M541 Exam One Vocabulary

Ad organum faciendum

Anonymous treatise (ca. 1100), which describes how to sing or compose organum.

Aquitanian polyphony

• Ornate style of polyphony
• Includes settings of chants (i.e. sequences, Benedicamus Domino melodies, and solo portions of responsorial chants)
• Contained two styles: Discant and florid

Ars Subtilior

Style of polyphony from the late-1300s in southern France and northern Italy, distinguished by extreme complexity in rhythm and notation.

Ars nova

• 1300 – France
  
• style of polyphony
• new system of rhythmic notation that allowed duple or triple division of note values, syncopation, flexibility
• associate with: Philippe de Vitry
  

Boethius

• ca. 500; Roman philosopher
• translated quadrivium (liberal arts: arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy)
• authored De institutione musica libri quinque – 
  • 1. Musica mundana — music of the spheres/world
    2. Musica humana — harmony of human body and spiritual harmony
    3. Musica instrumentalis — instrumental music (incl. human voice)
    4. Musica divina — music of the gods

Charlemagne

• 768-814; Holy Roman Emperor
• father Pepin sought to impose a common liturgy and body of music to consolidate his kindgom – son Charlemagne continued policy of having singers from Rome import chant to northern territories (modern-day France, Belgium, the Netherlands, western Germany, Switzerland, and northern Italy)

Church Calendar

• dates throughout the year, which are chosen to commemorate saints and feasts
• i.e. Christmas, Easter (Advent, Lent)
  

• Italian composer; 1325-1397
• leading composer of ballata
• mixture of Italian and French taste and technique
  
• composed only secular music

Franconian (mensural) notation

• new system from Ars cantus mensurabilis; c.1280
• Franco of Cologne
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