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שם הקורס: קונטרפונקט בסגנון פלסטרינה II

Counterpoint in the style of Palestrina II

סמסטר א', תשע"ח

שו"ת, 2 ש"ס

שם המרצה: ד"ר בוריס קליינר

דוא"ל:      bkleiner@post.tau.ac.il

שעת קבלה

בתיאום מראש

תיאור כללי

קורס המשך לקורס קונטרפונקט בסגנון פלסטרינה I, שבמרכזו לימוד העקרונות הדקדוקיים והסגנוניים של הפוליפוניה התלת-קולית והרב-קולית של המאה ה-16  ויישומם בתרגילי כתיבה.

Continuation of the course "Counterpoint in the style of Palestrina I". A study of both grammatical and stylistic aspects of 16^thcentury three-voice and four-voice polyphony, and their application in written exercises of various nature and scope.

מטרות הקורס

הפנמת העקרונות של הקונטרפונקט בשלושה ויותר קולות. העמקת המיומנות בהלחנה קונטרפונקטית

דרישות הקורס וחובות

נוכחות, תרגילים בכתב להגשה משיעור לשיעור.

מטלת סיום קורס

 עבודת סיום (הלחנה של מוטט תלת-קולי על טקסט נתון).

שקלול הציון

עבודת סיום -  70%

הגשת תרגילים -  30%

נושאי הקורס

1. הרכבים של הקולות.

2. מרקמים של הפוליפוניה. קונטרפונקט חיקויי לעומת קונטרפונקט פשוט.

3. יישום המודוס בקונטרפונקט הרב-קולי.

4. דיסוננסים וקונסוננסים במרקם הרב-קולי.

5. קדנצה מלאה וקדנצה טנורית. טכניקות בריחה מהקדנצה בקונטרפונקט הרב-קולי.

6. הלחנת סוגות עיקריות של המאה ה-16 בשלושה ויותר קולות.

ביבליוגרפיה

Gauldin, Robert. Sixteenth Century Counterpoint. Waverland Press, Inc. 1985.

Schubert, Peter. Modal Counterpoint, Renaissance Style. Oxford University Press, 1999.

 Palestrina-style Counterpoint II

Dr. Boris Kleiner

Annual, 2017-2018

Exercise lesson: 4

Course description

A sequel course to Palestrina-style Counterpoint I. A study of both grammatical and stylistic aspects of 16th century three-voice and four-voice polyphony, and their application in written exercises of various nature and scope.

In the first stage of the course, focusing on two-part counterpoint, 2-part compositions by Lasso are used as main stylistic models (as no two-part compositions by Palestrina have come down to us). The course adopts the strictest rules for setting text as employed by Lasso (this is applied both to Latin texts and to comparatively similar Hebrew texts to be used in the course as well) as means of developing a taste for the artistic prosody in vocal composition.

The methodology adopted in the course is consciously eclectic. Students are acquainted with notation practices of the late 16th century, however, for the exercises modern editorial conventions are used. 16th century theory (solmization) and its instruction methods are discussed, but not used.

To compensate for the lack of regular individual instruction, a system of regular homework submission and correction is introduced. All exercises submitted are corrected using a 3-digit code, referring to a list of possible compositional and technical errors with regard to the main issues of late 16th-century counterpoint (melody, rhythm, harmony, voice leading, modality, text-music relation, structure).

Course grade

70% final examination.

30% exercises.

Course topics & requirements:

1st Semester: Two-part counterpoint

1. Meter in late 16th-century music. Tactus alla breve. The positions. Notes and rests. Conventions of the mensural notation and implied restrictions with regard to possible rhythms.

2. The modes.

2.1. The 8 church modes as scalar and melodic phenomena. The 8 psalm modes.

2.2. The regular and the transposed diatonic system. The transposed modes.

2.3. The modes in late Renaissance polyphony. Composition “a voce piena”. Principal and secondary voices. Regular modal range of the voices.

2.4. Regular and “high” clefs (chiavette). Correcting modal range by use of clefs. Vocal ranges in the regular and transposed modes.

2.5. The 12-mode theory and its implications.

3. The melody 1.

3.1. Basic rhythmic patterns.

3.2. Melodic intervals.

3.3. Basic voice-leading patterns.

4. The harmony 1.

4.1. Harmonic intervals.

4.2. Consonances and dissonances.

4.3. The use of consonances.

4.4. Simple "tenorizing" and "sopranizing" cadences.

5. Modality and structure 1.

5.1. “A voce piena” in 2-part composition.

5.2. Beginnings and endings.

5.3. The principles of modal melody.

6. The harmony 2: The dissonance.

6.1. The syncopation.

6.2. The transitus.

6.3. The formal cadence.

7. The melody 2.

7.1. Leaps of larger (“white”) notes.

7.2. Pitch-position and pitch-duration correlations.

8. Text-music relations

8.1. Quantitative and qualitative prosodic rhythm.

8.2. The syllabic laws of the melisma as implemented by Lasso.

8.3. The rhetoric laws of the melisma.

Exercises 1. Adding a second voice to a given cantus firmus: the protestant chorale bicinium.

Exercises 2. rhythmizing the cantus firmus: the hymn verse.

Exercises 3. Simultaneous composition with a leading voice derived from a melodic formula: the Magnificat verse.

2nd Semester: Two-part counterpoint (continuation)

9. The melody 3. The melisma.

9.1. Leaps in the melisma (leaps of “black” notes)

9.2. The cambiata leap.

9.2. The “dead” interval.

9.3. The portamento.

10. The harmony 3.

10.1. Embellishment of the cadences.

10.2. The semi-heavy transitus.

10.3. Retarded resolution of the syncopation.

10.4. The dissonance chain.

11. The modality and structure 2.

11.1. The mode and the cadential plan.

11.2. The “mixtio modi” and the “commixtio modi”.

11.3. Madrigalism in the modal vocal range.

12. The structure 3.

12.1. Evading the cadence.

12.2. Irregular endings.

13.3. Cadential chains.

13.4. Phrasing patterns.

13.5. The breaks.

13.6. Text repetitions and periods.

13.7. The cadence and the text.

13. Imitation and canon.

13.1. Initial imitation.

13.2. Double counterpoint.

13.3. The canon.

13.4. The mensural canon

Exercises 4. Free composition with no imitation: 2-voice chanson.

Exercises 5. The imitative style: 2-voice short mass verse (Benedictus).

Exercises 6. Multi-period composition in the imitative style: the 2-voice motet.

Final examination:

Composing a 2-part motet on a given text.

Recommended literature:

Thomas Daniel. Zweistimmiger Kontrapunkt. Ein Lehrgang in 30 Lektionen. Verlag Dohr, 2002.

Expected learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to explore the artistic perspectives of one of the finest, most sophisticated and best codified Western music styles, and develop students’ taste for the melodic lines, the rhythm, the harmony, and the tonal organization of this style. In particular, the course addresses principles of setting text to the music, and aims at gradually developing students’ ability to grasp the essence of counterpoint, design musical periods punctuated by the cadences, plan an entire composition and explore the expressive possibilities contained within these ostensibly limited musical means.