Welcome back to Between the Barlines AND another episode of Music Theory Friday!! We’re diving into a concept that might not be on your radar 24/7 when we are talking about analyzing music in general, but this concept has played a vital role in the evolution of Western music. This concept is called isorhythm.

Scores for Machaut isorhythmic motet:

unedited: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QhfZ71iZE8l6DMDLdWMMiJ9f2GbcoC64/view?usp=sharing

edited: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dedeZeNYLUvrhdJCrrs28BHk3U8O5yIc/view?usp=sharing

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! Today, we’re diving into the world of 14th-century music. We will talk about Ars Nova and some contributing composers to this new movement.

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry, and I am thrilled that you’ve tuned into today’s episode! We are approaching the end of the medieval era, so before we dive into the renaissance era, I want to take the next three or so episodes to tie up all of the loose ends. In today’s episode, we’re talking about the origins of the motet—one of the most significant musical forms of the medieval and Renaissance periods.

Links to videos:

Factum est salutare/Domine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLKKwuirSoo

Mout me fu grief li departir / Robin m'aime / Portare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh6vVnWLvmU

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! This is our third installment of music theory Fridays! This is a little bit of a mini episode because we only have one major thing to talk about. Our topic today deals with one of the earliest forms of Western polyphony: organum.

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I have a very exciting episode for you today because we’re taking a deep dive into one of the most pivotal developments in Western music: the rise of polyphony in the 13th century! We have been so focused on monophonic songs, including a trip to the church for Gregorian chant and a trip to places like France for the songs of the troubadours and trouvères and Germany for the Minnesingers! By the 13th century, something extraordinary was happening: melodies started weaving together, creating a tapestry of sound that would forever change the way we experience music. So how did this shift happen? Who were the key players? And why was the 13th century such an important period for polyphony? Let’s find out!

Viderunt omnes (Pérotin): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oaRM1uDsw8

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! Today we are going to explore different types of songs prior to the renaissance era in western classical music! If you haven’t listened to any of the previous episodes from this season, please give those a listen because many of the aforementioned topics help us understand how the music we are going to start talking about today developed.

Information taken from personal notes, Burkholder’s History of Western Music, and various aurally cited websites.

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! You’re in for a very special episode today because it’s Music Theory Friday! Today we are going to wrap up important theory practices in the medieval era of music. These practices have helped shape how we teach and learn to sight read today.

Link to video on using Guidonian Hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlleweQuq14&list=FLauoGSS-pPYvKwgqMVGgM4g

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am your host, Dr. Maeve Berry. In today’s episode, we are going to learn about more forms of chant that we see in a mass and explore a very important figure in the 12th century who was a prolific composer of sacred chant.

Featured chant is taken from a concert performed in October of 2023 by Voices in Rochester, NY. Here is a link to that full concert which was recorded and live-streamed by Incarnate Word Church. https://www.youtube.com/live/kOdDehWTd14?si=Oa6YKeghNp_Op4NL

Hildegard Society Website: http://www.hildegard-society.org/p/home.html

Link to O quam mirabilis est: http://www.hildegard-society.org/2014/07/o-quam-mirabilis-est-antiphon.html

I hope you’re enjoying exploring what we classify as the medieval times in music. Today, we are going to take some time to learn about the parts of the mass, some of which are variable and others that are invariable.

Recommended Recordings:

Rheinberger Mass in E-flat major: https://open.spotify.com/album/1s80FVp437mFKdUa4Tm8hn?si=9Ck9dqN2Ree_2Pp9odri5Q

Byrd Mass for 5 Voices:

https://open.spotify.com/album/5o2Vzb7bgZHzE5sHh2T38o?si=_dtOanSpRQKOsSdHMIGd_A

Duruflé Requiem (organ):

https://open.spotify.com/album/3E8ANGvBQrUOedNKwMy222?si=aSkrCcwlRKOcxqfCbmt8Mw

Brahms Requiem:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1qk8uGka8QOSUvnq5C2hLt?si=uLv-1d7hSYe0ehXAsVHCnw

Welcome back to Between the Barlines! I am especially excited for today’s episode, because we will only be talking about MUSIC THEORY! In order to help you study for large comprehensive music exams, I am going to take a couple of our Friday episodes to end the week to review some music theory topics. Following along chronologically in our learning, it only felt right to spend today’s short episode talking about church modes!