Last post we discussed music of the 1300s in France. Yes, I know I haven't posted since last Sept so I hope to post more in 2010. Let's get started.
So we were talking about music of France in the 14th century including forms, compositional devices, and composers but France was not the only country creating new and innovative styles of music and composition. Let's talk about music in Italy. The Italians during the 1300s had their own thing going on with composition and notation that allowed them to come up with different rhythmic divisions, fast rhythmic values, and they were less complicated in the way they didn't have 3 or 4 different voices going on at the same time. Most of the time they were focused on just on text and they used imitation - or one voice that follows another. For the Italians, the period is called Trecento meaning 300.
If you look closely at the example written by Gherardello da Firenze (c. 1320-C. 1362) called TOSTO CHE L'ALBA the piece is known as the Caccia - which means to chase. So in one way we have the idea of one voice following another as if it were chasing each other. In addition, the nature of the text has to do with hunting or chasing after animals. During this time hunting in this region was a very popular activity. They imitate the calls of the hunter portraying painting of the words.
Again notice the imitation happening and you also have the same idea at the bottom line structure to the piece. The piece almost functions like the tenor line instead of something based on chant. The Italians were a little light hearted when it came to experimenting with these things. The pieces during this time are more on the secular side and becomes sort of the cutting edge of the up and coming Renaissance.
Let's look at another piece in the style called Madrigal. We'll run into the Madrigal again when we get to the Renaissance but it's nothing like the Madrigal we're looking at now. As the years passed the Madrigal took on its own development. This piece, called FENICE FU' E VISSI, by Jacopo da Bologna (fl. 1340-1360) has two degrees of imitation, two voices interacting with one another but yet the technique I want to point out, and one that is very prominent in the Italian Trecento, ad actually shows up in some of the French Ars Nova and Ars Subtilior is a technique called the hockett, which means hiccup.
Hockett was an effect in the voices where one voice would be singing the melody and stop to let the other voice sing that note. And so you would have the echo effect go back and forth between two voices.
Pretty straight forward...
One last works by the composer Landini was considered by many to be the greatest composer of the Trecento. We know this because of the many books written about him and the sculptures that were made. Landini was a blind organist when organs first began to be used in church. He composed many genres similar to Machaut.
On this particular piece you again have a Madrigal in the conspicuous form. But as the middle ages die out, so does this type of Trecento Madrigal. Usually organized into two or three stanzas this form used a refrain or ritornello, which means to return, and then two lines perhaps in a contrasting meter. So the Trecento Madrigal essentially was set with two voices without a tenor, both parts carried the same text, sometimes in question-answer style called hockett with a bit of imitation.
Ok, that's the middle ages. Thanks for reading, see you soon for the 1st generation Renaissance.
Later
