The Ars Nova Appreciation Thread

[Mandryka]

Conductus. 

   

John Potter,  Christopher O'Gorman and Rogers Covey-Crump recorded three eponymous albums on Hyperion, which are excellent and highly recommended.

Given that I'm more interested in polyphony than heterophony and  monophony, which one of these, if any, is the best start for me.

[San Antone]

Given that I'm more interested in polyphony than heterophony and  monophony, which one of these, if any, is the best start for me.

Conductus may not be for you.  Here is a description of the style: "The style of the conductus was usually rhythmic, as befitting music accompanying a procession, and almost always note-against-note. Stylistically it was utterly different from the other principal liturgical polyphonic form of the time, organum, in which the voices usually moved at different speeds; in conductus, the voices sang together, in a style also known as discant."

And an example:

https://www.youtube.com/v/1Rhn4SjPHmc

I enjoy it very much, but it may not be your cup of tea.

[Mandryka]

As far as I know there are five complete medieval masses - Machaut, Tournai, Barcelona, Toulouse and the recently discovered Sorbonne. On record Machaut has dominated, but the Barcelona was very impressive in concert with Ensemble Musica Nova, so I've been exploring what there is of it on record. I think this one by Onsidienne Ensemble is excellent.

Obsidienne Ensemble use only voices in this mass, which may not be the best decision, but so be it. They intersperse some ordinaries, but they're easy to skip. They seem to sing the propers pretty consistently two on a part.

I've heard two other performances of the complete mass on record - Atrium Musicum and Pro Cantiona Antiqua - but Obsidienne has impressed me the most. There are also a couple of movements sung by Ensemble Organum, sung very well by Ensemble Organum, as part of their Missa Gotica.

And the music. Well, I think it's very good to hear! 

[Mandryka]

Interesting article on rhythm, text and music by Hendrik van der Werf here

http://www.examenapium.it/cs/biblio/WanderWerf1988.pdf

And here a useful summary paper on rhythm and articulation in music and poetry

http://www.music.mcgill.ca/~cmckay/papers/musicology/TroubadourMelodies.pdf

[Mandryka]

Interesting article on rhythm, text and music by Hendrik van der Werf here

http://www.examenapium.it/cs/biblio/WanderWerf1988.pdf

Can't help but get a certain feeling of déjà vu reading this, it's as if medieval song is going through the same transitions as baroque keyboard

PHASE 1 -- Tart it up however you feel like
PHASE 2 -- Just play the score literally
PHASE 3 -- In fact people would have played it full of expressive embellishments.

[Mandryka]

Conductus may not be for you.  Here is a description of the style: "The style of the conductus was usually rhythmic, as befitting music accompanying a procession, and almost always note-against-note. Stylistically it was utterly different from the other principal liturgical polyphonic form of the time, organum, in which the voices usually moved at different speeds; in conductus, the voices sang together, in a style also known as discant."

And an example:

https://www.youtube.com/v/1Rhn4SjPHmc

I enjoy it very much, but it may not be your cup of tea.

Vol. 3 seems to me to have the most solo music, the most monophony, and from my point of view, is the least interesting. The other two volumes are excellent IMO. The essay for Vol 3 on these secular monophonic pieces is interesting. I have to say that I think the solo songs may have come off better if they'd have put a hurdy gurdy in there.