• organum an outgrowth from
heterophony (closest to modified parallel)
• Magidizing: singing in octaves, consciously
• differences in voice ranges, accidental
• acoustical reasons
• mainly applied to troped portions of proper, solo sections of chant
• improvisatory, unnotated
VP
VO
• VP moves to top around 1100
• parallel, oblique, with emphasis
on contrary; crossing of parts,
• 4ths preferred to 5ths
• VP still above VO
• more than one VO note to each VP; may be several VO
• cadences (occursus) on unison, octave, approached from M2, M3
• contrary motion, crossing
of parts, cadences on unison, octave
• increased intervals; 5ths reinstated
• away from strict duplication, increasing melodic independence
• cadences on 4ths, 5th, unisons,
octaves
• several notes of VO to VP, which is now below VP
• first practical source; responsorial,
melismatic chants (tropes, sequences)
• 2 voices, contrary, with parallel predominating; voice crossing
• all intervals with 4ths, 5ths most frequent
• note against note polyphony
• VP is generally below VO; VO becomes equal to VP, rather than support
• set of 5 alleluias, sung
responsorially
• increased contrary motion, increased number of 3rds
• more than one VO to each
VP
• each note of cantus firmus is held (tenere=to hold, thus tenor)
• repertory may be contemporary
with Notre Dame School
• 64 compositions of 3 types:
a. versus (conductus)-latin sacred songs for feast days
b. tropes of Benedicamus Domino
c. sequences
• 2 styles of organum, often in the same work:
i. discant style: older note against note, sometimes elaborated as neume
against neume
• homorhythmic conductus usually set in this style
• clausula is a section of organum in which both parts are rhythmic
ii. organum purum: 2-voice organum in which tenor is sustained (also
known as melismatic or florid organum)
• extended melismas, introducing dissonant passing tones
• sustained tone or melismatic
style as well as discant style
• first 3 part polyphony
• sequences, tropes, versus and conducti
• polyphonic settings of solo portions of responsorial chants are emphasized
• responsorial chants are set in melismatic, rarely appearing together
with discant
a. Anonymous IV
b. Wolfenbuttel 677
c. Wolfenbuttel 1099
d. Pluteus 29.1
e. Madrid Bibl.
• 2-4 vcs, rhythmic modes,
ordo added to 1 or more voices
• mixture of styles: organum purum, discant, clausula sections
• stylistic variety
• Leonin & Perotin
• 2-3 vcs, homorhythmic, text
shared by all voices,
• 2 styles, distinguished by number of caude (textless) passages
• conductus simplex-few
• embellished conductus-lots
• dropped out of favor about 1250
• grows out of discant organum
through application of words to upper voice of a clausula; becomes increasingly
secularized
• words added to VO of a clausula
• 3-4 vcs, latin & french texts
• ordo in tenor
• conductus motet
• 3 vcs
• triplum most active
• french secular tenors
• voice exchange and hocket
• Franconian motet
• triplum dominant
• 2-9 semibreves
• rhythmic independence & complexity
• french upper texts dominate
• (Roman de Fauvel)
• further use of hocket
Melody: distinct phrases,
small; long continuous melodic line, 4-bar phrases
Texture: 1) treble dominated: 3 vcs
2) equal voiced: 3-4 vcs
Vertical: 5ths, Octaves; close, many 3rds and 6ths; 2nds, 7ths, 9ths
Rhythm: duplum, syncopation, hocket
• 15 monophonic, 4 polyphonic
( ao ac ao ac )
• polyphonic lais are “chace”; intensely canonic
• attempt at modernizing lai, though no successors
• music is simpler than poetry
• 6 in latin, remainder in
French (regressive)
• 2 have fr triplum and ltn duplum
• 3 w/ Fr tenors; all other tenors have Latin incipits: chant origins
• 19 are 3-vc polytextual (double motets) above tenor; remaining 4 add
textless countertenor (5, 21-23)
• 6/8 (major prolation) predominates in upper vcs of 15 motets
• more experimental types (#1
is isorhythmic, only fixed form)
• 2,3, 4 vcs (no 37 is monophonic)
• # 34 is double ballade (upper voices sing different texts)
• first 16 originally for cantus and tenor
• differ from trovere tradition in reduction to 3 stanzas
• stanzas have 7-8 lines with rhyme scheme (ababbcC or ababccdD)
• lines of 8-10 syllables
• 2 musical types: ballade simplex (37 of 42) ao ac b C
ballade duplex ao ac bo bc (2 sections)
• 2-4 vcs; 2 parts predominate
in earlier
• standardized poetic form: 8 line rondeau with lines of equal length:
ABaAabAB
• a few 13 line rondeaus with similar musical form
AB B ab AB ab b AB B
A B a A a b A B
• 25 of 33 are monophonic;
7 in 2 parts, # 26 has 3 parts
• simpler syllabic style
• AbbA bbaA bbaA