TIMELINE
of Music in the Renaissance
© 2002 Jeffrey Richard Carter, D.M.A.
590-604 Pope Gregory the Great r. . . . papacy became world power
800s organum begins
1000s Guido
1100s square notation standardized
1200s Motets at Notre Dame . . . 2 vv at first . . . French, mostly secular texts in 2nd quarter of c. . . . by mid-century standardized at 3 vv
1200-c1430 vii6-I is most common
died c. 1300 Petrus de Cruce . . . 3 vv motets, with different mensurations in voices
1300s Grocheo first described motet . . . mots added to upper voice . . .
1300s Bamberg Codex . . . Montpelier Codex . . . El Codex Musical de los Huelgas (Spanish) . . . St. Andrew's Music Book
c.1300-1377 Machaut . . . 23 extant motets . . . generally isorhythmic
c.1325 Philippe de Vitry . . . ARS NOVA . . . theoretical treatise--names and careers--new art of 14th c--relative importance of duple and triple time--recognizes growing importance of secular music--addition of triadic harmony at cadences . . . ISORHYTHMIC MOTET
1360s Machaut Messe de Nostre Dame . . . first COMPLETE polyphonic setting of Ordinary . . . unified by materials repeated among mvmts . . . by one one composer . . . 4 vv
c.1370-1453 John Dunstable . . . uses 3rd more than others . . . English trait . . . well-represented in Old Hall MSS . . . important and influential motet composer
d.1445 Leonel Power . . . important English composer of motet
1400s Trent Codices . . . over 600 compositions . . . intl in scope . . . Denkmailer der Tonkunst Osterreich
c.1410-1450 Old Hall MSS . . . 121 mass mvts . . . no Kyries . . . British Library
1400s beginning of CHORAL POLYPHONY . . . seen in large choir books . . . soli sections marked
c.1400-1474 Guillaume Dufay . . . Missa L'Homme arme . . . c.f. in tenor . . . longest cycle . . . along with Dunstable one of big motet composers of 15th c. . . . isorhythmic motets for 3, 4, 5 vv. . . . c.f. in lowest part early, but later moves to upper parts
c.1420-1495 Johannes Ockeghem . . . after Dufay, first great composer of Mass . . . imitation becomes a guiding feature . . . Missa Prolationum . . . Missa Cuiusvis Toni . . . thick texture; long unbroken contrapuntal lines . . . devoid of internal cadences and breathing places
Dufay and Ockeghem are instrumental in evolution of music from tenor to bass foundation . . . third begins to appear in final chord instead of open fifth (c.1460) . . . V-I cadence evolves, so bass line becomes foundational.
1426 Guillaume Legrant . . . first documented polyphonic music . . .Gloria and Credo . . . text underlay under all 3 vv . . . stark choral style . . . alternate sections for 2 soloists and 3 vv choir . . . soloist parts more rhythmically complex
1450ish Ockeghem, Dufay, Binchois, Obrecht
c.1440-1521 Josquin Des Prez . . . greatest composer of high Renaissance . . . TEXT . . . 100+ motets among most significant and progressive works . . . generally 4 vv . . . often 2 or 3 partes . . . much text painting--very aware of text
c.1450-1505 Jacob Obrecht . . . first example of c.f. in superius . . . numerology . . . worked mainly in Low Countries
c.1460-1515 Antoine Brumel . . . French! . . . first polyphonic setting of Dies Irae . . . one of earliest polyphonic Missa pro defunctis
1500ish Josquin, Isaac
c.1450-1517 Heinrich Isaac . . . brought Netherlands style to German Hapsburg court . . . music stands beside Josquin in scope and quality
c.1500-1553 Cristobal de Morales . . . little secular music . . . compact and dense texture . . . TEXT
c.1505-1585 Thomas Tallis . . . publishing rights . . . motets and anthems and servics
c.1510- c. 1555 Jacobus Clemens non Papa . . . few c.f. works . . . 233 motets, all but seven freely composed; most in two partes . . . Souterliedekens: first polyphonic settings of 150 Psalms in Dutch; oldest complete rhymed Psalter; 3 vv pieces
1517 Luther breaks with Rome . . . REFORMATION
1520ish Clemens, Gombert, Taverner, Morales
1521-1603 Philippe de Monte . . . secular compositions . . . Hapsburg court following Isaac . . . over 1100 madrigals . . . MASTER OF PARODY technique
1532-1594 Orlando di Lasso . . . 60 masses . . . 530+ motets . . . culmination of Renaissance style . . . TEXT . . . voluminous publications . . . adventurous chromatic style . . . Prophetiae Sibyllarum . . . ROOT MVT BY 2nds and 3rds
1525-1594 Palestrina . . . 104 masses
1533-1612 Giovanni Gabrieli . . . heighth of Venetian school . . . slow harmonic rhythm . . . divided choirs . . . In Ecclesiis is first indication of specific instruments
1534 Henry VIII breaks with Rome
1540ish five- and six-voice works begin appearing . . . third in final chord at all times . . . composers begin writing their own accidentals . . . musica ficta disappears . . . plagel extensions appear
1543-1623 William Byrd . . . most significant English composer of 16th c. . . . publishing rights . . . practicing Catholic
1545-1563 COUNCIL OF TRENT
1547 DODECACHORDON of Heinrich Glareanus . . . first to recognize 12 modes in theoretical treatise
1548-1611 Tomas Luis de Victoria . . . Italian training . . . settles in Madrid in 1583 . . . mixes meters, likes to move to triple meter . . . unexpected harmonies and melodic motion
1549 BCP and Act of Uniformity . . . Cranmer . . . 1550 musical version (noted) by John Merbecke
1560ish paired upper voices and rhythmic activity is late 16th c. characteristic . . . MOTET takes over
1560ish Monte, Lasso, Palestrina, Byrd, Victoria
1585-1672 Heinrich Schutz . . . first German-born composer of intl importance . . . TEXT . . . importance in evolution of monophony
1600ish end of Stile Antiche or Prime Prattica . . . new style adds instruments and basso continuo
1722 TREATE DE L'HARMONIE . . . Jean-Philippe Rameau . . . most compelte description of major/minor system
TERMS
Alternatim mass . . . alternating sections of choral polyphony and plainchant
Antiphonale . . . contains music for the office
Basso seguente . . . "following bass" . . . instrument plays along with bass part
Cantus Firmus Mass . . . utilizes c.f. in one part, usually tenor . . . compare to PARAPHRASE mass where c.f. moves among parts
Cantus prius factus . . . anything borrowed . . . "melody previously made"
Catilena . . . song style . . . upper voice more elaborate . . . lower vv similar to each other
Chanson-motet . . . motet with French text
Choralis constantinus . . . first major setting of the propers since Leonin/Perotin . . . ISAAC 1508-1515
Chori spezzati . . . divided choirs
Clausula . . . a section of organum in discant style . . . phrase or more of plainsong above which one or two untexted voices are added
Color . . . repeated melodic patter
Concertato style . . . different groups of instruments blending/playing together
Conductus . . . note against note . . . homorhythmic
Discant . . . 14th c English . . . cantus firmus in lowest or middle voice . . . third above and sixth above improvised . . . point of departure lowest voice
Fauxbourdon . . . French . . . C. F. in highest voice . . . point of departure top voice . . . written in sixths, with improvised middle voice a fourth below
Free imitation . . . the essence of 15th and 16th c. counterpoint . . . "a series of overlapping points of imitation with occasional chordal passages interspersed; cf. to real imitation/tonal imitation
Full service . . . included PARTS of all three main services
Graduale . . . contains music for the Mass and church year
Great service . . . English Tudor and Stuart era . . . longer, more elaborate, more repetition . . . parts of Morning Prayer, Evensong, and Eucharist
Kyriale . . . contains music for the Ordinary of the Mass
Magnus liber organi . . . 12th/13th c. setting of Propers by Leonin and Perotin
Mensural . . . measured . . . triplet rhythm . . . compare to ACCENTUAL: even . . . notes essentially equal
Mensurstricht . . . mid-20th c. method of editorial insertion of bar lines between staves
Missa brevis . . . Catholic: Ordinary set briefly with little textual repetition and occasional truncation of text . . . Lutheran: Kyrie and Gloria in several sections (cantata-ish)
Motet . . . originated when text added to discant clausula . . . biggest names Josquin, Clemens, Palestrina, Lassus . . . Franco-Flemish dominate in 15th and 16th c.
Parody Mass . . . imitation of all parts of pre-existing work
Plainsong Mass . . . each movement based on chant Kyrie or Sanctus or chant credo etc . . . no cyclical
Plenary Mass . . . full mass which also includes portion of Proper
Rhythmic modes . . . trochaic =- . . . iambic -= . . . dactylic =-- . . .anapestic --= . . . spondaic === . . . tribrachic ---
Talea . . . repeated rhythmic pattern
Treatise . . . other important writers include Vicentino and Zarlino
Una nota super la, Semper est canendum fa . . . A note above A is always treated as Fa