Musc 752 Ars Subtilior I. Babylonian Captivity 1308-1378

i. dining on peacocks and swans

ii. drinking from fountains that spout wine

c. Most luxurious noble court in Europe

d. Bigger, more lavish court = more power

e. More money you spend on the arts seen as proof you have plenty more

where that came from

4. Composers from all over Europe flock to court

D. Avignon style

1. Entirely French, even though some Italian composers in residence

2. Forms

a. Mostly still composing in formes fixé

i. virelai

ii. rondeaux

iii. ballade

b. Shift in which ones favored

i. Ballade and virelai start to fall from fashion

ii. Rondeau becomes all the rage

3. Three stages of style

4. Early - compositional language very much in mold of de Vitry/Machaut style

for most of 14^th century

a. With some additional intricacies of rhythm

b. And fusions of forms and genres

c. Ex: Grimace, A L’Arme, A L’Arme

i. Form?

ii. Fusion between French virelai and Italian caccia

aa. Text painting at beginning – fanfare, shouts

bb. imitative (more specifically, quasi-imitative)

cc. Tenor voice that stands outside imitative texture, with

harmonic function

iii. A – highly contrapuntal

aa. Frequently triadic harmonies

bb Note the big, solid Landini cadence at mm. 20-21

cc. interesting rhythmic interplay between bottom two

voices, particularly at mm. 15-21

dd. But except for syncopation introduced in tenor, rhythmically quite similar to Machaut works, and

even a bit simpler

iv. B

aa. Opening nearly homophonic – texture change to define

new section

bb. Quickly pulls away and re-establishes imitative style

cc. Note differences in cadences in first and second endings

dd. What makes second much stronger than first?

i. Double Landini cadence

ii. G# in superius – third of the chord

iii. As opposed to solid octaves in second

4. Last 25 years – contemporaneous with Great Schism – new style develops

5. Big difference in treatment of rhythm and harmony

a. Influence of de Vitry notation

b. Combined with Italian notational developments

i. Based on Petronian notation

ii. Any number of notes you want = breve

iii. Then concept extended to Semibreve as well = minims

iv. Then decide not enough variety -- need to be able to divide

minims up also

v. But manage to restrain selves to 2 or 3 (diff. than Italian)

vi. But that might not be enough

vii. Coloration = reduce value of note by 1/3 (show ex.)

viii. Host of new, unusual note forms to obscure to mention

c. Possible to notate every sort of rhythmic nuance imaginable

d. And they did - 'cuz they could!!!

e. Very much in keeping with decadent atmosphere of court

6. Mannerist phase

E. Notation - show slides

1. Most impressive source from Avignon - Chantilly Codex

a. Exs. of some of notational intricacies: Le Gregnour bien, Perugio

i. Combo. of red and black notation

ii. Ex. of fine divisions of semibreve

iii. More obscure note forms - minims with two tails instead of one

(worth 2 minims, minus 1/3 if red;)

v. Good ex. of hollow notation - reduces value by 2/3

b. Ex. of extravagances of mss.

i. Jacob Senlech - Harp of Melody (Chantilly)

aa. "The harp of melody made without melancholy for

pleasure"

bb. Just a chanson - 2 verses

cc. Notation so complex that two transcriptions rarely agree

in all particulars

ii. Baude Cordier - Tout par compass

aa. Two upper voices in cannon, with supporting 3rd voice

bb. canonic rondeau, or a round round rondeau

cc. Perfect display of subtle intellectual play on

words in style during this period

dd. Not that notation is so terribly complex, but

ee. diff. prolations in each vc., frequent changes of meter

and accent

II. Second, or mannerist, phase

A. Music gets way out there

B. At its height, goes to extremes of:

1. Rhythmic nuances

2. Sophisticated wordplay and inside jokes

3. Intellectual games

4. Subtlety is the key

C. Hence, called by 20^th c. historians Ars Subtilior - the most subtle art

1. Kind of perjorative term

2. Often linked to concept of fin de siécle

D. Harmony

1. New, bold uses of dissonance

2. Literally throw traditional theory

3. Lots of use of tritones, 2nds

4. If it sounds O.K., do it

E. Rhythm

1. Smaller and smaller divisions of beat

2. But not the governing principle

3. Rather, increasingly sophisticated ways to use rhythm

a. Constantly shifting accents

b. Aural equivalent of additive meters, polyrhythms

c. Won’t be equaled again until early 20^th century

4. Ex: Another piece by Baude Cordier - Belle, Bonne, Sage

a. In the shape of a heart – pun on the composer’s name (cor)

b. Constantly shifting meters

i. Result is, at times, three levels of hemiola

ii. See m. 9

iii. Often correspond to notational changes – here, coloration

c. Look at rhythmic complexities, and where corresponds to changes in

prolation

d. But, in general, conservative use of rhythmic complications

e. Harmonically conservative as well

f. Note unusual feature – delayed entrance of the melody

g. Play
F. Ex. 13-2 Anthonello de Caserta, Beaute Parfaite

1. 
   Ex. of quality of manneristic comp. haven’t previously discussed –
   

referentiality

a. Inclusion of musical or textual quotations, puns, or other materials that

would only be recognized by member of that particular group

b. Or intellectuals in general

c. Most evident here – text, which is a poem by Machaut

d. Yudkin contents that superius also a modified quotation of beginning of

Senleches’ Harp of Melody

i. What do you think – quotation, or just similar profile?

ii. I’m dubious

2. Many of the same characteristics as Belle, Bonne, Sage

a. Constant metrical shifts, displaced accents

b. More freedom with dissonance

i. See m. 10, for ex.

ii. But for the most part, still quite carefully controlled

iii. Dissonances not used in service of textual expression, but for

sonority?

3. Tenor as harmonic foundation

a. Definitely not a “vocal” line

b. Neither is the contratenor

4. Cadential structure

a. Lots of ficta missing - harder to see

b. Mode – in Mixolydian

i. Ouvert ending of a: on A (modally insignificant)

ii. Landini cadence, further weakened ‘cuz superius doesn’t

participate

iii. Clos cadence – solid, though only single l.t.

c. Strongest cadence – double l.t., reserved for end of refrain

d. Though should be another at end of b section – mm. 44-45

e. Note: Displaced cadence m. 50

i. M6-8ve in lower voices

ii. Prep. For double l.t. cadence in superius

iii. But resolution to the 5^th delayed

iv. Very effective, esp. if brought out in performance

5. Flowing melody – Italianate influence?

6. Superius dominates

7. Listen

G. Final phase of Avignon style

1. Return to less complex textures, metrical divisions

2. Still treble dominated, but more interaction between the voices

1. 
   Can include imitation, motivic exchange
   
2. 
   Clear evidence that voices being composed simultaneously, rather than successively
   

3. Lyricism of Italian styles becomes feature of French music as well

a. Flowing, singable melodic lines

b. Use of 3rds and 6ths as vertical consonances common

i. Have heard in Italian pieces of the Trecento

ii. Also ubiquitous in 14^th c. English music

iii. Extensive use of 3rds and 6ths as primary consonances

iv. Preferred to open 5ths and 8ves

v. Stems from improvised practice of fauburden

aa. Cantus firmus in middle voice

bb. 2^nd voice improvises at parallel 4ths above

dd. Faburdener “sights” line a third above or in unison with

melody, then sings down a 5th

4. Formes fixes adopted by composers from all parts of Europe

5. General development of international style, spreading outward from Avignon

H. Ex 13-4 Johannes Ciconia, Una Pantera

1. Ciconia (c. 1370-1412)

1. 
   Until recently, regarded as sole architect of emerging international style
   
2. 
   But – quite a bit younger than originally thought, so not the revolutionary figure he seemed to be
   
3. 
   Nonetheless, composer who wrote with equal facility in style of the Ars Subtilior and the later Avignon style
   
4. 
   Secular and sacred comps. extant
   

i. Songs, many formes fixes

ii. Though also madrigals, ballatas

iii. motets

iv. Mass movements, and some mass pairs

2. Una Pantera

a. madrigal

b. Characteristic of 14^th c.

i. Superius dominates

ii. Two text-bearing voices supported by third w/largely harmonic

function

iii. Again, contra in middle of texture

aa. Book says this is the “arrangement of the ballata”

bb. Well…does occur frequently in ballatae but, as is

obvious, not always limited to

iv. Metrical shifts

v. Rhythmic stratification – see mm. 50-52

c. And some evidence of association with the Ars Subtilior

i. Some really interesting dissonances – see m. 3

ii. mixed meters

d. Elements of “international style”

i. Imitation – see m. 28-31

ii. Check out word panting in last melisma of a section: “turn” or

“crown”

iii. More plentiful use of vertical 6ths and 3rds

iv. Singable, flowing melody in long phrases

e. Note the prevalence of the Landini cadence!