M144/144G Turning Points in

Western Music
• This course introduces the history and
literatures of Western music from Medieval
times to the early 21st century. You will
study, discuss, and write about the people
and the factors (artistic, intellectual, social,
technical) that were and are Western
music’s agents of change.
 Peter Watts

p.watts@auckland.ac.nz
 Listening - Naxos
• Go to library webpage – LEARN
Resources By Subject
Creative Arts
Music
Databases
Naxos
Playlists
144 Summer School
 Research
• Topics that I can only touch on briefly in
lectures
• I will list these on the listening sheets and
publish them on Cecil
 Set Text

Burkholder, P. Grout, D. and Palisca, C.

A History of Western Music 8th ed. 2010
 SUPPLEMENTARY
LISTENING/VIEWING/DISCUSSION

• Wednesdays 12.00-1.00pm)
• Thursdays 1.00-2.00pm),
• commencing 19/20 January,
• Both sessions each week will cover the
same material.
 M144/144G
TURNING POINTS
Lecture 9

Writing it down – getting it printed.

How music notation has
influenced composers
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind but now I see.

John Newman
 MUSIC NOTATION

High and Low notes

Short and long notes
Accented and unaccented notes
Adorate Deum - anonymous
9TH Century Song of the Muses
11th Century Winchester Troper
12th Century Italian breviary
Winchester Troper
1450 Chanson by Guillaume Dufay
1550 Mass by John Taverner
 Guido d’Arezzo
• Benedictine monk
• 991or2-after 1033
• Music theorist
• Teacher
• “Micrologus”
Gregorian Chant
 Pope Gregory the Great
• c540-604
O ignis spiritus – Hildegard of
Bingen
 Solfeggio
• Ut queant laxis
• Resonare fibris
• Mira gestorum
• Famuli tuorum
• Solve polluti
• Labii reatum
• Sancte Johannes!
 The Guidonian Hand
• a mnemonic
• “I was extremely sorry for our singers who,
though they should persevere a hundred
years in the study of singing, can never
perform even the tiniest antiphon on their
own – always learning, as the apostle says,
and never arriving at knowledge of the
truth. Desiring therefore to set forth my own
so useful method of study for the general
benefit, I summarized as briefly as I could,
out of the copious musical theorizing which
with God’s help I have at various times
collected, certain things that I believed
would help singers.”
 Domine labia mea aperies
• Solo
• Response
• Solo
• Response
• Solo
• Response
• Solo
• Organum – rich harmony
O primus homo coruit
 Benedicamus Domino
• 4.41
L’homme arme
 Missa - L’homme arme
• Guillaume Dufay
• Kyrie (Lord have mercy)
 Missa - L’homme arme
• Guillaume Dufay
• Agnus Dei (Lamb of God who takes away
the sins of the world, have mercy on us)
 M144/144G
TURNING POINTS
Lecture 10

Writing it down – getting it printed.

How music notation has
influenced composers
Part 2
• The most important thing is to get the
sounds of this wonderful music into
your ears. Do as much listening as you
can because next time we move on to
something else.
 How to listen to music
Try to hear something objective
• Rhythm – even or uneven
• Melody – wide or narrow range – singable or
not
• Dynamic – loud or soft or varied
• Timbre – what instruments or voices
• Form – are there recognisable patterns to the
music – are sections repeated
• Style – which period of music history
 How to listen to music
Try to hear something objective
• How did you react to it?
• Did it effect the way you felt?
• Did it make you laugh?
• Did it make you feel any particular
emotion?
You could keep a listening diary
 Reading
1. Keep up to date with reading from A
History of Western Music – details on
Cecil Resources – “Preparation for the
Course”
2. Read the additional reading for each Unit
that is also on Cecil “Reading for Lecture
9-10”
 Tutorials
Start today in the Music Theatre
EITHER
Wednesday 12.00-1.00
OR
Thursday 1.00-2.00
 Library Assignment

Sign up for Tutorials for help with this.

Speak to one of the librarians in the Music

Library
 SARUM

Salisbury
England
Salvator mundi

from the

Sarum Rite
Salvator mundi,
Domine,
Lord and saviour of
the world
Qui nos salvasti hodie,
Who brought salvation
to us today
In hac nocte nos
protege
Protect us this night
Et salva omni tempore.
And preserve us
always.
A solus ortus
cardine

from the

Sarum Rite
A solus ortus cardine,
From dawn’s far
horizon
Et usque terrae
limitem
To earth’s furthest end
Christum canamus
Principem
We sing of Christ our
king,
Natum Maria virgine.
Born of the virgin
Mary.
 St Ambrose
337/340 – 397)
Bishop of Milan
Features of Gregorian and
Ambrosian Chant

Unison
A capella
Men’s voices
 Beneventan Chant
From Italian Town of Benevento
Combined Latin and Greek texts
 Proskinumen/Adoramus

Proskinumen ton stauron sou, kai ton tipon

tou stauron sou, kai to staurothentos tin
dinamin.

Adoramus crucem tuam et signum de cruce

tua et qui crucifixus est virtutem

We adore thy cross and the sign of thy cross

and the power of him who is crucified.
 Psalm 22
Deus Deus meus respice in me: quare me
dereliquisti? Longe a salute mea verba
delictorum meorum.

O Theos mou, kekraxomai imeras, kai ouk

isakousi, kai niktos, kai ouk is anoian emoi.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Why art thou so far from helping me, and from
the words of my moaning?
 Edi beo Þu hevene queen
Edi beo Þu hevene queen
Blessed be thou Queen of heaven
Folks frovre and engles blis,
Comfort of men and bliss of angels
Moder unwemmed and maiden clene
Unblemished mother and pure virgin
Swich in world non oÞer nis.
Such as no other is in the world
 Edi beo Þu hevene queen - cntd
On Þe hit is wel eÞ sene
As for thee, it is most readily seen
Of alle wimmen Þu havest Þet pris
That of all women thou hast that prize
Mi swete levedi, her mi bene
My sweet lady, hear my prayer
And reu of me zif Þi wille is.
And have pity on me, if thou wilt.
Gaude virgo – 13th Century
Edi beo Þu hevene queen
 Officium
Hilliard Ensemble Jan Garbarek
 Officium
Virgo flagellator
 Officium
Beata viscera
By
Magister Perotinus
(Perotin the expert)
 Hodie
What voice can you hear?
Guillaume de Machaut 1300-1377
 Guillaume de Machaut
The first complete setting of the music of the
mass

Kyrie Lord have mercy

 Guillaume de Machaut
• The first complete setting of the music of
the mass

• Gloria Glory to God in the highest

 Officium
Hilliard Ensemble Jan Garbarek