CHAPTER 15 Layering Lines: Polyphony at Notre Dame
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Polyphony required the development of
a. new musical instruments. c. music notation.
b. new melodic modes. d. new performance venues.
2. In what era did the development of polyphony begin to emerge?
a. the Renaissance c. the Middle Ages
b. the Ars nova d. the Romanesque era
3. In what era did composers begin to be recognized?
a. the Renaissance c. the Middle Ages
b. the Gothic era d. the Ars nova
4. The earliest type of polyphony was
a. plainsong. c. the motet.
b. organum. d. secular.
5. The first major center of polyphony was
a. St. Peter’s in Rome. c. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
b. Westminster Abbey. d. St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice.
6. The Notre Dame style of polyphony, in which the tenor line was based on a preexisting chant melody and the upper voice moved
freely (and more rapidly), was called
a. organum. c. liturgical drama.
b. plainsong. d. chanson.
7. Who is credited with compiling the Great Book of Organum (Magnus liber organi)?
a. Hildegard of Bingen c. Léonin
b. Pérotin d. Machaut
8. Which composer expanded the dimensions of organum by increasing the number of voice parts?
a. Pérotin c. Hildegard of Bingen
b. Léonin d. Machaut
9. A fixed pattern of long and short notes that is repeated or varied is called
a. a rhythmic mode. c. polyrhythm.
b. organum. d. melisma.
10. The development of notation led to the recognition of
a. individual composers. c. monophony.
b. rhythmic modes. d. homophony.
11. The lower voice of organum sang
a. the fixed melody in long notes.
b. a freely composed part that moved rapidly.
c. the fixed melody in short notes.
d. a freely composed part in long notes.
12. The upper voice of organum sang
a. the fixed melody in long notes.
b. the fixed melody in short notes.
c. a freely composed part in long notes.
d. a freely composed part that moved rapidly.
13. Composers of organum based their pieces on
a. preexisting Gregorian chants.
b. newly composed material.
c. group improvisations.
d. preexisting texts written by female composers.
TRUE/FALSE
1. The perfection of monophony is the single most important feature in the development of Western music.
2. Organum was freely composed, with no preexisting basis.
3. An early center for the development of polyphony was the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
4. In the early Middle Ages, music was often composed in fixed patterns of long and short notes known as rhythmic modes.
5. Polyphony was initially reserved for worship on the highest feast days.
6. Polyphony was uniformly welcomed in all religious communities.
7. Léonin is credited with compiling the Great Book of Organum (Magnus liber organi).
8. Polyphony set the stage for the entire unfolding of the Western musical tradition.
9. Polyphony is the combination of two or more simultaneous melodic lines.
10. The development of plainchat led to more recognition for individual composers such as Léonin.
11. Adding a second voice to a Gregorian melody at the interval of a fifth or a fourth is called organum.
12. The creation of new musical instruments fostered the development of polyphony.
13. With the development of notation, music expanded from an art of improvisation and oral tradition to one that was carefully planned
and preserved.
14. A fixed pattern of long and short notes that is repeated or varied is called organum.
ESSAY
1. What is the most distinctive quality of Western music?
2. Describe the development of polyphony and the contributions of the Notre Dame school composers.
3. Why did some communities reject polyphony?