Chapter 2: Polyphony to 1300

Question 1

When was the peak of secular monophony?

Answer 1

11th and 12 century

Question 2

When was the emergence of polyphony?

Answer 2

9th century

Question 3

Polyphony

Answer 3

Having 2 or more voices

Question 4

Musica Enchiriadis

Answer 4

First preserved reference of polyphony

Question 5

Organum

Answer 5

Polyphonic work with an original plainchant and at least 1 voice above or below

Parallel organum: Organum where the additional voice runs on a constant 4th or 5th below the chant

Question 6

Vox principalis and Vox organalis

Answer 6

The principal (original chant) and organal (additional) voice(s)

Question 7

Ad organum faciendum (on the making of organum)

Answer 7

A treatise (1100) outlining the vox organalis above the vox principalis

Question 8

John Cotton

Answer 8

Writer who recommended the switch between the organal and principal voices

Question 9

Melismatic organum

Answer 9

Organum with multiple notes in the vox organalis over a single note in the chant

Question 10

How was “tenor” derived?

Answer 10

Melismatic organum slowed down the pace of the original chant. “Tenere” means to hold. Tenor derives from the word, meaning “The voice that holds”

Question 11

Notre Dame School composers

Answer 11

Leonin, Perotin

Question 12

Different kinds of organum

Answer 12

Melismatic organum (aka free/unmeasured organum). duplum voices moves rapidly against the slower chant notes.

Measured organum (aka discant organum). Two voices move at the same speed in what is known as “note against note style”.

Question 13

What was Perotin credited for?

Answer 13

Adding a third voice (triplum) and 4th voice (quadruplum)

Question 14

What allowed composers to distinguish long and short notes in Leonin and Perotin’s time?

Answer 14

Rhythmic modes. Numbered 1-8

Question 15

Magnus liber organi

Answer 15

“The great book of organum”. A compilation of the works that came out of the Cathedral of Notre Dame School of Polyphony.

Question 16

Clausula

Answer 16

An independent, and optional (not meant to be sung on its own) segment that was meant to be inserted into the melismatic organum. Discant organum only for Gloria.

They led to the motet. Later on, a secular duplum was added to the motet.

Question 17

Leonin

Answer 17

French Composer. Invented Notre Dame School

Responsorial chanting: solo/soloist would sing a line, and then the chorus would respond.

His use of responsorial chanting, free organum, and measured organum, depending on the nature of the original plainchant

Laying down the foundation for rhythmic modes

Question 18

Motet

Answer 18

An unaccompanied sacred song with a “motetus”; a secular duplum voice.

Question 19

Motetus

Answer 19

The secular texted duplum in a motet. A love song.

Question 20

Polytextual motet

Answer 20

Two or more texts heads simultaneously; as a result, words were hard to distinguish. Characteristic feature of the 13th century motet.

Question 21

Conductus

Answer 21

A sacred, yet non liturgical vocal composition of one or more voices. No borrowed pre-existing material. Freely composed poems written in metered verse.

Unlike the prevailing melismatic organum of the time, Voices moved in discant.

Question 22

Cauda

Answer 22

A long melisma, characteristic at the end of a conductus piece.

Question 23

Mensural notation

Answer 23

A notation system that assigned specific rhythmic meanings to each of the various note shapes.

Question 24

Franco of Cologne

Answer 24

Outlined the principals of mensural notation.

Question 25

Ars Cantus Mensurabilis

Answer 25

“The art of measurable song”, A text written by Franco of Cologne outlining his system of mensural notation

Question 26

Franconian notation

Answer 26

A form of music notation that indicated the rhythm of a note by way of it’s shape, and not its relation to the other notes in the piece.

Main rhythms: Long, breve, and semi-breve

Question 27

What was the tempus?

Answer 27

The tempus was the basic unit of measurement. The same duration of the breve.

e.g. a note 3 breves in duration= 3 tempora 
3 semibreves (perfect) = 1 breve
2 unequal breves (imperfect) = 1 breve

Question 28

Why were rhythmic values in franconian notation divided into divisions of 3 (perfect) and 2 (imperfect)?

Answer 28

Divisions of 3: Were “perfect” because they reflected the holy trinity (father son and holy spirit)

Divisions of 2: Were not “perfect”

Question 29

Petronian notation

Answer 29

A refined form of the Franconian system outlined by Petrus de Cruce, a French composer and theorist.

Added more subdivisions to the breve; up to 9 “semibreves” for every breve.

Semibreves could be further split into minims and semiminims; minim= 1/3 or 1/2 a semibreve, but semiminim was always 1/2 a minim.

Question 30

Punctus divisionis

Answer 30

dot used in perfect mensurations to separate groups of notes

Question 31

Notre dame organum

Answer 31

The organum that emerged from the Notre dame school of polyphony composers.

Question 32

Prolatio

Answer 32

The division of semi breves into minims