Jonathan Shaw
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Timeline of Early Harmony Harmony:  800 -1200

Remember while watching these videos :
  • Think about all the music we have available to use today , all the styles from around the world, almost unlimited artist / songs / albums
    • It took a LONG TIME for us to learn enough about music to be able to do that !! We havent always known music as a craft like do know

Intro Video :

Sacred Music: Chant 

Year 800 A.D. : Liturgy of Saint Anthony

Gregorian Chant 
  • Imagine the single squigly  line is our single line of chant
  • Just one single melody line , moving up and down in range.







Picture

Year 850 AD  -  "Deum Verum"  - Stephen of Liege

 
Parallel Organum  -  "Deum Verum"  - Stephen of Liege
  • Listen from the beginning for a few minutes.
  • Hear how the melody splits from One part to 2 at about 0:50 ?
  • MULTIPLE PITCHES AT THE SAME TIME = HARMONY
  • At this point, this is all the harmony we had... Notice its not extremely creative, how the 2 voices are moving in a similar / parallel motion


Picture

1100 A.D. :Modified Parallel Organum - Alleluia Justus Ut Palma

  • Still only two lines of melody, but starting to move somewhat independently of each other
  • Try to imagine the 2 lines of notes moving up and down are like the melody lines in the diagram
  • This is Called Organum -  the first time we have 2 independent lines aka Harmony

1100 A.D. -  Drone - Hildegard con Bingen - "Carita Abundat in Omnia" (Loving Tenderness Abounds")

1100 A.D. 
Drone - Hildegard con Bingen - "Carita Abundat in Omnia" (Loving Tenderness Abounds")
-Extension of Modified Organum, now one line is completely independent of the other (independence is significant)

1200 A.D. - Organum Triplum - Perotin

  • Now we have Three independent lines happening simultaneously
  • Third voice is significant, because we now have use of a CHORD
  • Because of the 3 indipendent voices, this is called Oganum Triplum
Picture

1200 A.D.  - Organum Triplum

      DISREGARD THE SECULAR PORTION




Secular Music

1300 A.D. 
Le Jeu De Robin et Marian - Adam De La Halle 
-Start to hear deviation from chant style, to more song-like 
- Think of a guitar, or lute, replacing 2 out of 3 of the voices
Phillip De Vitry 
-Vitry composed both secular and Sacred works
-Still hear chant like qualities, but much more movement, much more rhythm 
-we can hear the strategic use of harmony
1350 A.D.
Chanson - Phillipe de vitry
-start to hear some deviation from the chant style
- Instrumentation still sounds barren to us - not really enough to keep us fully engaged
1450 A.D.
Johannes Ockeghem - Missa Prolationum (Sacred)
-Still chant-like
-More recognizable harmony

1592 A.D.
William Byrd - Mass for 4 Voices
- Start to hear modern Harmony
-Composers use harmony deliberately, on purpose, rather than multiple lines of melody interacting randomly
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