When did the cantus firmus technique end?
During the 16th century the cantus firmus technique began to be abandoned, replaced with the parody (or imitation) technique, in which multiple voices of a pre-existing source were incorporated into a sacred composition such as a mass.
What is the most famous secular cantus firmus?
Probably the most widely set of the secular cantus firmus melodies was " L'homme armé ". Over 40 settings are known, including two by Josquin des Prez, and six by an anonymous composer or composers in Naples, which were intended as a cycle.
What is the other name of cantus firmi?
Alternative Title: cantus firmi. Cantus firmus, (Latin: “fixed song”, )plural Cantus Firmi, preexistent melody, such as a plainchant excerpt, underlying a polyphonic musical composition (one consisting of several independent voices or parts).
What is cantus firmus mass composition?
The cyclic mass, which became the standard type of mass composition around the middle of the 15th century, used cantus firmus technique as its commonest organising principle.
How did cantus firmus lines in masses change during this time?
During the 16th century the cantus firmus technique began to be abandoned, replaced with the parody (or imitation) technique, in which multiple voices of a pre-existing source were incorporated into a sacred composition such as a mass.
What is a cantus firmus and how were they used in the Renaissance?
Introduction. A cantus firmus is a preexistent melody that forms the basis of a larger musical work. Source melodies in the cantus firmus tradition have generally been selected from the vast corpus of plainchant, but secular tunes also provide a supply of monophony for use.
Why was cantus firmus used?
By the 11th century, the melodies were becoming more independent of each other. One melody, usually a chant, served as a foundation for a second melody to move in a quicker, more florid manner above it. This chant was called the cantus firmus which is Latin for fixed song.
What is a cantus firmus where does it come from traditionally who performed it?
Cantus Firmus, in literal translation “firm chant” is a fixed melody taken from plainsong (which later became known as Gregorian chant), that composers of the 14th through 17th century used as the basis of polyphonic composition, against which other tunes are set in counterpoint.
What is cantus firmus quizlet?
Cantus Firmus. an existing melody used as the basis for a polyphonic composition often taken from a gregorian chant. Fixed Melody. Humanism. Renaissance movement based on the revival of ancient Greek and Roman culture and to study this pertaining to human knowlege and experience through independent thought.
What is a cantus firmus quizlet music appreciation?
cantus firmus. The term for a bass line based on a phrase of chant.
What is a cantus firmus group of answer choices?
What is a cantus firmus? preexisting melody. Which describes harmony in Renaissance music? All possible answers.
For what is the term cantus firmus used quizlet?
Cantus Firmus is the term used for. a chant that is used as the basis for polyphony.
How does Du Fay treat the song he used for the cantus firmus in Missa Se la face ay pale?
How does Du Fay treat the song he used for the cantus firmus in Missa Se la face ay pale? He augments it, doubling the durations of notes in three movements.
Is cantus a firmus religion?
the ancient traditional unisonal plainchant of the Christian Church, having its form set and its use prescribed by ecclesiastical tradition.
What was cantus line?
The term "cantus" is a Latin words meaning "song." Cantus firmus, therefore, translates to "fixed song," which refers to the way in which the chant line was often fixed in the lowest voice, and performed with longer, more sustained notes that grounded the additional voice lines.
What is the meaning of cantus?
cantus. / (ˈkæntəs) / noun plural -tus. a medieval form of church singing; chant. Also called: canto the highest part in a piece of choral music.
What was the cantus firmus in the Renaissance?
During the Renaissance, masses and motets commonly featured a can tus firmus in the tenor, which was by then no longer the lowest voice. At times, though, the cantus firmus appeared ornamented or paraphrased in the top voice. The plainchant had symbolic as well as purely musical connotations.
Which composers used the cantus firmus technique?
Sixteenth-century composers of German polyphonic lieder, too, used the cantus firmus technique, as did the Lutheran composers of the Baroque era, including J.S. Bach, in their chorale (German hymn) settings for both voices and instruments, the organ in particular. Many organists continued to improvise on chorale cantus firmi in ...
What is a Cantus Firmi?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Cantus firmus, (Latin: “fixed song”, ) plural Cantus Firmi, preexistent melody, such as a plainchant excerpt, ...
What is the second melody in the organum?
The 11th- and 12th-century organum added a simple second melody ( duplum) to an existing plainchant melody (the vox principalis, or principal voice), which by the end of the 12th century was stretched so as to accommodate a melody. The 13th-century polyphonic motet, for its part, featured the plainchant cantus firmus in the tenor.
What range does the cantus move in?
The cantus typically moves in a high tenor or alto range, in counterpoint with the lower tenor. To this two-part framework is added the countertenor, at times following the style and range of the cantus but at other times that of…. History at your fingertips.
What is the plainchant in a motet?
The 13th-century polyphonic motet, for its part, featured the plainchant cantus firmus in the tenor. (“Tenor” derives from Latin tenere, “to hold”— i.e., the voice part that holds the plainchant.) During the Renaissance, masses and motets commonly featured a cantus firmus in the tenor, which was by then no longer the lowest voice.
What was the Renaissance use of the cantus firmus?
Even so, there were two notable changes. The first was that the cantus firmus no longer had to be the bottom voice. It could be employed in a middle voice, or even the top voice with some ornamentation added.
When was the cantus firmus composed?
Composed circa 1199, it is organum quadruplum, or four voice polyphony. In this instance, the cantus firmus, taken from a chant, sustains very long notes while the other three voices move in varying rhythm patterns above it. A composition by Perotin.
What is a cantus firmus?
Cantus firmus, Latin for fixed song, was first developed in the Medieval Period. Originally, it was a chant foundation above which another melody was composed. Gradually more melodies were added, the cantus firmus was ornamented with additional notes, and by the Renaissance, a very complex polyphony had evolved.
What is the prelude for organ?
Johann Sebastian Bach composed chorale preludes for organ, such as Nun komm der Heiden Heiland. In this work, the chorale melody is used as an ornamented cantus firmus in the top voice with two polyphonic voices beneath it. The opening bars of the chorale prelude Nun komm der Heiden Heiland.
What is the Latin word for fixed song?
One melody, usually a chant, served as a foundation for a second melody to move in a quicker, more florid manner above it. This chant was called the cantus firmus which is Latin for fixed song. The cantus firmus is any preexisting melody that is used as the foundation for a polyphonic composition.
What was the second major change in the 15th century?
A manuscript of 15th century polyphony by Heinrich Issac. The second major change was the use of secular tunes as the cantus firmus. In the Medieval Period, chant was the only appropriate source of cantus firmus material. Now, popular music, such as folk songs and chansons, secular French songs, were used as well.
What music did the Renaissance composers use?
Renaissance composers used melodies other than chant, including popular folk songs and chansons. In the Baroque Period, the cantus firmus became less widely used, and, by the 20th century, it was rarely employed except in organ music. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Create your account.