Cantus firmus
Encyclopedia : C : CA : CAN : Cantus firmus
In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed song") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition, often set apart by being played in long notes.
Composition using a cantus firmus was a common technique in Medieval music, forming the basis of organum as well as 13th- and 14th-century motets. In these works the cantus firmus was originally always taken from Gregorian Chant and was the fixed melodic material, moving in long notes, around which other more florid lines, instrumental and/or vocal, were composed. (This line was usually allocated to the tenor, from the Latin verb 'tenere', to hold).
In the early Renaissance composers experimented with other ways of using the cantus firmus, such as introducing it into each voice as a contrapuntal subject (theme), or using it with a variety of rhythms, or using secular tunes for cantus firmi, even in sacred compositions. In the thirteenth century, the tenor had the ancient chant melodies altered, fragmented, and hidden beneath secular tunes, obscuring the sacred texts as composers continued to play with this new invention called polyphony. The lyrics of love poems might be sung in the vernacular above sacred Latin texts in the form of a trope, or the sacred text might be placed within a familiar secular melody.
For centuries, this was starkly rejected by the Church. It was not merely the clash of notes that offended medieval ears, but the notion of secular music merging with the sacred and making its way into the liturgy. It gave church music more of a jocular performance quality, removing the solemn worship they were accustomed to. Monks, Bishops, and Popes all agreed that such musical practices should not be used in worship and wrote treatises against it. This musical practice gained the most ground while the popes were ruling from outside of Rome. The use of and attitude toward polyphony varied widely in the papal court at Avignon from the beginning to the end of its religious importance in the fourteenth century. Pope John XXII wrote against it in Docta Sanctorum Patrum1324, but Clement VI invited it into his chapel twenty years later with great enthusiasm.
Probably the most widely set of the secular cantus firmus melodies was L'homme armé. Over 30 settings are known. Most early Renaissance masters each set at least one mass on this melody, and the practice lasted into the seventeenth century, with a late setting by Carissimi. Some have suggested that the "armed man" represents St Michael the Archangel, while others have suggested it merely represents the name of a popular tavern (Maison L'Homme Arme) near Dufay's rooms in Cambrai. Being that this music arose during the time of the crusades, it is possible that the text "the armed man should be feared" was used as propaganda supporting the Knights in the Middle East. Other secular examples include 'Fortuna Desperata', 'Mille regretz' and 'The western wynde'.
Setting the cantus firmus was the essential pedagogical tool in Gradus ad Parnassum by Johann Joseph Fux and formed the basis of teaching his species counterpoint.
German composers in the Baroque period in Germany, notably Bach, used chorale melodies as cantus firmi. In the opening movement of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, the chorale "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" appears in long notes, sung by a separate choir of boys "in ripieno". Many of his chorale preludes include a chorale tune in the pedal part.
Reference
Sparks, E. H. 'Cantus firmus in Mass and Motet', Berkeley, (1963)
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.