THE PERFECT ART

8/7/2019 THE PERFECT ART

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ARS PERFECTA:

Sacred Music in the

Late Renaissance


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Palestrina, Lamentations


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I. Ars perfecta (The Perfect Art)

A. Ars perfecta =Catholic Sacred Music of the

Late Renaissance

B. Dates = ca. 1550 - 1600

C.Ars perfecta connotes esp. Josquin + sacred

music of late Renaissance composers:Lasso (Germany),Byrd (England),

Victoria (Spain) and

Palestrina (Italy)


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II. Renaissance in Review:

Placing the Ars perfecta historically


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II. Renaissance in Review: Placing the Ars Perfecta

historically

Early Ren 1. Dufay Binchois 1425-75

2. Ockeghem, Busnois and Contemporaries 1450-1500

High 3. Josquin and Contemporaries 1480-1520

4. Arcadelt, Gombert, Willaert 1500-60

Late ARS PERFECTA 1550-1600

5. Palestrina, Lasso, Victoria, Byrd

A. Chronology:

Stable Features? Changing Features?


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1. Performing Forces?

2.Texture?

3.Tempo (Fast Slow Moderate)?

4.Tempo (Steady Pulses or Fluctuating)?

5. Number of Different Voices?6.Amount of Dissonance?

7.Amount ofImitation?

8. Phrases clearly set off or Run on?


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II. Renaissance in Review: Placing the Ars Perfecta

historically

Early Ren 1. Dufay Binchois 1425-75

2. Ockeghem, Busnois and Contemporaries 1450-1500

High 3. Josquin and Contemporaries 1480-1520

4. Arcadelt, Gombert, Willaert 1500-60

Late ARS PERFECTA 1550-1600

5. Palestrina, Lasso, Victoria, Byrd

A. Chronology:

Stable Features? Changing Features?


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III.Placing the Ars Perfecta Musically

1. Stable Traits from Early to Late

2. Changing Traits

increasing preference for more voices (fuller textures)

3.Imitative polyphony in many voices +

careful control of dissonances= A PerfectArt

preferred texture: polyphony; some homophonic texture

preferred performance style, a cappella

seamless, no sharp breaks, starts or stops, or silence

tempo moderate and steady pulse

increasing control of dissonance

increasing use of imitation


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IV. Sacred Music and Catholic Liturgy

A. Mass vs. Offices (Hours)

B.Proper of the Mass vs. Ordinary of the Mass (see Wright, p. 79)

C. The Texts of the Ordinary

Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei

D. Masses often take titles from borrowed music:

cantus firmus, paraphrase, parody (a.k

.a

.imitation Mass)

Sanctus from the Mass, Eternal Gifts of Christby Palestrina

*Ite missa est (rarely set as polyphony)


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V.Palestrina and the Counter-Reformation

A. Council of Trent, 1545 - 1563

B. Controversies Surrounding Music

C.Palestrina and the Myth of the Pope Marcellus Mass

Lack of standardization

Use of profane melodies in cantus firmus compositions

Complicated imitative polyphony renders sacred

words unintelligible


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No problemo!


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Palestrina, Pope Marcellus Mass, Gloria

Et in terra pax hominibus,

bonae voluntatis,

Laudamus te,benedicimus te,

adoramus te,

glorificamus te

Gratias agimus tibi,

propter magnum gloriam tuam ...


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Palestrina, Pope Marcellus Mass:

Agnus Dei


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VII.A Perfect Art: The Musical Style ofPalestrina

and the Late Renaissance

A. Melody

B. Harmony

C. Dissonance


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Suspension:1. Preceded by Consonance (Cons)

2. I voice hangs onto its note while other voice moves(Diss)

3. Suspended note catches up resolves down by step (Cons)


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V.A Perfect Art: The Musical Style ofPalestrina

and the Late Renaissance

A. Melody

B. Harmony

C. Dissonance Treatment

D.

Texture

E. Pulse or Beat


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Wright Textbook, p. 100:

Even today, courses for advanced music students

include practice in composing in the pure contrapuntally

correct style of Palestrina. Thus, the spirit of the

Counter-Reformation continued to influence

musicians long after the Renaissance had come to an end.

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THE PERFECT ART