josquin

7/21/2019 Josquin

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/josquin 1/5

Sam Krausz

M07425706

October 19, 2015

Achieving h!thmic "ossibi#it!

$ am a %irm be#iever that music is as o#& as #i%e itse#%' On#!, %or a ver! #ong time, the on#!

(a! that music (as ma&e (as on the s)ot, (ith no rehearsa#s, no co##aboration, an& no rea# sense

o% e*act#! (hat (as being )ro&uce&' +ontrasting that (ith to&a!, the stu&! o% music has become

so re%ine& that (e can trans%er virtua##! an! music (e mae onto )a)er an& then recreate that

music (ith technica# )er%ection -ust b! no(ing ho( to rea& the notation' .hat in& o% musica#

autonom! certain#! &i& not come about overnight, an& that )rocess is a big )art o% (hat (e ca##

the histor! o% music' A ma-orit! o% the ma-or ste)s to(ar& our mo&ern s!stem o% notation too

)#ace bet(een the t(e#%th an& %ourteenth centuries' /e( &eve#o)ments in rh!thm an& meter

&uring this time )erio& create& ne( )ossibi#ities in musica# com)osition because each ne(

breathrough in notation e*)an&e& the )otentia# %or combining musica# e#ements' ie(ise, the

more musica# e#ements that cou#& be combine&, the more a&vancements (ere nee&e& to ee) the

notation c#ear an& )recise'

Music %rom the ear#! an& mi& t(e#%th centur! (as most#! (ritten mono)honica##!' One

o% the %irst e*am)#es o% music that %its this time )erio& )resente& in our /orton Antho#og! o%

estern Music is i#&egar& von 3ingens Ordo Virtutum, (ritten in 1151 NAWM 7, 36). $n this

)iece o% music, the notation o% rh!thm is virtua##! none*istent, an& there is a#so on#! one voice

)resent' .he )er%ormer o% this in& o% music (ou#& be e*)ecte& to arbitrari#! ho#& out or uicen

certain notes base& on his or her &ramatic in%#ection an& no(#e&ge o% the %#o( o% the #anguage'

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arious ties re)resent c#ues as to the )hrasing o% the notes, but a#most a## o% the rh!thmic

&ecisions are #e%t to the singer, an& most o% that is sim)#! because no one ha& %igure& out a (a!

to notate e*act#! ho( #ong to ho#& certain notes' .hen again, there (as on#! one voice o% music,

so the variabi#it! o% the )er%ormance (ou#& not im)act the %#ui&it! o% the )er%ormance, (hereas i%

there (ere more than one voice, the )er%ormance (ou#& a#most certain#! not be ver! succinct'

3! contrast, a )iece o% music (ritten even ear#ier, Alleluia Justus ut Palma /AM 15,

618, ha& the )resence o% more than one voice, but a tota# #ac o% rh!thmic variation' ach note

sim)#! %#o(e& into the ne*t at the same s)ee&, e*ce)t %or )auses to breathe' Another interesting

s)ecu#ation is that the song b! 3ingen (ith no e*tra voices but rh!thmic %ree&om (as not a song

to be sung in church, but the song (ith e*tra voices but no rh!thmic %ree&om (as %or the #iturg!'

$ be#ieve that that s)eas to the (a! things are even to&a! : tra&itiona# church music ten&s to be

more musica##! com)#e* an& #ess rh!thmica##! com)#e* than )o)u#ar music'

Moving into /otre ;ame )o#!)hon! at the turn o% the 1<th centur!, "erotinuss

ua&ru)#um on Viderunt Omnes /AM 19, 798 sho(s ho( )o#!)hon! cou#& be (ritten an&

)er%orme& in a succinct matter (ithout the use o% an estab#ishe& meter' hat (as estab#ishe& at

this time (ere series o% #ongs an& breves : notes that move& more uic#! or #ess uic#!, an&

the stan&ar& %or the (a! that those notes move& (as in (hat (e (ou#& to&a! ca## tri)#e meter'

.he to) three voices &u)#um, tri)#um, an& ua&ru)#um8 move& accor&ing to this notation, (hi#e

the tenor voice he#& the origina# chant o% Viderunt Omnes' Sti## though, a goo& amount o% the

rh!thm ha& to be st!#istica##! un&erstoo& b! a## (ho (ere )er%orming the materia#, an& that

create& serious &ra(bacs %or the environments in (hich this music cou#& be )er%orme&' ven

to&a!, i% !ou (ere to )ut the origina# notation o% this ua&ru)#um in %ront o% a grou) o% singers

(ho (ere not to#& ora##! ho( the st!#e (as )er%orme&, the )er%ormance (ou#& en& u) soun&ing

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nothing #ie it (as inten&e& to' .his t!)e o% )o#!)hon! #aste& %or a #ong (hi#e, %or our te*tboo

states, =.he re)ertor! create& at /otre ;ame (as sung %or more than a centur!, %rom the #ate

t(e#%th centur! through the thirteenth> CHWM 57)'

Moving into the %ourteenth centur!, ma-or rh!thmic breathroughs came about &uring the

time o% "hi#i))e &e itr! an& the Ars Nova' $n ?rance, music theorists &evise& a s!stem o%

rh!thmic notation that consiste& o% breves breaing &o(n into semi@breves, (hich broe &o(n

%urther into minims' ach o% those in&s o% notes ha& a &i%%erent s!mbo#, an& those meters cou#&

be broen &o(n either =)er%ect#!> or =im)er%ect#!>' A =)er%ect> brea&o(n means that three

semi@breves eua#s one breve an& three minims eua#s one semi@breve' An =im)er%ect>

brea&o(n means that t(o semi@breves eua#s a breve an& t(o minims eua#s a semi@breve' 3ut

(hat i% !ou (ante& three semi@breves to eua# a breve an& on#! t(o minims to eua# a semi@

breve e## that (as (here the other great breathrough he#)e&'

.he invention o% the meter sign, (hich (e no( ca## time signatures, (as )erha)s the

biggest a&vancement in rh!thmic notation o% a##' .hese signs starte& out as a %u## circ#e or a ha#%@

circ#e (ith either nothing on the insi&e or (ith a &ot on the insi&e' A %u## circ#e meant that three

semi@breves (ou#& eua# a breve, an& a ha#% circ#e meant that t(o semi@breves (ou#& eua# a

breve' A &ot on the insi&e meant that three minims (ou#& eua# a semi@breve, an& the absence o%

a &ot (ou#& mean that t(o minims (ou#& eua# a semi@breve' So, three semi@breves to a breve

an& t(o minims to a semi@breve (ou#& be s!mbo#ize& b! a %u## circ#e (ith no &ot on the insi&e'

.his meter is the mo&ern euiva#ent o% <B4 time' .he te*tboo states, =$n&ee&, one theorist (rote

o% the ne( s!stem, Chatever can be sung can be (ritten &o(n> CHWM 7!)' .his ma! have

been true that the music (as no( concise, but it (asnt unti# even shorter note va#ues (ere

invente& an& bar#ines (ere a&&e& in the 17th centur! that music became the c#ear an& concise

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sheets that (e see to&a!' 3ut even so, this breathrough in rh!thmic notation meant that music

cou#& be recite& -ust #ie )oetr!, an& there%ore, =+om)osers began to attach their names to their

(ors an& tae )ri&e in their authorshi), as )oets ha& been &oing %or centuries> CHWM 73)'

An e*am)#e o% the music (ritten using this techniue is Dui##aume &e Machauts "ose,

#i$, Printem%s, Verdure NAWM !&, '5'8, (ritten in the mi&@%ourteenth centur!' .his is a %our@

)art on&eau consisting o% voices ca##e& %rom the to) &o(n8 .ri)#um, +antus, +ontratenor, an&

.enor' .he song is (ritten in <B4 time, (hich (ou#& be notate& as an o)en circ#e (ith no &ot, an&

a## o% the voices sing the same te*t, an& move s!##ab#es a#most a#(a!s e*act#! together' .he! are

ab#e to sta! e*act#! together because o% the metere& rh!thm, an& #ie(ise, the reason (h! the

com)oser (as ab#e to (rite %our voices singing the same te*t together is because this in& o%

notation (as aroun&' Dui##aume &e Machaut (as a#so the %irst com)oser to com)i#e his com)#ete

(ors, (hich musicians even to&a! can )u## out an& be ab#e to )#a! %#uent#! so #ong as the!

no( ho( to rea& that notation, an& that is another ma-or a&vantage o% this breathrough'

.he t(e#%th through %ourteenth centuries #ai& the %oun&ation %or musica# notation, an& the

)rocess the! starte& o% a&&ing musica# e#ements that ins)ire& nee& to innovate notation, (hich in

turn ins)ire& a&&ing even more musica# e#ements, (as (hat eventua##! #e& to instruments )#a!ing

un&er voices an& (ith each other' $n to&a!s (or#&, our rh!thmic notation is maretab#e' $t is

stan&ar&, it can be use& %or an! genre o% (estern music, an& it is eas! to un&erstan& (ith the

same in& o% training as #earning to rea& #iterature' $t is c#ean an& organize& eas! to %o##o(, an& it

can be #ai& out in a#most an! arrangement o% voices one can thin o%' 3ut, o% course, ever!thing

that is maretab#e no( starte& o%% as being mere#! )ossib#e, an& that is (hat this era bet(een the

t(e#%th an& %ourteenth centuries gave to the (or#&E com)#ete rh!thmic )ossibi#it!'

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