Hwm- Church Music Of The Late Renaissance And Reformation- 08

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Music of German Reformation

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1. The Lutheran Church retained much of the traditional Catholic liturgy
a) When he nailed the 95 theses to door of Schlosskirche at Wittenberg in 1517 he
had no intention of initiating a movement toward a Protestant church
(1) Use of Latin in services
(2) Catholic music - plainsong & polyphony
i) original Latin text was retained
ii) translated to German from Latin
iii) new German texts fitted to old melodies
b) Central position of music in the Lutheran Church reflected Martin Luther's own
convictions
(1) He was a singer, a composer of some skill and a great admirer of Franco-
Flemish polyphony
(2) Believed strongly in the educational and ethical power of music
(3) Retained Latin in the service partly because he thought it was valuable for
educating the young

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German Mass

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(1) In applying Luther's beliefs to their own local traditions congregations
developed a number of different usages
i) large churchs with trained choirs retained much of the Latin liturgy &
polyphonic music
ii) smaller congregations adopted a German Mass (Deudsche Mass)
a- first published by Luther in 1526
b- followed main outlines of the Roman Mass
c- Gloria omitted & recitation tones adapted to the natural cadences of the
German language
d- German hymns replaced most to the Ordinary & parts of the Proper
(2) Luther never intended either this German mass or any other formula to be
uniformly adopted

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Music Forms; lutheran chorale

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i) Lutheran church music of the 16th & 17th centuries largely grew out out of
the chorale
a- long time shortage of suitable songs
b- Luther himself wrote many chorale texts & some melodies
c- many were newly composed
d- more were derived from secular & sacred songs or Latin chants

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lutheran chorale: characteristics

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a- most distinctive and important musical innovation of the Lutheran church
b- a strophic congregational hymn called a "Choral" or "Kirchenlied"
(Church song) - in German and a "Chorale" in English
c- consisted essentially of only two elements - a text and a tune
i- most today know these in four part harmonized settings
ii- probably sung with notes of fairly uniform length with modifications
suggested by the natural flow of the words - with indefinite pause on
the final note of each phrase
iii- the chorale like plainsong lent itself to settings in harmony,
counterpoint, & could be reworked into large musical forms

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lutheran chorale; contrafacta

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a- a class of chorales with extant melodies and new or spiritualized texts
b- important class of chorales

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Polyphonic Chorale Settings; lutheran

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a- some used the older lied technique - plain chorale tune in the tenor with
three or more free flowing parts
b- some developed - in the manner of Franco-Flemish motet - each phrase
of the chorale imitatively in all the voices
c- cantional style - the tune in the highest voice, accompanied by block
chords, with a minimum of contrapuntal figuration

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Performance Practice; lutheran

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a- Choir - sometimes doubled by instruments - generally alternated with the
congregation
b- congregation sang in unison without accompaniement
c- after 1600 it became customary for all the parts be played on the organ
while congregation sang the tune

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Publications and Composers; lutheran

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a- Johann Walter (1496-1570) - Luther's principal collaborator - published a
volume of 38 chorale settings
b- Georg Rhau (1488-1548) - leading music publisher of Lutheran Germany
c- Lucas Osiander (1534-1604) - published first collection in cantional style
vii) Composers
a- Hans Leo Hassler (1562-1612)
b- Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)
c- Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630)

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chorale motet

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a) By the end of the 16th century the boundary between Protestant northeast &
Catholic southwest - in Germany - essentially the same to this day
b) This separation encouraged a new and distinctive kind of Lutheran polyphonic
church music
(1) aimed at preserving the words & melody of the chorale intact
i) treated the chorale same way medieval composers of organa had treated
the chant
a- something established & not to be altered
b- to be adorned but not interpreted in any personal sense
ii) by end of 16th century this attitude changed
(2) Protestant German composers in late 16th century freely created polyphonic
compositions around the traditional melodies - incorporating personal
interpretations & pictorial details - these were called chorale motets
c) These motets widened the division between simple congregational hymns and
more elaborate music for a trained choir
d) Leading composers - established the Lutheran church music style in Germany that
culminated more than a hundred years lateer in the works of J.S. Bach
(1) Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612)
(2) Johannes Eccard (1553-1611)
(3) Leonhard Lechner (1553-1606)
(4) Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)

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Reformation of Church Music outside Germany

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1. The Reformation influenced musical developments in France, the Low Countries, &
Switzerland differently from Germany
2. The Psalter
a) Calvinist Churches
(1) John Calvin (1509-1564) & other leaders of the Protestant sects opposed
elements of the Catholic liturgy and ceremonial much stronger than Martin
Luther
i) the allure of art in worship services
ii) prohibiting singing of texts not found in the bible
(2) As a result the only notable contribution to music that emerged from Calvinist
churches was their Psalters
(3) These were rhymed metrical translations of the the Book of Psalms that were
sent to newly composed melodies - or to tunes that were of popular origin or
adapted from plainchant
(4) since the Calvinist Churches discouraged musical elaboration
i) tunes seldom expanded into larger forms of vocal or instrumental music
ii) so figure less in the history of music
b) The principal French Psalter was published in 1562
(1) texts were translated by Clèment Marot & Thèodore de Bèze
(2) Set to melodies selected or composed by Loys Bourgeois (ca. 1510-ca. 1561)
3) Tranlations of the French Psalter appeared in Germany, Holland, England, &
Scotland - the reformed churches in these countries taking over many of the
French tunes
i) in Germany, many Psalter melodies were adapted as chorales
ii) in Holland, the translation of 1566 replaced and earlier Psalter - the
Souterliedekens of 1540
iii) influenced the most important English Psalter (1562) of the 16th century -
that of Thomas Sternhold & John Hopkins
iv) influenced the Scottish Psalter of 1564
v) Pilgrims came to America (1620) with a combination of French-Dutch &
English traditions embodied in the Psalter issued by Henry Ainsworth -
issued in Amsterdam in 1612 for English Separatists in Holland
vi) 1st American Psalter - the Bay Psalm Book appeared in 1640

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Psalter Composers

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(1) French
i) Claude Goudimel (ca. 1505-1572)
ii) Claude Le June (1528-1600)
(2) Netherlands
i) Jan Pieterzoon Sweelinck (1562-1621

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Bohemia

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a) A pre-Reformation movement in Bohemia - led by Jan Hus (1373-1415) resulted
in the virtual banishment of polyphonic music & instruments from the church until
the middl of the 16th centruy
b) Hussites sang simple hymns of a folklike character - usually monophonic
c) As the strictures were gradually relaxed, part music - though still note-against-note
style was permitted
d) Czech Brethern published a hymnbook with texts in Czech & melodies borrowed
from Gregorian Chant, secular songs, & French Clavinist Psalm settings
(1) later called the Moravian Brethern & emigrated to America (Bethlehem, PA)
(2) became important centers of music

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Pre-reformation music in England

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a) Production of music in England declined during the war of the Roses (1455-1485)
(1) Revived during the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509)
(2) English composers - though aware of developments on the Continent - worked
in relative isolation
i) Franco-Flemish musicians came to England only in 1510
ii) the method of prevailingly imitative counterpoint was adopted only
gradually
iii) style applied first systematically in psalm settings and motets around 1540
iv) production of secular music continued

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pre-reformation composers and musicians

early 16thC

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(1) Beginning of 16th centruy
i) works included in the Eton Choirbook - compiled between 1490 & 1502 for
Eton College
a- William Cornysh the younger (1465-1523)
b- Robert Fayrfax (ca. 1464-1521)
ii) John Taverner (ca. 1490-1545) - greatest musician of the period

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pre-reformation composers and musicians

mid 16thC

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i) Christopher Tye (ca. 1505-1572)
ii) Robert Whyte (ca. 1538-1574)

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Thomas Tallis (ca 1505-1585)

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a- most important of this period
b- musical production bridges early & late 16th century English styles
c- career reflects the religious & political upheavels that affected English
church music in this period
i- wrote Masses & votive antiphons under Henry VIII
ii- music for English service and anthems to English texts under Edward
VI (reigned 1547-53) after split with Rome
iii- Latin hymns & Mass under Queen Mary (reigned 1553-58) who
restored the Roman rite
iv- Music set to both Latin & English Texts under Queen Elizabeth
(reigned 1558-1603) during which the Church of England was
established in its present day form

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Anglican Church Music

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a) Catholic Church in England formally separated from the Roman Catholic
communion in 1534 under Henry VIII
(1) A political move - so no immediate changes in liturgy or music were involved
(2) But gradually, English replaced Latin in the Church service - in 1549 the Act of
Uniformity made the English Book of Common Prayer the only prayer book
permitted for public service

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Anglican Church music: background

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(1) Edward VI - demanded a plain, syllabic, homophonic style
i) drastic change from massive, highly ornate, & florid catholic music
ii) later relaxed to allow for some counterpoint
(2) Changes in language & liturgy finally gave rise to a new body of English
Church Music
(3) Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) is often called the father of Anglican church
music

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Anglican Church Music: form

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(1) The Service
i) music for fixed portions fo the Morning & Evening Prayer - and Holy
Communion
ii) Music of the "Great Service" is contrapuntal and melismatic
iii) Music of the "Short Service" is chordal & syllabic
iv) No difference in content between Great & Short Service

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Anglican Church Music: anthem

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The Anthem
i) corresponds to the Latin motet
ii) the "Full Anthem" was usually written in contrapuntal style for
unaccompanied chorus throughout
iii) the "Verse Anthem" employed one or more solo voices with organ or viol
accompaniment and had brief alternating passages for chorus (most
popular in England during the 17th century)

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Counter Reformation

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1. To counter the defection of Northern Europe the Catholic Church started a program
on internal reform - the Counter-Reformation
a) Loss or threatened loss of England, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Bohemia,
Poland, & Hungry
b) Reform led by Pope Paul III (reigned 1534-1549)

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Council of Trent

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a) Worked to formulate and pass measures aimed at purging the church of abuses &
laxities
b) Church music took only a short time of the Council - issuing a very general
pronouncement
(1) neither polyphony nor imitation of secular models was specifically forbidden
(2) banned from church everything "lascivious or impure" - leaving implementation
of the the doctrine to diocesan bishops
(3) Legend has Palestrina saving polyphony from the Council's condemnation by
composing a six voice Mass - reverent in spirit and not obscuring the text
i) work was Missa Papae Marcelli (1567)
ii) council was most certainly influenced by the music of Flemish composer
Jacobus de Kerle (1532-1591) - "preces speciales" (1561) which was sung
at one of the meetings

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Palestrina (1525/6-1594)

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a) During the latter part of his life he supervised the revision of the official chant
books to accord with the Council of Trent's changes
(1) Not completed during his lifetime and completed by others
(2) This Medicean edition of the Gradual was published in 1614 - remaining in
use to 1908 with replacement by the Vatican Edition published by the monk's
of Solesmes
(3) Greatest part of his works were sacred

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Palestrina Style

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(1) Called the "Prince of Music" - his works the "absolute perfection" of church
style
i) better than any other composer he captured the essence of the sober,
conservative aspect of the Counter Reformation
ii) long after he died, common to speak of the "stile da Palestrina" (Palestrina
style)
(2) Individual voice parts have an almost plainsong-like quality
i) curve describes an arch
ii) stepwise motion with short infrequent leaps
(3) Avoidance of chromaticism with fidelity to the diatonic modes
i) His counterpoint conforms in most details with the teaching of Wallaert's
school as transmitted by Zarlino in his "Le institutioni harmoniche"
ii) Music is written almost entirely in the alla breve measure
(4) Unifies a composition by purely musical means - each phrase of the text has its
own musical motive
(5) Strove to make the text intelligible
(6) Divided six choir into various smaller groups - each with its particular tone
color and reserved the full six voices for climax or significant words
c) Palestrina's style was the first in the history of Western Music to be consciously
preserved, isolated, and imitated as a model in later ages

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Palestrina Contemporaries

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a) Italian
(1) Giovanni Animuccia (ca. 1500-1571) - Palestrina's predecessor at St. Peter's
b) Spain
(1) Cristobal de Morales (ca. 1500-1553) - the most eminent Spanish composer of
his time
(2) Tomàs de Victoria (1548-1611) - after Palestrina the most illustrious exponent
of the Roman polyphonic style
(3) Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599)
(4) Catalan Juan Pujol (ca. 1573-1626) - of a later era but style resembles
Palestrina's & Victoria's
c) Flemish
(1) Lasso (1532-1594) - ranks with Palestrina among the great composers of
scared music in the 16th century
d) England
(1) William Byrd (1543-1623) was the last of the great Catholic church composers

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Summary 1450-1600

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1. Late Renaissance practices persisted well into the 17th century and many features of
early Baroque music made their appearance before the end of the 16th
2. Writing for contrapuntal voice parts that are similar and of equal importance remained
the rule for Palestrina, Lasso, & Byrd as it had for Ockegham and Josquin
a) This texture and the coordination of parts through free and fugal imitation - more
than any other features - characterized Renaissance music
b) But, homophony had begun to intrude in all forms of polyphonic writing
3. Rhythm, supported by the alternation of consonance & dissonance had become
comparatively steady & predictable by the end of the century
4. The basic rhythmic medium of vocal music was the alla breve duple measure -
sometimes alternating with a triple proportion or with hidden triple groupings within
the duple
5. Sacred music revealed smooth vocal parts joining in a succession of full triadic
harmonies
6. The Plain Chant modes, reinterpreted in terms of polyphony, guided the composer's
large scale structures
a) Only a few church composers in the last decades of the 16th century indulged in
the pictorial and expressive touches that had become common in the madrigal