medieval music notation
Modal Notation
6 sessions
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:
Study the different genres, manuscripts and theoretical treatises that record the theory and practice of Modal Notation
Apply the precepts of Modal Notation to actual polyphonic compositions of the era
Transcribe polyphonic pieces of the repertoire
Sight-read and perform different compositions directly from the original sources
Instructor:
Raúl Lacilla
COURSE INFO
DATES & DURATION
February 17 to June 9, 2025
6 sessions
Location
Online
Price 1.5 credits
1.5 credit ECTS: 340€
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:
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- 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:
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- 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
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- 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)
Enroll Now
Places are limited for each section, so sign up early.
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:
