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Author
Guillaume de Machaut (French, 1300-1377):
- took holy orders at an early age
- later became secretary to John of Luxembourg, king of Bohemia.
- active in the court of Charles, duke of Normandy
- spent his later life as a canon at the Cathedral of Rheims
- Wikipedia Article
Time and Place
- Ars nova era, mid 14th century
- Written in France
About the Piece
(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is polyphonic chanson in 3 voices
- form: A-B-a-A-a-b-A-B
- Alternates between two different (melodic) phrases
- relatively low (male voice) range, but a decently wide range none the less
- very fluid and smooth
- slow
- emphasis on the word sui
- language is (Middle) French
- title means "Since I am forgotten"
Purpose
- Secular
- Very sad song
- author morns unrequited love
Reflections
I really like this song. The mornful tune fits so well with the text; it reminds me of something the modern-day band Evanescence would have sung in the Ars Nova era. For some reason, sad songs sound more like art to me than happy ones, perhaps because I feel like the artist is being honest with me.
Author
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (Southern French, c. 1155-1207):
- Was a troubador
- the son of a "poor knight" from Provence
- primarily performed in Italian courts
- died in 1207, in battle during the Fourth Crusade
- Wikipedia article
Time and Place
- Late twelfth Century
- Southern France
- Sung primarily in royal courts
About the Piece
(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is Estampie, a type of dance song performed by a troubadour
- Instruments include a rebec, a pipe, a guitarra moresca, and nakers; however instrumental parts are improvised.
- form is strophic which means the same melody is repeated with every stanza of the poem
- the melody takes the form AABBCC
- language is (Old) French
- title means "The first of May"
- the text was written as a poem
- compared to sacred music of this era, the singer moves through the text very quickly, as if he is telling a story.
- triple meter
- sounds like a song to dance to
Purpose
- Love song to Beatrice, marquise of Montferrat
- Primarily for entertainment
Reflections
This is a fun piece, but I feel like I'm missing something. It feels that the piece is written to tell a story, but I can't understand the story because the music is in another language. Consequently, even though I have the translated words sitting right in front of me, I feel "left out". I don't know which word corresponds to which English word, so I don't know what the melody is emphasizing. Otherwise, though, the song seems much more advanced than I would have expected of a Medieval work. I would not have thought a piece like that was that old.
Author
Anonymous
Time and Place
- Notre Dame School, in Paris (Wikipedia), which was instrumental in the early development of polyphony and rhythmic modes
- circa 1200, during the period known as Ars antiqua.
About the Piece
(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is organum in 3 voices
- Text praises Mary for destroying heresies
- Two top voices move over a sustained lower voice (tenor) in several rhythmic patterns.
- Still decently conjunct.
- Most of the piece is highly melismatic, only giving way to neumatic monophony at the end of the piece.
- The polyphony is sung in fifths, giving it a hollow sound
- Text is in Latin
Purpose
- Sacred
- Written for one of the Offices
- Sung at feasts to honor Mary
Reflections
I didn't really like this piece as much as the previous one. It makes good "background noise", but I think listening to it directly bores and frustrates me. I just wish the singer would hurry up and finish the word and move on to the next. I know this is exactly the opposite of what I said about the first chant; I think it depends on what mood I am in.
Author
Hildegard of Bingen (German, 1098-1179):
- Tithed to to church by her parents at a young age (she was the tenth child).
- Had lots of wisdom about many different topics: recipes, theology, music, etc.
- Had 'visions' on a number of different topics
- Wikipedia Article
Time and Place
- Written sometime in the twelfth century, in modern-day Germany
About the Piece
(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is chant, or specifically "plainchant"
- The text praises the Virgin Mary
- Alternating soloist chorus, "responsorial"
- Melismas on "Alleluia" to open and close the piece
- Much of the rest of the piece is neumatic
- conjunct movement
- Monophonic
- Text language is Latin
- Three different melodic climaxes: sancta viscera tua ("holy flesh"), pulchro flore ("beautiful flower"), and pudoris tui ("your chastity")
- Narrow range
Purpose
- Sacred
- The piece was written for the Mass Proper
- Sung at feasts to honor Mary
Reflections
To me, this piece is exactly what I would expect from a piece of chant. It makes me feel like I am moving through life to quickly; I think that is what much of the modern church admires in chant (at least those who listen to it). The fact that the monks take 45 seconds to say the word "Alleluia" leaves me wondering if my praise to God is too time-effecient.