Notre Dame Organum essays

Notre Dame Organum essays Notre Dame began having mass in 1163. At this time, this cathedral was arguably the most famous church in all of Europe, because of its architectural beauty. It was also a school for composers who later became remembered as the great contributors of that century. The musicians at the Notre Dame School were the first to solve the problem of notation with more than two voices by fixing a definite rhythm. Before this early polyphonic singers improvised. The music of Leonin (c.1159-c. 1201) and Perotin (c.1170-c. 1236) and their French contemporaries were very influential composers; their style of Mass was widely excepted and reproduced. Organum is defined as medieval polyphony based upon a cantus firmus. A cantus firmus is the preexistent melody used as the basis in polyphonic composition, which may be secular (folk style) or sacred (of the church). It was composed not-against-note and used florid Organum. From this polyphonic, multiple voice, music progressed to what was known as Notre Dame Organum. It is named Notre Dame Organum because it originated at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Paris was the center for polyphonic music (Organum) during the twelfth to thirteenth century. Many people believe that the Organum composed at the French Cathedral in Notre Dame was some of the most important advances in the history of music eve. This was the first time there was two or more independent lines of music at the same time. Obviously, this was very exciting. Leonin (Leoninus) was born in Paris in 1135 and died approximately 1201. He wasthe first known significant composer of polyphony. He received his training at the Notre Dame Cathedral schools and later became a priest at Notre Dame. He began the Magnus Liber Organi, or The Great Book of Organum. This book contained Graduals and Alleluias that he had altered. One of Leonins major contributions to music was a collection of Organum with two-part settings of portions of the ...