Music 1306

Assignment 2

 

 

We will have a test over Part II – the Middle Ages and Renaissance.  The test will be mostly objective – matching and multiple-choice.  There will be an essay, in which you will discuss the differences between the Middle Ages and Renaissance. 

 

There will also be some listening on this test.

 

To study for the test, read Part II in the text (pp.59-87), then do the activities in the Study Guide.  You might want to take the sample multiple-choice quizzes on the on-line study guide.

The following pieces will be on the listening part of the exam:

 

CD Track              Selection                                            Composer

 

     47                    Alleluia: Vidimus stellam                     Anonymous

     50                    O successores                                    Hildegard of Bingen

     51                    Estampie                                            Anonymous

     52                    Puis qu’en oubli                                 Machaut

53-55                    Notre Dame Mass, Agnus Dei             Machaut

56-58                    Ave Maria . . . Virgo Serena                Josquin

59-61                    Pope Marcellus Mass, Kyrie               Palestrina

     62                    As Vesta Was Descending                  Weelkes

 

THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

II-1. MUSIC IN THE MIDDLEE AGES (450-1450)

 

BASIC TERMS:

            Gregorian chant                                    drone                           mass ordinary

            Church modes                                      organum

           

SELF-TEST  Multiple-choice: Circle the answer that best completes each item.

 

  1. Gregorian chant

a.  is monophonic in texture                               c.  is homophonic in texture

b.  is polyphonic in texture                                 d.  has no texture

 

  1. The wandering minstrels, or jongleurs, of the Middle Ages

a.  performed music and acrobatics in castles, taverns, and town squares                                              

b.  lived on the lowest level of society

c.  played instrumental dances on harps, fiddle, and lutes

d.  all of the above

 

  1. The notation of the secular songs of the Middle Ages does not indicate

a.  rhythm                                                         c.  duration

b.  pitch                                                            d.  any of the above

 

  1. The church modes are

a.  different from the major and minor scales in that they consist of only six different tones

b.  different from the major and minor scales in that they consist of only five different tones                    

            c.  like the major and minor scales in that they consist of seven tones and an eighth tone that duplicates   

           the first an octave higher

            d.  completely different from any other form of scale

 

5.      The first large body of secular songs that survives in decipherable notation was composed during

a.  the ninth century by monks for church services                                 

b.  the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by French nobles called troubadours and trouveres        

            c.  the fourteenth century by Guillaume de Machaut and his contemporaries

            d.  the fifteenth century by wandering minstrels called jongleurs

 

  1. The ars nova, or new art, of the fourteenth century differed form older music in that .

a.  a new system of notation permitted composers to specify almost any rhythmic pattern                       

b.  the subjects were all secular

            c.  there was no syncopation

            d.  the music emphasized homophonic texture

 

  1. The first steps toward the development of polyphony were taken sometime between 700 and 900, when

a.  musicians composed new music to accompany dancing

b.  the French nobles began to sing hunting songs together

c. monks in monastery choirs began to add a second melodic line to Gregorian chant

d.  all of the above

 

  1. The Notre Dame Mass by Guillaume de Machaut was

a.  written for three voices without instrumental accompaniment                                     

b.  written for the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris

c.  the first polyphonic treatment of the mass ordinary by a known composer

d.  all of the above

 

      9.  Leonin and Perotin were notable because they

            a.  are the first important composers known by name

            b.  indicated definite time values and a clearly defined meter in their music

            c.  were the leaders of the school of Notre Dame

            d.  all of the above

 

  1.  Secular music in the fourteenth century
    1.  became more important than sacred music
    2. was not based on Gregorian chant
    3. included drinking songs and pieces in which bird calls, barks of dogs, and hunting shouts are imitated
    4. all of the above

 

  1. Gregorian chant is named after Pope Gregory I, who 

a.  composed all of the chants presently in use

b.  was credited by medieval legend with having created it, even though it evolved over many centuries

c.  had his name put on the first printed album

d.  wrote the texts for the chants

 

  1. The center of polyphonic music in Europe after 1150 was

a.  Paris                                                            c.  Reims

b.  Rome                                                          d.  London

 

  1. Gregorian chant

a.  was the official music of the Roman Catholic church for more than 1,000 years

b.  retained some elements of the Jewish synagogue or the first centuries after Christ

c.  is set to sacred Latin texts

d.  all of the above

 

  1. The French secular songs of the Middle Ages usually dealt with

a.  the Crusades                                                c.  love

b.  spinning                                                       d.  all of the above

 

  1. In the recording of the medieval estampie, the melody line is played on a rebec, a

a.  medieval drum                                                         c.  tubular wind instrument

b.  bowed string instrument                                           d.  plucked string instrument

 

  1. Medieval music that consists of Gregorian chant and one or more additional melodic lines is called

a.  ars nova                                                                 c.  alleluia

b.  organum                                                                  d.  cantus firmus

 

  1. The foremost composer of fourteenth-century France was

a.  Guillaume de Machaut                                              c.  Charles V

b.  Hildegard of Bingen                                                 d.  Perotin

 

EXERCISE   The Medieval period vs

                       the Renaissance

 

 

 

Learn some differences between these two time periods by filling in the

following chart.  

 

Be able to discuss these in an essay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIDDLE AGES:

 

RENAISSANCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personalities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Religion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Political and

 

 

 

   economic

 

 

 

   conditions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literature

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIDDLE AGES:

 

RENAISSANCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Architecture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vocal music

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instrumental music

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II-2. MUSIC IN THE RENAISSANCE (1450-1600)

 

BASIC TERMS:

            word painting                                        motet                            madrigal

            a cappella                                             mass                             lute

           

SELF-TEST  Multiple-choice: Circle the answer that best completes each item.

 

  1. The texture of Renaissance music is chiefly

a.  monophonic             b.  polyphonic               c.  homophonic             d.  heterophonic

 

  1. The Renaissance madrigal began around 1520 in

a.  England                   b.  France                     c.  Italy             d.  Flanders

 

  1. Much of the instrumental music composed during the Renaissance was intended for

a.  the concert hall                                             c.  dancing

b.  religious worship                                          d.  the piano

 

  1. The dominant intellectual movement of the Renaissance was called

a.  feudalism                 b.  humanism                c.  classicism                 d.  paganism

 

5.      A cappella refers to

a.  unaccompanied choral music                                   

b.  men taking their hats off in church    

            c.  singing in a hushed manner because one is in church

            d.  any form of music appropriate for church use

 

  1. The ________________________ is a stately dance in duple meter, similar to the pavane.

a.  gaillard                     b.  passamezzo             c.  saltarello                  d.  minuet

 

  1. Palestrina’s career centered in

a.  the Netherlands                    b.  Florence                  c.  Naples                     d.  Rome

 

  1. Renaissance melodies are usually easy to sing because

a.  the level of musicianship in the Renaissance was not very high, and so easy music was composed      

b.  the music was mostly homophonic, so that one could sing it with a group

c.  there was a sharply defined beat, which kept the performers together

d.  the melody usually moves along a scale with few large leaps

 

  
9.  Palestrina’s Pope Marcellus Mass sounds fuller than Josquin’s Ave Maria because

            a.  Palestrina was the better composer

            b.  it is set for six voices instead of four

            c.  the recording engineer adjusted the levels differently

            d.  all of the above

 

  1.  Josquin Desprez was a contemporary of

a.  Christopher Columbus                                 c.  Palestrina

b.  Perotin                                                        d.  Queen Elizabeth of England

 

 

  1. The madrigal anthology, The Triumphes of Oriana, was written in honor of 

a.  Queen Anne                                                c.  the goddess Diana

b.  King Henry VIII                                                      d.  Queen Elizabeth I

 

  1. A madrigal, like a motet, is a vocal composition that combines homophonic and polyphonic textures; but it differs from the motet in that it

a.  uses a vernacular rather than Latin text

b.  more often uses word painting and unusual harmonies

c.  both a and b

d.      neither a nor b

 

  1. Thomas Weelkes’ As Vesta Was Descending is notable for its

a.  word painting                                               c.  instrumental accompaniment

b.  completely homophonic texture                    d.  monophonic texture

 

  1. The development of the English madrigal can be traced to 1588 and considered a result of

a.  the Spanish armada

b.  a decree by Queen Elizabeth

c.  the writings of Shakespeare

d.  the publication in London of a volume of translated Italian madrigals             

 

 

Fill in the blanks:

 

  1. The two main forms of sacred Renaissance music are the ________________ and the ______________.

 

 

  1. The sections of the Renaissance mass are ________________________, _________________________,

 

______________________________, _________________________, and _______________________.

 

 

  1. Performing choral music without instrumental accompaniment is called ________________________.

 

Listen to Josquin’s Ave Maria, and then complete the following:

 

  1. The work is written for _________________ voices.
  2. A feeling of continuous flow is created by _____________________________.

The opening section, like many later sections, uses polyphonic ______________________________, a technique typical of the period.

 

Renaissance Instruments:

 

It has been said that the Renaissance had a greater variety of instrumental timbres than we have at present.  You might want to view some of the instruments the following web site:

 

http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/instrumt.html

 

 

                                              

Bagpipe

 

Cornet

 

Crumhorn

 

Curtal

 

Fiddle

 

Lute

 

Tabor

 

Sackbut

 

Serpent

 

Shawm

 

Viol

 

Dances of the Renaissance:

Dancing was very popular among all social classes in the Renaissance, and skill in dancing was a very important mark of a gentleman or gentlewoman.  The text discusses some of these, so be sure to read about them.

 

 

UNIT QUIZ II

THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE

 

Matching:  Match each term with its definition.

 

a. a cappella                             1. medieval music consisting of Gregorian chant and

                                                    one or more individual lines                                                   1. ____

 

b. chant                                    2. wandering minstrels of the Middle Ages                                 2. ____

 

c. church modes                       3. poet-musicians of the French nobility                                     3. ____

 

d. jongleurs                               4. musical representation of specific poetic images                     4. ____

 

e. lute                                       5. plucked string instrument with a body shaped like

                                                    half a pear                                                                            5. ____

 

f. mass ordinary                        6. family of bowed string instruments                                         6. ____

 

g. mass proper                          7. unaccompanied choral singing                                               7. ____

 

h. motet                                    8. scales consisting of seven different tones, whose patterns

                                                    are different from the major and minor scales                         8. ____

 

j. passamezzo                           9. melody sung without accompaniment                                     9. ____

 

k. trouveres                              10. text portions of the Roman Catholic Mass that

                                                      remain the same each day                                                   10. ____

 

l. viol                                        11. text portions of the Roman Catholic Mass that

                                                      change from day to day                                                       11. ____

 

m. word painting                       12. polyphonic choral work set to a sacred Latin text                12. ____

 

                                                13. stately dance in duple meter                                                13. ____

 

Matching:  Match each composition with its composer.

 

a. Josquin Desprez                                14. Notre Dame Mass                                                 14. ____

 

b. Guillaume de Machaut                      15. Pope Marcellus Mass                                            15. ____

 

c. G. P. Palestrina                                 16. As Vesta Was Descending                                     16. ____

 

d. Michael Praetorius                            17. Ave Maria . . . virgo serena                                  17. ____

 

e. Thomas Weelkes                              18. Terpsichore                                                           18. ____

UNIT QUIZ II (Cont.)

 

Multiple-choice:

 

19. The intellectual movement called humanism

  1. condemned any remnant of pagan antiquity
  2. focused on human life and its accomplishments
  3. treated the Madonna as a childlike earthly creature                                                        19. ____
  4. focused on the afterlife in heaven and hell

 

20. Which of the following is not a part of the Renaissance mass?

      a. Ave Maria                      b. Gloria                       c. Kyrie                        d. Credo          20. ____

 

21. An outstanding composer of the ars nova was

      a. Perotin                                                    c. Leonin

      b. Guillaume de Machaut                            d. Pope Gregory I                                            21. ____

 

22. The first large body of secular songs that survives in decipherable notation was composed

      a. during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries c. from 590 to 604

      b. during the ninth century                           d. during the fifteenth century                             22. ____

 

23. Which of the following is not true of Gregorian chant?

  1. It conveys a calm, otherworldly quality
  2. Its rhythm is flexible, without meter
  3. The melodies tend to move stepwise within a narrow range of pitches
  4. It is usually polyphonic in texture                                                                                   23. ____

 

24. One of the major characteristics of ars nova music is its use of

      a. syncopation                                c. Gregorian chant

      b. organum                         d. monophonic texture                                                              24. ____

 

25. An outstanding composer of the Notre Dame school was

      a. Perotin                                        c. Hildegard of Bingen

      b. Guillaume de Machaut                d. Pope Gregory I                                                        25. ____