Alleluia: Angelus domini (2) oblique organum (2/25)

Techniques for spicing up plainchant eventually led to polyphony: music with two or more independent lines. Without compromising the integrity and primacy of the chant line, medieval sacred music explored the following: 1.Responsorial (alternate soloist and group) 2. Antiphonal (alternate between equal groups, monasteries were usually set up like this anyway) 3. Processional (movement so sound emanates from various places) 4. Octaves (boys in monasteries with higher voices) 5. Organum (natural divisions of octaves occur at fourths and fifths; to the "vox principalis" was added a line moving at a constant interval and called the "vox organalis").

Polyphony emerged in the 8th or 9th century and appears in an early elementary form in "parallel organum": chant with almost strictly parallel progression. Doubling the chant line in another octave does it no disservice, so why not at the fifth or fourth? It gives the music a fascinating resonance. Musica enchiriadis ("Musical Handbook") from the latter half of the 9th century provides our first examples of parallel organum. In some instance, the two voices start in unison and the vox organalis climbs to its interval, returning at the ends of phrases to the unison. Organum appeared in contrary motion too, a mirroring of lines leading to issues of counterpoint. "Oblique organum" refers to the practice of staying on a note to avoid the tritone. In "free organum" the organal voice appears above the tenor but may cross or mirror it.

Ad organum faciendum ("On the Making of Organum"), a treatise from circa 1100, shows that the "vox organalis" had become more ornate over the century and had taken a higher register than the original chant line. The chant was considered more or less sacrosanct, not to be altered, but the vox organalis was freer. When the lower chant notes were sustained longer and the upper voice became more elaborate, we have "melismatic organum." The chant phrase is called the "tenor" (from the Latin tenere, meaning "to hold"), later the "cantus firmus," and the vox organalis becames the "duplum" (second part).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Alleluia
• Angelus
• domini
• oblique
• organum

[p0lyph0nyXX]

It's wonderful to hear this (and the next part as well) immediately after having heard the plainchant basis -- thank you for this upload!

[bartje11]

@p0lyph0nyXX Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it!

[viviane528]

Interesting to hear this just after having heard the piece with only one line, il shows a development of music. 还是一个人独唱起头，然后合唱，但是两声部，神奇。