aristotle’s theory of imitation: certain musical characteristics lead to human imitation of these characteristics
balance music with gymnastics
gymnastics: athletics, preparing the body to allow the mind to receive information
Pythagoras: music and numbers intertwined
rhythm and poetic meter interlinked
broke music down into ratio: intervals such as the octave (the same note eight notes apart, with one higher than the other; 2:1), the fifth (3:2), the fourth (4:3)
scales organized on these ideas: tetracords
Aristoxenus, Cleonides theories
tetracord: a four note section of a scale (seven notes or eight notes that end on the same pitch)
ancient: descending order scales
modern: ascending order
two tetracords placed together to create different combinations
only the outer notes of tetracords were fixed
position of inner notes determined genus of tetracords
diatonic
enharmonic
chromatic
plato: beauty exists to remind of divine beauty
church music must be as beautiful as possible to inspire to think of the beauty of divinity
boethius
most revered medieval musical theorist
numerical relationships in music
three types:
musica mundana: relationships that control the cosmos; unheard
musica humana: music of body and soul
musica instrumentalis: audible music
words consisted of long or short syllables; meter/rhythm was based on the text
instruments
aulos: double pipe
deer bone and mediterranean cane
single tube, wide bores
strength for outdoor accompaniment
narrow range; one note apart between pipe ranges; overlap, ability to perform dissonance vs. offset pipes
kithara: concert lyre
homeric music: earliest possible reconstructed music
iliad
early christian church
a capella: accompanied by no music; group of people singing at once
“in the manner of the chapel”
chanting scripture
middle eastern scripture: hymns
roman catholic mass
western music traditions; many originated from roman catholic mass
chant
monophonic
sung mostly in Latin; regional chants in southern Europe, but most remaining chant is in Latin
most important; written down
non-metric: irregular “pulse”, freeform, text determines meter/rhythm
first kind of music formally preserved for history; notation was developed to preserve chant
crude, but origin of notation system
medieval music
sacred music
gregorian chant
sacred style of singing used in medieval era
wide reaching
first style of notated written music; notation was devised for gregorian
text and performance of melody shaped by its use in the liturgy
church calendar: organized by feast days, commendation, saint days, or days of christ
office and mass services celebrate calendar rituals
office: celebrated through the day, such as psalms, antiphons, lessons w/ responsories, hymns, prayers
mass: most important service; prayers, bible readings, psalm singing
two parts of mass: proper and ordinary
proper changes from day-to-day; different calendar days
ordinary is constant for each mass; said thee same way each time
mass was instructional and inspirational for illiterate
only people educated were people of the church: parishioners, priests, etc.
illiterate used stained glass picture bible stories
sung by soloists and choirs
singing carries through cathedrals
mass includes an introductory section/ordinary
introit
kyrie
gloria
mass followed by liturgy of the world
gradual
alleleuia
tract
credo
conclude with liturgy of the eucharist
offertory
sanctus
onus day
communion
words from roman liturgy wrriten by 8thc; music was passed via oral transmission
rudimentary notation developed for uniformity
gregorian chant named after pope gregory i
legend surrounding over holy spirit and gregory to whisper the chant in ear
three main manners of singing chant
responsorial: call and response
antiphonal: alteration between groups
direct: single group
three different styles of text settings
syllabic: one note per syllable
melismatic: several notes per syllable
melisma: decoration
pneumatic: partial melismatic, partial syllabic
chant melodies reflect word inflection and rhythm
matches divisions in text/word
arch-like phrases; matches the natural inflection of speaking
rising, sustaining, falling
simplest chants are recitation formulas: recite for recitation prayers and bible readings
psalm tone: formula for singing psalms in the office
eight scales used in medieval times
one tone for each scale
tonus peligrinus: transitory tone that goes beyond the eight tones; “wandering tone”
monks and nuns sang in two different groups for antiphonal
cantor sings both antiphon and psalm
hymns usually strophic: one section repeats again
sung by office choir for each service
office responsoriees: gradual, alleluia, offertorry aree all sung responsorily
melismatic; tended to be sung solo
ordinary chants original
polyphony
recorded polyphony: “old style” not attributed to any composer
oral improvitory practice
organum:
droning: use of a drone; final pitch is held by an instrument and/or voice of a group
parallel organum: original plainchant has one voice, while another voice sings fifth below in parallel motion
mixed/oblique organum: combination of droning/parallel: one sings plainchant, other voice alternates between droning and parallel organum
free organum: one voice sings plainchant, other sings variety of droning, parallel, and similar motions
discant and florid organum: sing same melody at different rates
notre dame polyphony: taught at notre dame
leonin and perotin
leonin: older and more commonly credited
perotin: expounded
magnus liber — great book
florid organum: plainchant melodies elongated through augmentation technique; multiple florid decorative parts above the plainchant