Readings—

• J. Peter Burkholder, A History of Western Music, 8th edition
•  Chapter 5—Polyphony through the Thirteenth Century , p. 84-112
•  Chapter 6—French and Italian Music in the Fourteenth Century, p. 113-143
• J. Peter Burkholder, Norton Anthology of Western Music, 6th edition, Vol. 1 (NAWM)
• NAWM 14-28, pp. 58-147
• Howard Mayer Brown, Performance Practice: Music before 1600 (RESERVE)
• Instruments, pp. 15-23 required (pp. 23-32 offer details about specific medieval instruments)
• Also available in Encounter Readings for Encounter 2 in the Assignments module.
• Knighton and Fallows, Companion to Medieval and Renaissance Music (RESERVE)
• The Medieval Fiddle: Reflections of a Performer, pp. 138-142
• Also available in Encounter Readings for Encounter 2 in the Assignments module.
• Piero Weiss and Richard Taruskin, Music in the Western World: A History in Documents (RESERVE)
• Music in Courtly Life, pp. 55-59
• Also available in Encounter Readings for Encounter 2 in the Assignments module.
• Strunk’s Source Readings in Music History, Vol. 2: The Early Christian Period and the Latin Middle Ages (RESERVE)
• Franco of Cologne, Ars cantus mensurabilis, editor’s intro and Parts 4 & 5, pp. 116-117, 119-124
• Also available in Encounter Readings for Encounter 2 in the Assignments module.

I. Middle Ages Research Project
Performance Practice in Music of the Troubadours

Project Overview

Most of the music we’ve studied in class thus far exists solely as a single line of music, notated with rhythms that are ambiguous at best. This naturally raises important issues for performers who wish to bring this music to life for modern audiences. Your first project involves listening to multiple recordings of medieval secular music, specifically works by early troubadours. This research project will help develop your critical listening skills, hone your scholarly musical research instincts, and introduce you to a wide variety of performance practice decisions. To successfully complete this project, you must:

1. Listen to multiple recordings of the same troubadour song
2. Research your composer’s life and specific medieval instruments present in your recordings to inform your written commentary
3. Prepare and submit a 2-page (no larger than 12-font, double-spaced) comparative review of the recordings – citing your research (MLA format) to support your observations.

Required Reading/Research

• Read “Music in Courtly Life” (pp. 55-59) in Weiss and Taruskin, Music in the Western World: a History in Documents (available on Blackboard)
• Read “Instruments” (pp.15-23 required; pp. 23-32 offer details about specific medieval instruments) in Brown, Performance Practice: Music before 1600 (Library Reserve - Call Number: 781.4309 P438P)
• Read “The Medieval fiddle: Reflections of a Performer” (pp. 138-142) in Knighton & Fallows, Companion to Medieval and Renaissance Music (Library Reserve - Call Number: 780.902 C737)
• You must also do some research on your own and find at least THREE other relevant, high-quality scholarly articles or books that discuss your chosen composer, medieval performance practice, or likely instruments present in the recordings. Multiple books are available on RESERVE or in the library stacks. Online resources such as Illinet Online, Oxford Music Online, RILM, or JSTOR can help you locate good sources. You can include the Burkholder textbook and NAWM in your bibliography, BUT they cannot count towards your three additional sources!

Available Listening Examples (choose one song & discuss all three recordings of your song)

1. Comtessa de Dia, “A chantar” (3 recordings – NAWM + 2 on Blackboard/Naxos)
   
2. Bernart de Ventadorn, “Can vei la lauzeta mover” (3 recordings – NAWM + 2 on Blackboard/Naxos)
   
3. Raimbaut de Vaqeiras, “Kalenda Maya” (3 Recordings – on Blackboard/Naxos)

• Melody—high or low? moves by step or leap? wide or narrow range? regular or irregular phrases?
  
• Texture—thick or thin? monophonic? homophonic (homorhythmic or melody & accompaniment?)? polyphonic (with or without imitation?)?
  
• Rhythm—free rhythm? clear beat present? meter? tempo? rhythmic patterns? how is time structured? text-based rhythm?
  
• Color—bright or dark? light or heavy? specific instruments? registers?
  
• Harmony—diatonic or chromatic? any familiar scales? stable or unstable? simple or complex chords? consonant or dissonant?
  
• Dynamics—loud or soft? accents? sudden or gradual changes?
  
• Form—repetition (of music, lyrics, or both)? contrast? return? variation? overall shape? specific forms?
  

Compare and contrast the three relevant recordings of your chosen song in your review. Emphasize striking similarities and striking differences between each! How does each recorded ensemble interpret and recreate the medieval song? Describe the instruments you hear (a little research can help guide your listening here)! Do you prefer one recording over the others? Why?

In addition, your review should answer the following questions:

1. When and where did your chosen composer live?
   
2. How are the melody and text of your composition structured?
   
3. Do you think your chosen composition should be performed a cappella (voice without accompaniment), by voice and instruments, or by instruments alone? Why?

Your 2-page review should conclude with an annotated bibliography of all academic sources you consult. (In other words, 2 full pages of prose plus an annotated bibliography on page 3 that explains the relevant usefulness of each source!) Your annotated bibliography should include the THREE required readings AND the THREE additional sources that you find on your own (for a total of 6 sources)! Please use MLA format in this annotated bibliography.

Your research project is DUE with the rest of Encounter 2 on – Friday, September 23!

II. Paper Preparation

Possible Paper Topics

Return to top

Journal Articles & Online Databases

When you find an article print out the first page. If full text is available, print out the first page of the actual article; if not, print out the RILM abstract. Hand in the one-page printouts for these three articles with this Encounter (handwritten copy is not valid proof of your database search). If you cannot find any articles about one of your topics (even with a reference librarian’s help), look up the composer in Grove Music Online (in Oxford Music Online), find the bibliography and print it out, and circle any periodical articles.

Thinking ahead to the next step—as you search for more periodical articles and books, decide which topic you really want to do most. If you can’t find any books or articles on your 1st choice topic, you might need to give it up and choose one of the other topics. Place interlibrary loan orders NOW for any articles our library does not carry.

Web Searches

Now do Web searches for information about the paper topic(s) you listed above. Start by “googling” the title of your chosen musical work. If you don’t get any “hits” that way, try the composer’s name, the composer’s patron (employer), the genre, or other relevant terms. You will find many relevant pages, but for the purposes of this assignment, pick one (and only one) useful-looking Web page that deals with your topic(s). Then evaluate the Web page by writing brief answers to each of Beck’s 18 questions (write directly on the printout). Add another sentence or two explaining why this Web page is acceptable or unacceptable as a bibliographic source. Hand in the Beck printout with your written evaluation and comments as well as a printout of only the first page of your chosen Web page.

NB—Any Web page you put in the bibliography for your end-of-semester paper must meet Beck’s criteria!

Listening Assignment 2

Medieval Polyphony & the Ars Nova

•  Type of organum (parallel organum, mixed parallel & oblique organum, florid organum, or discant)
•  Rhythmic relationship between the voices (how many notes in the top voice for each note in the bottom voice? is it metric or not?)
•  Reasons for your answers

Before you listen, read pp. 84-101 in the textbook for background information on the early history of polyphony as well as definitions and details relating to the specific organum types listed immediately above.

Each cluster of works listed below is accompanied by a set of Study Questions. The Study Questions and recordings together are designed to help you prepare for Unit Exam and require no written report. As always, you really want to read the NAWM notes and follow the score for every work from NAWM.

Listening List

Early Organum

A) NAWM 14—Organa from Musica enchiriadis

• NAWM 14a—Tu Patris sempiternus (parallel organum)—CD1, track 48
• NAWM 14b—Sit gloria domini (parallel organum)—CD1, track 49
• NAWM 14c—Rex caeli domine (mixed parallel & oblique organum)—CD1, track 50

B) NAWM 15—Alleluia Justus ut palma (free organum from Ad organum faciendum)—CD1, tracks 51-52

C) The Age of Cathedrals CD (RESERVE)—MCD T374a

• Benedicamus Domino/Humane prolis (Aquitanian florid organum)—track 7
• Alternate Recording: See Encounter Listening in the Assignments module.

Study Questions on A-C:

1. Listen to these examples until you can distinguish the different types of early organum. Describe rhythmic and melodic differences between the two parts in each example. How do they differ from each other? How does the character of these examples differ from plainchant? What important changes take place between the earliest examples of organum and later ones?
2. Compare Alleluia Justus ut palma with the plainchant Alleluia from NAWM 3. How does the addition of polyphony change the feel of the Alleluia? Is there a connection between the usual responsorial performance of the plainchant Alleluia and the specific places where polyphony is added in NAWM 15? Explain.

Notre Dame Polyphony

D) NAWM 17—Léonin, Viderunt omnes (organum duplum)—CD1, tracks 57-64

E) NAWM 18a—Clausulae on Dominus from Viderunt omnes (discant)

• Dominus, clausula No. 26—CD1, track 65

F) Thy Kiss of a Divine Nature: The Contemporary Perotin DVD—RESERVE VIDEO 782.3222 H654

• Pérotin, Viderunt omnes (organum quadruplum)—DVD Chapter 28
• Alternate Recording: NAWM 19—Pérotin, Viderunt omnes—CD1, tracks 67-78

G) NAWM 20—Ave virgo virginum (conductus)—CD1, track 79

Study Questions on D-G:

1. Notre Dame organum typically alternates between three different textures: florid organum, discant, and plainchant. Listen to these examples until you can distinguish florid organum from discant. How does florid organum differ from discant? Describe rhythmic and melodic differences between the two. In which of these sections can you feel a sense of meter most clearly? Do any particular rhythmic modes stand out? How do these metered rhythms compare with chant rhythm? How does the overall character of each example differ from earlier organum?
2. Compare Leonin’s Viderunt omnes with the NAWM 3d plainchant Gradual. Is there a connection between the usual responsorial performance of the plainchant Gradual and the specific places where Leonin adds polyphony? Explain. How does Léonin’s Viderunt omnes compare with the earlier Alleluia Justus ut palma in this regard?
3. Describe the differences between Léonin’s two voice organum and Pérotin’s use of four voices. Which do you like better? Explain.
4. Compare the conductus (NAWM 20) with Notre Dame organum. How are they similar? What are the most striking differences?

Study Question on A-G:

1. As you look at A-G, what are the important changes that take place between the earliest known organum (from around the year 900) and the point where Notre Dame composers shift their emphasis from organum to motet (c. 1250)? For each stage in organum’s development, consider elements such as melodic and rhythmic independence between voices, notation’s response to growing independence between parts, the role of improvisation vs. composition, number of voices, and so on. How does the character of these examples differ from plainchant melodies on which they are based?

The 13th Century Motet

H) NAW M 21—Motets on Tenor Dominus

• NAWM 21a—Factum est salutare/Dominus (Notre Dame motet)—CD2, track 1
• NAWM 21d—Super te/Sed fulsit/Primus tenor/Dominus (Notre Dame motet)—CD2, track 5

I) NAWM 22—Adam de la Halle, De ma dame vient/Dieus, comment porroie/Omnes (Franconian motet)—CD2, tracks 6-8

J) NAWM 23—Sumer is icumen in (English rota)—CD2, track 9

Study Questions on H-J:

1. Compare these motets with Notre Dame organum. How are they similar? What are the most striking differences? Which motets differ most from organum, Notre Dame or Franconian?
2. Compare Notre Dame and Franconian motets (H and I). What are their similarities? What are their most striking differences?
3. Read pages 116-117 and 119-124 in Volume 2 of Strunk’s Source Readings in Music History (see RESERVE or Encounter Readings in BlackBoard). This excerpt from Franco of Cologne’s Ars cantus mensurabilis describes the note shapes that form the basis of Franco’s new system of rhythmic notation. How did these note shapes revolutionize music notation from 1260 on? Does this help you understand the differences you described in Question 8? Explain.
4. Take a careful look at the tenor line in NAWM 22. Can you find a repeating rhythmic pattern? A repeating pitch pattern? How long are these patterns?
5. How is this English rota (NAWM 23) different from the motet?

Ars Nova Motets

K) NAWM 24—Philippe de Vitry, In arboris/Tuba sacre fidei/Virgo sum(Ars Nova motet)—NAWM CD2, tracks 10-15

L) The Art of Courtly Love CD—RESERVE MCD E12a

• Machaut, Trop plus est belle/Biauté paree/Je ne sui mie certeins (Ars Nova motet)—CD1, track 4
• Alternate Recording: See Encounter Listening in the Assignments module.

Study Questions on K-L:

1. Describe the relationship between voices in each of these motets (how independent are they?). How do Ars Nova motets go beyond earlier motets? How do Ars Nova rhythmic innovations change the sound of the motet?
2. Could you discover talea and color as you followed the score for NAWM 24? Are talea and color the same or different in length? Explain.

Machaut, Messe de Nostre Dame

M) Machaut, Messe de Nostre Dame/Le Voir Dit CD—RESERVE MCD G957M

• Messe de Nostre Dame (Isorhythmic Mass)
• Kyrie, track 1
• Alternate Recording: Naxos Music Library 8.553833—Machaut, Messe de Nostre Dame—track 1—Accessible via the library Music Databases page
• Alternate Recording: NAWM 25—CD2, tracks 16-22

Study Questions on M:

1. How much does the style of this Mass differ from the Ars Nova motets you just listened to? Explain. Does the use of four voices make this work richer?
2. Follow the NAWM 25 score as you listen to the Kyrie. Can you find talea and color in this score? Is there anything unusual about Machaut’s use of isorhythm in this movement? Explain.

Study Question on H-M:

1. Compare Notre Dame motets, Franconian motets, Ars Nova motets, and the Machaut Mass (H-M) with each other. What are their similarities? What features contribute most to the differences between them? Rhythm? Texture? Notation? Other? Explain. What role does isorhythmic construction play at each stage? What do you suppose is the purpose of isorhythmic tenor lines?

French Secular Polyphony—The 14th Century Formes fixes

N) NAWM 26—Guillaume de Machaut, Foy porter (French virelai)—CD2, track 23

O) NAWM 27—Guillaume de Machaut, Rose, liz, printemps, verdure (French rondeau)—CD2, tracks 24-27

P) NAWM 28—Philippus de Caserta, En remirant vo douce pourtraiture (Ars Subtilior ballade)—CD2, tracks 28-30

Study Questions on N-P:

1. How do these secular songs differ in style from the Mass and the Ars Nova motets you listened to above? What is treble-dominated texture? How does it change the character of secular music by Machaut?
2. As you follow the scores for NAWM 26 and 27, can you follow the forms of these works? How many large sections are there in each piece? How many times does each section repeat? How do virelai and rondeau forms work?
3. As you follow the score for NAWM 28, can you follow the rhythms of this work? How does music of the Ars Subtilior differ from usual Ars Nova works? Can you follow the form of this work? How many large sections are there? How many times does each one repeat? How does ballade form work?

Extra Credit Listening Ideas—

• MCD T374a—The Age of Cathedrals (Theater of Voices)
• MCD E59e—École de Notre-Dame (Ensemble Organum)
• MCD M489—The Medieval Experience (Monks & Troubadours), CD1 (13th century motets on tracks 3, 5, 10, 14 & 16)
• VIDEO 782.3222 H654—Thy Kiss of a Divine Nature: The Contemporary Perotin DVD
• MCD E12a—The Art of Courtly Love (Early Music Consort of London), CD1 (all); CD2, tracks 1-9
• MCD D489 1998—Development of Western Music Recordings (DWMA), 3rd edition, Volume I, CD1-CD2
• DWMA 40—Philippe de Vitry, Detractor est/Qui secuntur/Verbum iniquum (Ars Nova Motet)—CD2, track 11
• DWMA 42—Guillaume de Machaut, Ma fin est mon commencement (French rondeau)—CD2, track 13