Ciconia, Una Panthera Was it the avant-garde of the Middle Ages? A style of music known as ars subtilior arose on the heels of the 14th-century ars nova. The ars nova marked a considerable advance on what came to be considered the ars antiqua in … Read more
Two great “hushes” fall in the Christian liturgical calendar. The first, Christmas Eve, is marked by well-known music, including the iconic Silent Night. But the music expressing the hush of Holy Week will not jingle from loudspeakers in stores during Lent. Instead, the music that … Read more
The American composer Carson Cooman (b. 1982) is active as a concert organist specializing in contemporary music. He has written numerous works for organ, but his compositions also include opera, orchestral works, and works for other solo instruments. Cooman has held the position of Composer … Read more
Santa Maria, Strela do Dia The Cantigas de Santa Maria (Canticles to Saint Mary) consist of 420 poems written in the 13th century during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile (The Wise) (r. 1252-1284). These monophonic songs in medieval Galician-Portuguese songs honor the Virgin Mary. … Read more
My anxiety at December’s rapid passing changed when I learned to regard today as “Advent’s Third Sunday” rather than “Oh no, Christmas is seven minutes away, and we’re not ready!” Advent grants us space and time. It allows us to forego the frantic twists of … Read more
Veni, the imperative form of the Latin verb venire, to come, figures high up in the poetic texts of Advent hymns. For that matter, it lies at the root of the word Advent itself! Most striking of such hymns are these three: Veni Redemptor gentium … Read more
Machaut, Douce dame jolie Douce dame jolie (“Sweet, beautiful lady”) is a virelai in which the poet sings of his adoration and anguish that his attentions are not returned. Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377) composed both the music and the lyrics. Since today is Valentine’s Day, … Read more
Pérotin, Viderunt Omnes The Gothic style of architecture pioneered by the Basilica of St. Denis (completed in 1144) sparked a wave of new construction across Europe. The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was under construction from 1163 to about 1240. But it wasn’t just new construction … Read more
Cluny. A name on a music history test. A place in Burgundy, at the Eastern edge of France, where something or other important happened about a monastery and Abbey in the early Medieval period. That much I remembered—couldn’t forget it if I tried, really, since … Read more
Are you wondering what a “heightened neume” is? Maybe you are taking our course in Early Sacred Music and thinking, “Wow, something new about heighted neumes!” Either way, there’s something new to report. First, let’s say what a “heighted neume” is. Heighted neumes were a … Read more