Representative composers: Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Barbara Strozzi, Purcell, Corelli, Vivaldi
Principle genres: polychoral motet, cantata, opera, sonata, concerto, grosso, solo concerto, orchestral suite
Melody: less stepwise motion, larger leaps, wider range, and more chromaticism reflect influence of virtuosic solo singing; melodic patterns idiomatic to particular musical instruments emerge; introduction of melodic sequence
Harmony: stable, diatonic chords played by basso continuo support melody; clearly defined chord progressions begin to develop; tonality reduced to major and minor keys
Rhythm: relaxed, flexible rhythms of the Renaissance transformed into regularly repeating, driving rhythms
Color: musical timbre becomes enormously varied as traditional instruments are perfected and new combinations of voices and instruments are explored; symphony orchestra begins to take shape; sudden shifts in dynamics reflect the dramatic quality of Baroque music
Texture: chordal, homophonic texture predominates; top and bottom lines are the strongest as basso continuo creates a powerful bass to support the melody above
Form: arias and instrumental works often make use of basso ostinato procedure; ritornello form emerges in the concerto grosso; binary form regulates most movements of the sonata and orchestral suite
Principle genres: sacred Mass and motet; secular chanson and madrigal, instrumental dance
Melody: mainly stepwise motion within a moderately narrow range; still mainly diatonic, but some intense chromaticism found in madrigals from end of period
Harmony: more careful use of dissonance than in the Middle Ages as the triad, a consonant chord, becomes the basic building block of harmony.
Rhythm: duple meter is now as common as triple meter; rhythm in sacred vocal music (Mass and motet) is relaxed and without strong downbeats; rhythm in secular vocal music (chanson and madrigal) and in instrumental dances is usually lively and catchy, with frequent use of syncopation.
Color: although more music for instruments alone has survived, the predominant sound remains that of unaccompanied vocal music, whether for soloists or for choir.
Texture: contrapuntal, polyphonic texture for four or five vocal lines is heard throughout the Mass, motet and madrigal, though occasional passages of chordal homophonic texture are inserted for variety.
Form: Strict musical forms are not often used; most Masses, motets, madrigals, chansons, and instrumental dances and through-composed – have no musical repetitions and hence no standard formal plan.
When I was a very, very, very little girl (about 2 or 3), my father taped on VHS most of the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh for my sister and I to watch. Winnie the Pooh has been a staple in my family for years, both books and movies.
But one episode of this series that I keep coming back to because it made a serious impact on me as a child. I promised yesterday that I would explain a little bit why I love clouds so much. Watch this below and see if you can figure out why that is.
Representative composers: Hildegard of Bingen, Leoninus, Perotinus, Machaut, Countiess of Dia, Dufay, Binchois,
Principle genres: Gregorian chant, polyphonic Mass, troubadour and trouvere songs, secular polyphonic chanson, instrumental dance.
Melody: moves mostly by step within a narrow range; uses diatonic and not chromatic notes of the scale.
Harmony: most surviving medieval music is monophonic Gregorian chant or monophonic troubadour and trouvere songs – hence there is no harmony.
Rhythm: Gregorian chant as well as troubadour and trouvere songs sung mainly in notes of equal value without clearly marked rhythms; medieval polyphony is composed mostly in triple meter and uses repeating rhythmic patterns.
Color: mainly vocal sounds (choir and soloists); little instrumental music survives.
Texture: mostly monophonic; all songs are monophonic melodies
Form: strophic form of troubadour and trouvere songs; ternary form of the Kyrie; rondo form of the French rondeau
If you want to blame someone for me having a 17 year love affair with horses, you can blame it on the animal below. Or you can blame my parents for building their house on Seattle Slew Lane. Seattle Slew is the real reason why I fell in love with horses in the first place. Long before I knew about Secretariat, Man o’ War and Ruffian, or even that the Triple Crown is three races instead of one, I thought Seattle Slew was the divinest equine to ever walk the planet.
(Note: if you plan on listening to the musical selections of this post, remember to turn off the playlist at the bottom of this page.)
People are peculiar when it comes to music. Music is such an integral part of our lives that we tend to become defensive when “our” music is attacked or slighted. This is because music is the language of the emotions, and we are a very emotional race. When we find the style of music that seems to speak for our souls, we tend to cling to it desperately. This is because expression of self – especially during these times – is a high priority to the human race. That is why I contest that you can learn a great deal about an individual by the type of music they commonly listen to.
I say this because I am about to reveal one of my own peculiar musical preferences. My taste in music is both narrow and wide at the same time, wide in the sense that I haven’t limited what I listen to to one culture or time period, narrow in the sense that I’m a bit of a purist. To speak more plainly, I am willing to listen to music from many eras and cultures, but I prefer it to be as authentic as possible to its historical and cultural context. To give an example, I prefer listening to Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos when they are played with recorders and wooden flutes rather than the modern silver flute. You might not think it would matter much, but there is a certain subtle quality to the music that our modern instruments simply do not have.
One of my favorite things in music is the sound of the human voice. Singing is one of the most poignant expressions of the human soul, and the human voice is the only instrument with which we have a direct physical connection, unlike a piano or violin which must be managed with the hands and fingers. I love a wide variety of vocal music from oratorios and masses to simple folk songs and the hymns we sing every Sunday at church. But here again, my own peculiarness in music rises its nasty head. I happen to rather dislike the sound of womens’ voices. Men’s voices, whether used in solo or in chorus, have been my dominant favorite for years. And out of the many kinds of male voices, the counter tenor is my absolute favorite.
The counter tenor is the highest of all male voices, usually spanning the same range as a female contralto, more rarely a soprano. This voice was highly popular in the past, but slipped away from the musical scene by about the 1850s. Trained counter tenors use the modal, or normal, voice to sing while untrained counter tenors might employ the use of falsetto. Either way, the sound is haunting and otherworldly, reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals, angels and mysticism. In the last half of the 20th century, the counter tenor has experienced a massive surge of popularity as early music was rediscovered and then performed on the concert stage. This has led to composers beginning to write modern music for this long forgotten voice.
This first example I have posted here is a selection of music from the Renaissance and shows how this voice was very commonly used for melody. The accompanying instruments are also from that period: a virginal, viola da gamba, lute and guitar. Today this style of music is often considered difficult to perform, yet in its day it was practiced in most homes by family members playing together. Note to Bach lovers: this is not Baroque music.
From the Elizabethan age comes this beautiful madrigal sung by the King’s Singers, a group I enjoy listening to occasionally. Listen carefully to the light and lively melody sung by the counter tenor (the little guy on the left). In mens’ groups, the counter tenor will often take the melody with the other voices providing counter melodies (polyphony) or harmonic accompaniment. Lyrics are below.
Now is the month of Maying, when merry lads are playing! Fa la la la la!
Each with his bonny lass, a-dancing on the grass, fa la la la la!
The Spring, clad all in gladness, doth laugh at Winter’s sadness! Fa la la la la!
And to the bagpipes’ sound, the nymphs tread out the ground! Fa la la la la!
Fie! Then why sit we musing, youth’s sweet delight refusing? Fa la la la la!
Say, dainty nymphs and speak! Shall we play barley break? Fa la la la la!
From the King’s Singers again comes a piece that just about everybody knows: Danny Boy. Notice how the counter tenor provides the sense of longing in this piece, especially when the melody is taken up by one of the lower voices later on in the piece.
Another men’s group I listen to occasionally (but less often than the King’s Singers) is Chanticleer. Some of their music I dislike because of its modernness, but in folk music they are delicious to listen to. This piece is my favorite of their arrangments. The song opens up with a bass solo, but in the third verse, the melody is given to the counter tenor. Note the different impact of these two voices. Can you identify why the counter tenor was given the third verse instead of the first?
Last, but not least, I wanted to include a modern piece composed for a counter tenor. Unfortunatly good modern music is hard to come by because most of it sounds terrible (and what else could one expect when modern music breaks every rule in the book?). I actually had to look beyond music composed in the west for this subject and was relieved when I remembered a highly unusual piece I had uncovered when searching for ocarina music two years ago. It is a love song from a Japanese movie that was sung by a counter tenor of that nationality. I am not overfond of love songs, but this one completely stole me away. The haunting voice of the counter tenor is perfectly suited to the breathtaking beauty of this piece.
Important Note! When this song is performed in English, is is always done so by a women, so I had to find a live performance of a Japanese singer. I was able to find only one recording that showed the counter tenor in actual performance; unfortunately the second half of this performance shows a few clips from the movie it was performed for. I strongly recommend turning off the recording at about 1:50, or at the end of the three verses. The second half of the performance is a sort of hum, not any actual words at all.
The English translation is below:
In the moonlight, I heard your heart
Quiver like a bowstring’s pulse.
In the moon’s pure light, you looked at me;
Nobody knows your heart.
When the sun has gone, I see you,
Beautiful and haunting, but cold.
Like the blade of a knife, so sharp, so sweet,
Nobody knows your heart.
All of your sorrow, grief and pain
Locked away in the forest of the night!
Your secret heart belongs to the world
Of the things that sigh in the dark,
Of the things that cry in the dark.
What this all says about my musical tastes I’m not exactly sure, but now you know one of my peculiarities.
