medieval music notation

Modal Notation

6 sessions - Self-paced
Online

Course Description

Towards the end of the twelfth century a composer known as Leoninus, canon of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, created a whole cycle of polyphonic settings (organum) for chants of the Mass and Office which was eventually called the Magnus liber organi. Thanks to his successor Perotinus, this repertoire was progressively enlarged to the extent that its four extant manuscripts include not only organa, but also clausulae, conducti and motets. This music was characterized by the use of certain rhythmic patterns called ‘modes’, which led to the development of one specific type of script: Modal Notation. For the first time in the medieval West, it was possible to record rhythmic durations. The new notation prompted the creation of progressively more complex polyphonic compositions. In practical terms, Modal Notation is the key to the vast repertoire of music associated to what is known as the School of Notre Dame.

In this course, students will:

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Study the different genres, manuscripts and theoretical treatises that record the theory and practice of Modal Notation

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Apply the precepts of Modal Notation to actual polyphonic compositions of the era

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Transcribe polyphonic pieces of the repertoire

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Sight-read and perform different compositions directly from the original sources

Raul LacillaInstructor:
Raúl Lacilla

COURSE INFO

DATES & DURATION

Sep 18, 2023 – Jan 15, 2024
6 sessions – Self-paced

Location

Online

Price 1.5 creds

1.5 credit ECTS: 320€

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Languages

English - Spanish

Prerequisites

Student must have basic musical knowledge and be able to read modern music notation.

Syllabus

Session 1 | Getting started – The Ligature Patterns

Session 2 | Fractio modi – The clausula

Session 3 | Cum littera vs.sine littera – The motet

Session 4 | Cum cauda vs.sine cauda – The conductus

Session 5 | Organum purum vs.discantus – Notre-Dame organum

Session 6 | Longa et brevis – The Twilight of Modal Notation

Teaching Methodology

This course will be comprised of:

    • 6 tutorial videos of 20-35 minutes each (total 3.5 hours)
    • 6 recorded lectures of 45 minute each (total 4.5 hours)
    • 3 biweekly live Q&A sessions of 1hour and 15 minutes each (total 3.5 hours) conducted through the course. The sessions will be recorded so that students can access them at any time.
    • Downloadable materials and links to additional resources

Schedules and assignments:

    • The course is self-paced.
    • The majority of pre-recorded video lessons, lectures, and study materials will be posted on the first day of the term.
    • Students will have access to all session and their materials until the last day of the term.
    • The student workload to review the materials and complete the assignments is approximately 6.25 hours per session
    • There will be some suggested deadlines to submit assignments
    • Homework will be accepted until a week before the end of the term
    • Students taking the course for credit must complete all assignments and class requirements


Technical Requirements

    • Broadband Internet connection / WIFI

    • External or internal webcam
    • External or internal microphone
    • Speakers or headphones
    • Possibility of printing downloaded materials
    • Possibility of scanning your assignments
    • Possibility of auto-recording (audio and video)

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Places are limited for each section, so sign up early.

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The International Course of Medieval Music Besalú offers singers and instrumentalists the possibility of studying the repertoires of monodic and polyphonic music composed between the 11th and 13th centuries.

With the support of: