1. No category

MUS 1139 Listening Guide and Listening Challenge material: Medieval - Renaissance
Textbook “The Enjoyment of Music” by Forney and Machlis: Read pages 4 -103
The Elements are covered on pages 4 – 61 culminating in the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
For terms of the Elements consult the attached Study Guide-The Fundamentals of Musc.
Benjamin Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (live performance)
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vbvhU22uAM
MEDIEVAL ERA: Read pages 75 - 88
TERMS: Setting of words or poetic text to music is syllabic, melismatic and neumatic
Syllabic:
1 syllable to one note
(Neumatic: 1 syllable to a few notes)
Melismatic (Melisma)
1 syllable to many notes
Liturgy
the set order (structure and content) of church services.
Gregorian Chant single melodic line melody (Texture: monophony), sung to Sacred Latin texts
freely flowing vocal line generally free of meter and regular accents.
Also known as plainchant and plainsong.
Modes, Modal
scales with varying patterns of whole and half steps, music that uses modes
The modes are: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Ionian, Locrian
Mass
the most solemn ritual of the Catholic Church, with two categories of prayers:
Mass Proper texts vary from day to day depending on the feast being celebrated
Mass Ordinary texts remain the same in every Mass: there are 5 sung prayers:
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
The Kyrie text is in Greek the rest are in Latin.
A. Hildegard of Bingen: Chant - “Alleluia, O virga mediatrix” (12th Century)
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwS80A6kp7k
CD 1: Tr. 1-3 Pg. 79
Music: Solo male voice and male choral responses (Alleluia) ( solo male voice alone on verse)
Genre: Mass Proper, plainchant, in the style of Gregorian chant
Text: Latin words, Syllabic and Melismatic
Melody: conjunct with some expressive leaps
Structure (form): 3-part Alleluia-verse-Alleluia (A-B-A)
Mode: Phrygian Texture: Monophony
Rhythm: Free- (no meter) nonmetrical
B. Notre Dame School Organum: “Gaude Maria virgo” (excerpt)
YouTube URL: Not available on Youtube
CD 1: Tr. 4-5 Pg.
Music: Male voices (three parts long notes in the bottom voice) in a choral setting alternating with Chant sections
Genre: Mass Proper, plainchant, in the style of Gregorian chant
Text: Latin words, Melismatic mostly
Melody: conjunct with some expressive leaps
Structure (form): 2-part choral texture then chant texture (A-B)
Mode: Dorian Texture: Polyphony-Monophony Rhythm mode: fixed pattern of long and short notes then nonmetrical
C. Anonymous: Sumer is icumen in “Viderunt omnes” (5th century)
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR1jNb7pFNw
CD 1: Tr. 6-8 Pg. 69
Music: male voices – a perpetual round over a repeating bass pattern
Genre: Perpetual round
Text: Middle English text - syllabic setting
Melody: Lilting melody - conjunct
Structure (form): bass pattern, 2 voice round – 4 voice round
Mode: Ionian
Texture: Polyphony
Rhythm: long – short – long – short throughout
D. Guillame de Machaut: Puis qu’en oubli,
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yi2MMtIimY
CD 1: Tr. 9-13 Pg.
Alternate version with score: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHjWbgRZSrQ
Music: Male voices
Genre: Mass Proper, plainchant, in the style of Gregorian chant
Text: French, Syllabic and Melismatic
Melody: conjunct with some expressive leaps
Structure (form): 3-part Alleluia-verse-Alleluia (A-B-A)
Mode: Dorian (mostly)
Texture: Polyphony
Rhythm: Triple meter
-2-
THE RENAISSANCE: Read pages 89 - 103
TERMS: Motet: [80] Polyphonic vocal genre, one Latin text, devotional
Cantus Firmus a fixed tune
Ordinary Mass texts remain the same in every Mass: there are 5 sung prayers:
Parody based on other work
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
Freely composed (original music)
The Kyrie text is in Greek the rest are in Latin.
E. Josquin Desprez Motet: “Ave Maria-Virgo Serena”
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt3H2uGxFLI
Guide to listening:
CD 1 Tr. 14-20 Pg. 90 - 91
Begins imitatively in a canon (like a round)
Genre: Choral: 4 voice choir
Melody: High vs. low, singing in pairs
Mode: Ionian
Harmony: Consonant (hallow sound)
Text: Latin – setting is both melismatic and syllabic
Structure (form): Sectional strophes, each begins with “Ave”
Rhythm: Duple meter, shifts to Triple Meter, then returns to Duple meter
Texture: Polyphony -Vocal Pairings, moments of homorhythm
F. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina “Pope Marcellus Mass, Gloria”
CD 1 Tr. 21-22 Pg. 94 - 95
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD5ZdLKgFvA
Alternate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUiYFNIIl8s
Agnus Dei I/II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6s9axsKhRE
Guide to listening:
Genre: Choral: 6 voice choir
Melody: mostly conjunct
Mode: Ionian & Mixolydian
Harmony: Consonant (rich and full sound)
Text: Latin – setting: both melismatic and syllabic
Structure (form): Through-composed (no repeated sections) imitative
Rhythm: Slow Duple meter – pulse is not strong (feels free)
Texture: Monophony at beginning, homorhythmic, some polyphony
G. Arcadelt: Il bianco e dolce cigno (The white and sweet swan)
CD 1 Tr. 23-24 Pg. 97 - 98
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3I_nMcyljc
Guide to listening:
Genre: Choral: 4 voice choir
Melody: lyrical, conjunct, focus on top line
Mode: Ionian (Major)
Harmony: Consonant (full sound, some dissonance)
Text: Italian – setting is both melismatic and syllabic
Structure (form): Through composed, last line many repetitions
Rhythm: Duple meter,
Texture:
H. John Farmer, Fair Phyllis
CD 1 Tr. 25-2
Pg. 99-100
YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu4xTF4gi6A
Guide to listening:
Genre: Choral: 4 voice choir
Melody: Dancelike, diatonic
Mode: Ionian (Major)
Harmony: Consonant (full sound)
I. Susato: Three Dance:
Text: English, syllabic
Structure (form): Short repeated sections
Rhythm: Duple meter, shifts to Triple Meter, then Duple meter
Texture: Varied, monophony, imitative, homorhythmic
CD 1 Tr. 27-30 Pg. 101 - 102
YouTube URL: This particular recording is not available on Youtube.
Guide to listening:
Genre: Instrumental dance
Melody: varied - mostly conjunct
Mode: Ionian (Major)
Harmony: Consonant
Expression: improvised embellishments
Structure (form): Binary, Repeated phrases
Rhythm: Duple meter, shifts to Triple Meter, then Duple meter
Texture: Mostly Homophony
1139
Study Guide-The Fundamentals of Music:
The Enjoyment of Music by Forney and Machlis 11th edition: Fundamentals of Music and the Glossary
Melody [9]
Harmony [17-19]
Rhythm [13 -16]
Melody [9]
An organized succession of pitches (that we perceive to be a unity or melody)
Scale
A succession of pitches ascending or descending
Major & minor Different scale patterns of whole and half steps. [Major: wwhwwwh, minor: whwwhww]
Phrase
phrase structures of a melody [mini-form: a-a-b-a] a melody will have a number of phrases
Climax
A distinct high point in a melody – or in a musical composition
Interval
The difference or distance between any two notes
Octave
Interval between a pair of duplicating notes, eight notes apart in a diatonic scale
Tonic
The tone center of music, the key note.
Half-steps
Smallest interval in music of the Western Civilization, also known as a semi-tone
Whole-steps
Equal to two half steps
Cadence
The ending of a phrase, a melody or a complete work.
ostinato
a repeated pattern, rhythmic or melodic, obsessively or obstinately – again and again and again…
Sequence
Duplication of a phrase at two or more different pitch levels.
Motive
A distinctive fragment of a melody used as a building block to create a theme
Harmony [17-19]The accompanying chords or support of a melody
Triad
A type of chord that consists of three pitches built on alternate tones of the scale.
arpeggio
sounding each note of a triad in succession [c-e-g-c-e-g]
Consonance [18] Intervals and chords that sound relatively stable and free of tension.
Dissonance [18] Intervals and chords that sound relatively tense and unstable
Diatonic
music that is tonic centered
Chromatic
a scale consisting of only half steps, or a passage of music that moves by half steps.
modulation
Moving the tonal center from one key to another key
Rhythm [13]
The pattern of long and short notes within a meter.
Meter [13]
Strong and weak beat patterns are organized into groups of two, three or four etc.
Beat
[13]
A regular pulse of equal lengths
Syncopation
Deliberate upsetting the meter or pulse by shifting accent to a weak beat- offbeat
Accent [36]
stressing or emphasizing a note, chord.
Textures:
[26-29]
Monophony
Polyphony
Homophony
Counterpoint
Homo-rhythmic
[26]
[26]
[26]
[26]
[27]
Texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment
Texture that combines two or melodies together
Texture of a melody accompanied by harmony (chords)
Technique of combining two or melodies together
A section or all parts of the music have the same rhythmic pattern.
Polyphony: Contrapuntal Devices [28]
Imitative
Counterpoint
Non-imitative
[26]
the same or similar musical ideas used to create a texture of polyphony
the art or technique of combining two or more melodies together
two or more different melodic lines put together
Three Organizing principles that create form [30-34]
Contrast
Repetition
Variation
Binary form
Ternary form
a section of something new that contrasts with the previous section
the Repeat of a earlier section
the original music is altered so that it is not an exact Repeat of the original.
Two part form – 2 contrasting sections outlined A-B, or A-A-B, or A-B-B
Three part form – 3 sections outlined A-B-A, or A-B-A’
( ‘ indicates something is slightly different in the repetition of section A)
Tempo (Pace) Markings
Grave
Largo
Adagio
Andante
Moderato
Allegro
Vivace (Vivo)
Presto
[35-36] (Tempo refers to the pace or how fast)
solemn (very, very slow)
broad or very slow
slow or quite slow
a walking pace, fairly slow, but not too slow,
a moderate pace
fast (cheerful)
accelerando (accel.)
lively
ritardando (ritard. – rit.)
very fast
increase pace – speed up
decrease pace - slow down
Dynamics: [36]
pp
pianissimo
very soft
p
piano
soft
mp
mezzo piano
medium soft
cresecendo (cresc.) get louder
decrescendo (decresc.), diminuendo (dim.) get softer
mf
mezzo forte
medium loud
f
forte
loud
sf sfz
sforzando
forcing – an accent (>)
Tone Color (Overtone) or Timbre [39-42]
[39] The sonorous quality of a particular instrument, voice or combination of voice-instrument.
ff
fortissimo
very loud