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Chapter 4
Guillaume de Machaut
Chapter at a Glance
Listen to This First
Three-Voice Texture
A Melody Punctuated by Cadences
Historical Context: The Myth of Pygmalion
Profile: Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300 1377)
Expand Your Playlist: Machaut
Connect Your Playlist: Three-Voice Texture
AAB Form
Expand Your Playlist: The Art of Courtly Love
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
4.2 Identify the structural cadences within this work.
edieval ideal of courtly love.
4.5 Describe the difference in melodic motion between the upper voice and the two
4.6 Identify the structural components of AAB form through listening.
Key Concepts
polyphony, cadences, AAB form, courtly love
Chapter Highlight: Three-Part Polyphony
This brief song illustrates the expansion of polyphonic texture from two to three voices.
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Chapter Summary
-voice
polyphony in which it is easiest to hear the top voice because of its pitch (higher voices
generally carry farther) and its rhythmic activity. The song is marked by several
cadences, which again are clearest in the uppermost voice. These cadences are not
spaced equally apart.
Listening Guide
Among the devices students should listen for are the consistent texture (three parts),
AAB form, and cadences (two) within each part of the form. The language is medieval
French and sounds different in some places from modern French. The voices used in the
Automated Listening Guide are all male, even though the top voice sings in a rather
high register. Students should try to compare this type of singing with contemporary
artists such as Justin Timberlake and others with whom they are familiar.
MyMusicLab Resources
Automated Listening Guide: Guillaume de Machaut: n All Too Well Compare My
Chapter Audio: Chapter 4
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Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
1.
have studied in this class. How is it similar and how is it different? Why do you think
that is? Does the sound of three voices have anything to do with these distinctions?
2.
this definition fit the example of cadence defined in the Glossary?
4. How do you think most medieval composers thought about the difference between
composing secular songs and composing music for use in sacred services?
Activities and Exercises
1.
2.
comment on the effect of the various textures.
Journaling Prompt
When composers write music for films that take place in the Middle Ages, they usually