🎶Music History – Medieval Unit 9 – Ars Antiqua: Expanding Polyphonic Techniques

What's Ars Antiqua?

• Period of musical development in Western Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries
• Translates to "ancient art" or "old art" in Latin
• Marked by the emergence of polyphonic music (multiple independent melodic lines)
• Developed from earlier monophonic plainchant (single melodic line)
• Characterized by the use of rhythmic modes (patterns of long and short durations)
  • Rhythmic modes allowed for greater rhythmic complexity and variety
• Saw the rise of secular music alongside sacred music
• Influenced by the troubadour and trouvère traditions of secular song

Key Composers and Works

• Léonin (fl. late 12th century)
  • Composer associated with the Notre Dame school of polyphony
  • Known for his two-voice organa (polyphonic settings of plainchant)
  • Notable work: Magnus Liber Organi (Great Book of Organum)
• Pérotin (fl. c. 1200)
  • Also associated with the Notre Dame school
  • Expanded upon Léonin's work, creating three- and four-voice organa
  • Introduced the use of discant (note-against-note counterpoint)
  • Notable works: Viderunt omnes, Sederunt principes
• Adam de la Halle (c. 1240-1287)
  • Composer of both sacred and secular music
  • Known for his polyphonic rondeaux and motets
  • Notable work: Le Jeu de Robin et Marion (considered one of the earliest surviving secular plays with music)

Evolution from Earlier Styles

• Developed from monophonic plainchant of the earlier Middle Ages
• Polyphony emerged as a way to embellish and elaborate upon plainchant melodies
• Early polyphony involved adding a second voice to an existing plainchant melody (organum)
  • The added voice often moved in parallel motion with the plainchant (parallel organum)
• Over time, composers began to experiment with more independent vocal lines
  • The added voice(s) began to move in contrary and oblique motion to the plainchant (free organum)
• The use of rhythmic modes allowed for greater rhythmic organization and complexity
• Secular influences, such as troubadour and trouvère songs, began to influence sacred polyphony

New Polyphonic Techniques

• Organum: plainchant melody with one or more added voices
  • Parallel organum: added voice moves in parallel motion with the plainchant
  • Free organum: added voice moves independently of the plainchant
• Discant: note-against-note counterpoint, with the voices moving in contrary motion
• Clausula: short polyphonic composition based on a fragment of plainchant
• Motet: polyphonic composition featuring a tenor voice (usually derived from plainchant) and one or more upper voices with different texts
  • Tenor voice often sung in longer note values, while upper voices have faster-moving melodies
• Conductus: polyphonic composition not based on pre-existing plainchant, with all voices singing the same text
• Hocket: technique involving rapid alternation of notes or rests between two or more voices

Notation Developments

• Ars Antiqua saw significant developments in musical notation
• Earlier neumes (symbols representing melodic gestures) evolved into more precise notation
• Square notation emerged, using square-shaped notes on a four-line staff
  • Allowed for greater pitch accuracy and easier reading
• Rhythmic modes were indicated using patterns of ligatures (connected notes) and propriety signs
  • Ligatures represented specific rhythmic patterns
  • Propriety signs (such as the punctum) indicated the length of individual notes
• Mensural notation developed, which used different note shapes to represent specific durations
  • Longa (long), brevis (short), and semibrevis (half-short) notes
• These notational advancements allowed for more complex rhythms and precise notation of polyphonic music

Cultural and Religious Context

• Ars Antiqua music was closely tied to the Catholic Church and religious life
• Polyphonic music was primarily composed for use in liturgical settings, such as in the Mass and Divine Office
• The development of polyphony was influenced by the intellectual and artistic climate of the 12th and 13th centuries
  • The rise of universities and scholasticism encouraged musical experimentation and theoretical exploration
• Secular music, such as troubadour and trouvère songs, also flourished during this period
  • Secular influences began to cross over into sacred music, as seen in the use of secular melodies in motets
• The construction of large cathedrals (such as Notre Dame in Paris) provided important centers for musical development and performance
• Music was seen as a means of enhancing religious devotion and expressing spiritual ideas

Impact on Later Music

• Ars Antiqua laid the foundation for the development of polyphonic music in Western Europe
• The polyphonic techniques and notational advancements of this period influenced the music of the Ars Nova (14th century) and beyond
• The use of rhythmic modes and mensural notation paved the way for more complex rhythmic structures in later music
• The motet, which originated in the Ars Antiqua, became an important genre in the Renaissance and Baroque eras
• The integration of secular influences into sacred music foreshadowed the increasing secularization of music in later periods
• Composers of the Ars Antiqua, such as Léonin and Pérotin, are recognized as important figures in the history of Western music
  • Their innovations and compositions had a lasting impact on the development of polyphony

Listen Up: Key Examples

• Léonin: Viderunt omnes (organum)
  • Two-voice organum featuring a slow-moving plainchant melody in the lower voice and a faster-moving added voice above
• Pérotin: Sederunt principes (organum)
  • Four-voice organum demonstrating the use of discant and rhythmic modes
• Adam de la Halle: De ma dame vient (rondeau)
  • Secular polyphonic song with a repeating refrain and contrasting verses
• Anonymous: Mout me fu grief/Robin m'aime/Portare (motet)
  • Three-voice motet with different texts in each voice, demonstrating the layering of multiple melodies and rhythms
• Anonymous: Salve Regina (conductus)
  • Two-voice conductus with both voices singing the same text in a rhythmically active style