Definitions and Short Answer Flashcards
(49 cards)
Define Monophony/monophonic music.
There is only one melody played/sung.
Define Homophony/homophonic music.
One melody played/sung with a number of accompaniment parts.
Define Polyphony/polyphonic music.
Multiple melodies played/sung at once.
What are two types of polyphony and define each?
1) Imitative Polyphony - Same Melody in different parts overlapping, but not at the same time. (Think like a round.)
2) Non-Imitative Polyphony - Multiple different melodies at once.
Define a movement.
A large subset/subsection of a substantial work. Often ends with a pause.
What are the four categories of instruments?
1) Strings - The strings are vibrating producing sound.
2) Brass
3) Woodwind
4) Percussion
What are the two main types of stringed instruments?
1) Plucked String Instruments - Think guitar, harps, liars.
2) Bowed String Instruments - Think violin, viola, double bass (cello).
What makes an instrument a woodwind instead of a brass?
Woodwind instruments are played by blowing through a reed/over a whole. Brass instruments are played by blowing into the mouthpiece that often does not have a reed.
What are some examples of percussion instruments?
Piano, drums, tympani, xylophone, chimes, etc.
What is the purpose of the Mass?
Communion.
Where does most music come from during the early Middle Ages?
The church. They’re the only ones with the resources to produce it. The money is mostly in the hands of the church around this time. There are view few “Kings” with the power and money to employ musicians in their courts.
What are the characteristics of Gregorian Chant?
1) Monophonic
2) Acapella
3) All in Latin
4) Rumored to Have Been Credited to Pope Gregory the Great. Thus the name “Gregorian” chants.
What is the order of the Mass?
1) Introit
2) Kyrie
3) Gloria
4) Gradual
5) Alleluia
6) Credo
7) Sanctus - Offeratory
8) Agnus Dei
9) Communion
10) Benedictus
What are the ordinary and the proper? Define each.
Ordinary - The parts of the Mass that are always the same. These parts are the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.
Proper - The parts of the Mass where the text is allowed to change from Mass to Mass.
Define the features and origination Organum genre.
- Originated at the Notre Dame.
- The Main Composers were Leonin and Perotin during the 12th Century.
- Kept the structure of Gregorian chant, but there are 2-3 voice parts w/ the same text but more notes sung.
- This was in the Medieval Era of Music.
Define the features and origination of the Motet genre.
- Started during the 13th century. Most likely by reluctant monks who weren’t necessarily inclined towards the monastery but were placed there because it was still a prominent position in Medieval society.
- There are new texts added to upper parts, but the baseline is still kept as a Gregorian chants.
- The new text can either be secular or sacred and in Latin or the local language. (Usually French)
What are the three types of melodies in sacred church music? Define each.
1) Syllabic - One Note Per Syllable
2) Neumatic - 2- 3 Notes Per Syllable
3) Melismatic - 4 or More Notes Per Syllable
What are the offices?
A series of readings and service performed by monks throughout the day.
What is the earliest form of polyphony?
Organum.
What is the oldest recorded form of secular music during the Medieval period?
Golliard Songs written by students in Latin.
What is the most common form of secular Medieval music?
Troubador songs.
What are troubadors? How is their music performed?
Troubadors are French noblemen who write poetry that get transformed into songs but jongleurs, who are serfs, that travel and perform the piece. The subject of these songs is courtly love. Which is a man writing to the perfect, yet unattainable woman.
Why aren’t there a lot of copies of music from this time that’s secular?
The Plague was a big deal and things were burned and not really written down.
Who was the first composer to write a Mass?
Machaut, a French composer known mostly for his sacred, along with his secular works.
