jan 1, 1377 - Gloria to the Mass of Notre Dame
Description:
Chordal style with bold chromatic harmonies (LOTS OF DISSONANCE)
When a vocal line contains an awkward melodic succession, the performer must decide whether to sing a given note as written or to raise or lower it to ease the dissonance
Application of musica ficta (“false music”)
Independent voice leading and frequent use of minims → very modern sounding
In groups of two (duple meter) → 14th C. theorists referred to duple meter as “imperfect time”
Triple meter was considered the “perfect time” because it embodied the idea of “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”
Final “Amen” contains contrapuntal passages that use a hocket, a technique in which two (or more) voices alternate in a series of short entries punctuated by rests (trading off)
The movement is unified by repeating small instrumental “bridges” to connect vocal sections
Bridge recurs four times
Series of four double leading-tone cadences (separate main divisions)
Descending scalar figure
Mauchat wrote his parts successively (no score) → results in peculiar voice-leading and harmonies
Every major cadence contains parallel fifths a half-step apart (double leading-tone cadences)
Included many augmented seconds, diminished fourths, and tritones
Added to timeline:
Music History
Date:
