Liturgy
What are the two sections of the mass?
1. Teachings (Liturgy of the Word)
2. Eucharist (Liturgy of the Eucharist)
(Word - Eucharist etc)
What are the different methods that texts are set to chant?
1. Syllabic: each syllable gets a note
2. Pneumatic: each syllable gets 1-4 notes (mostly closer to 1)
3. Melismatic: each syllable gets multiple often many notes
Compare and contrast the troubadours and trobairritz with the trouvères.
Trobairrit/troubadours: artists from the South (Aquitaine) who wrote canzos. Spoke Langue d'oc.
Trouvères: artists from the north who wrote chansom. Spoke langue d'oïl.
What sorts of chants did she write?
In style and form many different kinds! More specifically ones that were not often used in the mass but for the divine offices and just general sacred music. This is because she wrote for her community of sisters.
What are the two types of the liturgy and what is their function?
1. The Divine Office Hours: Codified chants and scripture from monastic life.
- Prayed throughout the day
- function: to unite munks, prayers and psalms lifted to the Lord. Also, they're works of art (focus on words).
2. The Holy Mass: Catholic service reenacting Christ's last supper.
- Liturgy of Word/Eucharist
Who created Solfege and chant notation?
Guido of Arezzo!
Who was Bernard of Ventadorn and what is his significance.
He was a troubadour who wrote a lot of songs while becoming widely famous throughout Europe. A classic example of the trends in secular music at the time. Fell in love with Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was a major contributor and proponent of the arts in that era.
How was her music specifically suited for women's voices?
They are structured often with melismatic passages that are very flowy which are easier for women to sing.
What is the difference between the Proper and Ordinary of the Mass?
Proper: Changes each Mass
Ordinary: Consistent each Mass
What are the different ways of constructing the performance of chant?
1. Antiphonal: Soloist and choir (verse-refrain)
2. Monophony:singing in unison (solo - or together)
3. Homophony: principle melody w/ accompaniment (maybe a drone)
4. Heterophony: singing same melody w/ different ornamentation
5. Responsorial: Together on response and verses sung by soloist.
What is the main 3 parts of a midivil secular song?
- Describe them!
- Name of that three part form?
1. frons - herd or opening section
2. pes - usually two musical phrases (feet) making up the frons
3. cauda - closting section (tail)
- Strophic
The subject of most of her chants?
Religious women - Mary, women who are saints etc.
Name three parts of the Divine Office Hours
Matins - Midnight
Lauds - Sunrise
Prime - 6am
Terce - 9am
Sext - 12pm
Nones - 3pm
Vespers - Sunset
Compline - 9pm
Why was Psalm singing so important, according to major saints? (St. Basil and St. Chrysostom)
- Give two main reasons
1. We're innately lazy!
2. Drives away demons
3. Gladdens feast days (gettin lit w/ chants)
4. brings tranquility and peace to soul
5. aides the memory
6. The pleasure that comes from chanting helps us digest the text
7. Fills singers with the Holy Spirit
"ideal love" which was extremely rare because a ton of marriages especially with the nobility were arranged. Women were seen as commodities to be married. Therefore, there was a very powerful romantic aura around the idea of ideal love. It came out through longing for the other in songs. Think Ventadorn and Eleanor.
What is the Song of Songs and why is it important in a midivil context especially dealing with songs?
Often songs were set to its texts or to texts relating to the Song of Songs.
Name chants belonging to the Ordinary of the Mass
Kyrie Eleison, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei
Describe Guido's Hand! (i.e what is it's use and what is it based off of?
Way to teach singers notes and solfeggi by using ones hand.
- Based off of hexachords
What is Ventadorn's song "Can vei la lauzeta mover" about?
Eleanor cheating on him :(
Also, him feeling hurt and betrayed.
British Saint who was blown off course with her handmaidens. Decided to journey to Rome with the 11,000 virgins. Attila the Hun captured them and killed them.