities, 3rds/6ths
1. 12th c. form similar to the sequence
b. 25 chansons balladees
1. This form is more commonly known as virelai
2. Form: Abba...
3. 7 two-part and 1 three-part polyphonic virelais
a. Vocal solo is accomp. by instrumental tenor
4. Formes fixes: term for the ars nova forms‹virelais, rondeaux, ballades
5. Other stylistic traits:
a. Use of duple division of time
which distinguish him from ars antiqua
1. Most famous 14th c. composition
6. Ballade or 'cantilena' style
a. As exemplified in his poyphonic virelais and rondeaux
b. Usually consist of 3-4 stanzas each sung to the same music and ending
with a refrain.
c. Typical form: aabC
7. Rondeaux
b. Famous rondeaux: Adam de la Halle's Jeu de Robin et de Marion
a. Form: ABaAabAB
E. Machaut's Messe de Notre Dame
a. Some have identified a 'motive' prevalent throughout
2. 4-part setting of the mass Ordinary along with the dismissal formula
'Ite missa est'
b. Use of 4-voices was unusual at the time
a. At least four other complete polyphonic mass cycles precede it
a. Leonin and Perotin's organa for Graduals and Alleluias
3. 12th-13th c. composers chiefly interested in Proper texts
4. No clear unifying prinicple behind Machaut's mass
3. Stanzas were all set to the same music
II. Italian Trecento Music
A. Squarcialupi Codex
1. Most bountiful source of 14th c. Italian music (few sources date earlier
than 1330)
2. Copied ca. 1420
4. 3 Secular genres are represented:
3. Contains 352 pieces, mostly for 2-3 voices by 12 composers of the 14th/early
15th c.
a. Madrigal
4. Unlike French and Spanish models, caccia usually had a free
1. Usually for 2 voices
2. Texts: idyllic, pastoral, amorous or statirical poems of 2-3 line
stanzas
4. Ends of stanzas, ritornellos consisted of additional pair of lines
set to different music with different meter.
b. Caccia
pictorially descriptive words set to a melody of a popular cast
1. May have been inspired by the French chace in which lively,
were designed to be sung in strict canon.
supporting instrumental part in slower movement below
2. Caccia flourish from 1345-1370
3. 2 equal voices in canon at the unison
1. Last form to be developed of the three, most examples date from 1365
5. Poetic form was irregular though many had ritornello like madrigals
which was not always in canonic style
7. Hocket used to bring out shouts, bird songs, horn calls, dialogue
6. Subject matter is usualy hunting scene
(echo effects)
not become common until the last part of the 15th century.
8. Canon was strict, systematic imitation eschewed, free imitation does
c. Ballata
2. Monophonic dance songs with choral refrains
2. Examples of elaborate notation/manuscripts: rondeau 'Belle bonne' by Baude
3. Most closely resembles the French virelai
B. Francesco Landini (ca.1325-97)
1. Leading composer of ballate and foremost Italian musican of the 14th c.
2. Compositional output (no sacred music)
a. 90 2-part ballate
b. 42 3-part ballate
c. 1 caccia
1. French secular music marked by increased rhythmic flexibility
d. 10 madrigals
III. French Music of the Late 14th Century
A. Rhythm
2. Voices often move in contrasting meters
1. Continued shirft from sacred to secular composition
3. High use of syncopation, suspensions blur meter and harmonic elements
B. Notation
1. Quite complicated
Cordier (ca.1400) in the Chantilly manuscript has music in the shape of
a heart.
C. Musica ficta
2. Often used in causa pulchritudinis (for the sake of beauty)
1. Use of accidentals in the performance and notation
4. From 1450-1550 accidentals were scorned, perhaps performer supplied them?
3. 14th/early 15th c. manuscripts are well supplied with accidentals
A. Important aspects of 14th c. music:
5. Used in cadential formulas (to create a leading tone for example)
IV. Summary of 14th Century Music
2. Greater diversity of rhythm
10. French and Italian styles begin to merge
3. Growing sense of harmonic organization
4. Imperfect consonances: 3rds and 6ths favored on strong as well as weak beats
although final sonority was always unison, 8ve or 5th.
6. Musica ficta makes cadential points more emphatic and the melodic line more
5. Passages of parallel 5ths/8ves become rarer.
flexible
7. Vocal ranges extend upward
9. Formes fixes
8. New genres emerge: caccia, madrigal, ballata, etc., motion towards 'popular'
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