cantus firmus, (Latin: “fixed song”, ) plural Cantus Firmi, preexistent melody, such as a plainchant excerpt, underlying a polyphonic musical composition (one consisting of several independent voices or parts).

What is a cantus firmus quizlet?

Cantus Firmus. an existing melody used as the basis for a polyphonic composition often taken from a gregorian chant. Fixed Melody. Humanism. Renaissance movement based on the revival of ancient Greek and Roman culture and to study this pertaining to human knowlege and experience through independent thought.

What does cantus mean in music?

In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed melody") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition.

How do you use cantus firmus?

The cantus firmus is traditionally written in alto clef, beginning and ending on the tonic of the key. The note durations are of equal value, with the whole note being the traditional value.

Why is cantus firmus important?

The use of a borrowed cantus firmus as the basis for a composition has played an important role in our western musical tradition, both in the development of musical composition and in the pedagogy of counterpoint. One of the manifestations of this compositional practice is the use of a chorale or chant in organ music.

What is CANTUS FIRMUS? What does CANTUS FIRMUS mean? CANTUS FIRMUS meaning & explanation

What is the meaning of cantus?

1 : cantus firmus. 2 : the principal melody or voice.

What is a cantus firmus music appreciation quizlet?

cantus firmus. The term for a bass line based on a phrase of chant.

Which type of mass setting is a cantus firmus mass?

In Renaissance music, the cyclic mass was a setting of the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Mass, in which each of the movements – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei – shared a common musical theme, commonly a cantus firmus, thus making it a unified whole.

What is a organum in music?

organum, plural Organa, originally, any musical instrument (later in particular an organ); the term attained its lasting sense, however, during the Middle Ages in reference to a polyphonic (many-voiced) setting, in certain specific styles, of Gregorian chant.

What is counterpoint music theory?

In the language of music theory, counterpoint is a compositional technique in which two or more melodic lines (or "voices") complement one another but act independently. The term comes from the Latin punctus contra punctum, which means "point against point." Composers use counterpoint to create polyphonic music.

What music period is cantus firmus?

Cantus firmus, Latin for fixed song, was first developed in the Medieval Period. Originally, it was a chant foundation above which another melody was composed. Gradually more melodies were added, the cantus firmus was ornamented with additional notes, and by the Renaissance, a very complex polyphony had evolved.

How do you write a good cantus firmus?

1. length of about 8–16 notes.
2. arhythmic (all whole notes; no long or short notes)
3. begin and end on do.
4. approach final tonic by step (usually re–do, sometimes ti–do)
5. all note-to-note progressions are melodic consonances.

What is the definition of text painting?

Word painting, also known as tone painting or text painting, is the musical technique of composing music that reflects the literal meaning of a song's lyrics or story elements in programmatic music.

What concept is expressed by the term platonic love?

Thus, in common speech, platonic love means a supremely affectionate relationship between human beings in which sexual intercourse is neither desired nor practiced. In this sense, it most often refers to a heterosexual relationship.

What was the Council of Trent quizlet?

What was the Council of Trent? The Council of Trent was the Roman Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation.

Which genre of vocal music was used in Renaissance church services?

Choral music of the Renaissance was an extension of the Gregorian chant. It was sung a cappella and sung in Latin. Motets were popular during this time. A motet is a polyphonic work with four or five voice parts singing one religious text.

When was organum first used?

Sometime during the ninth century, music theorists in the Church began experimenting with the idea of singing two melodic lines simultaneously at parallel intervals, usually at the fourth, fifth, or octave. The resulting hollow-sounding music was called organum and very slowly developed over the next hundred years.

How is chant used in organum?

In Organum, a preexistent chant is embellished by the addition of other voices singing different music. When music is made up of people singing or playing different lines at the same time, it is said to be polyphonic.

What is the compositional technique known as Isorhythm?

Isorhythm (from the Greek for "the same rhythm") is a musical technique using a repeating rhythmic pattern, called a talea, in at least one voice part throughout a composition.

What is a cantus firmus music appreciation?

In music, a cantus firmus (“fixed song”) is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition.

How does a paraphrase mass differ from a cantus firmus mass?

A paraphrase mass is a musical setting of the Ordinary of the Mass that uses as its basis an elaborated version of a cantus firmus, typically chosen from plainsong or some other sacred source.

Which term refers to a brief passage of imitative polyphony that usually uses a single melodic motive?

a careful blend of imitative counterpoint and homophony. Which term refers to a brief passage of imitative polyphony that usually uses a single melodic motive? point of imitation. What does it mean to perform a cappella?

What is the term for a borrowed chant used as the foundation for another piece of music Cantus Firmus plainchant Organum mass?

modes. a line of borrowed chant with new melodies and text arranged above the chant. Medieval motet. music of the mass with unchanging text. Ordinary.

What is the term for a borrowed chant used as the foundation for another piece of music?

cantus firmus. a borrowed chant that was the basis for a new composition.

What is the term for the less significant notes decorating the melody?

Contour. Less significant notes decorating the melody. Ornaments. A logical grouping of melody notes; similar to the use of language. Phrases.