Percussion in the Renaissance - Carthage High School Vocal...
Transcript of Percussion in the Renaissance - Carthage High School Vocal...
Renaissance (1300 - 1600)
Vocal Music, and more specifically, music with TEXT is the most
important type of music during the Renaissance.
Knowing this, what do you think the role of the drum and percussion is
during this time?
Performance (part 1)
Percussion in the context of musical performance can be defined broadly
as any instrument whose primary sound production is accomplished by
striking a resonating surface with a beater or by shaking.
The surface may be animal hide (real or synthetic), wood, metal, or really
anything that will resonate.
Performance (part 1)
The beater may likewise be of any of a variety of materials, including the
human hand.
This definition encompasses many of the keyboard instruments as well,
specifically the ones which are played by striking a wire or bar directly
with a beater (hammered dulcimer, xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel,
etc.), or by pressing a key which then causes a wire to be struck by a
hammer (piano, etc.).
Performance (part 1)
Some of these have adjustable tension, some have snares or metal disks
that provide additional layers of sound, but all are played by being struck
or shaken directly by the performer.
Since this is a discussion limited to the Middle Ages and Renaissance, we
will further narrow our definition to variations on the following instruments:
bells, jingles, long drums, makers, side drums, tabors, tambours, and
timpani.
Bells
Bells were cast metal shapes constructed such that striking them with a
beater produced a sustained resonant note, which might or might not
correspond to any recognized pitch.
Sometimes bells of different sizes and thicknesses were hung in
sequence in an approximate harmonic succession and played like a
melody instrument (e.g., glockenspiel or orchestra bells).
Bells
More often, bells were played individually or in small groups as musical
punctuation, with no regard for their pitch.
The triangle, finger cymbals, tubular bells and the bell tree fall into this
latter category.
Jingles
Jingles are a generic designation for a broad range of instruments whose
common feature was that they contained beads, metal disks, or other
devices for producing sound when shaken or struck.
Shakers, guiros, sleigh bells, and so on fall into this category, as do the
forms of the modern tambourine.
Jingles
Timbrels were wooden frames with metal disks set into them that were
played by shaking, by being struck with a beater or upon some part of the
body, or a combination of these methods.
Timbrels with hides stretched across one end were called tambourines by
the late 15th century; the distinction finally blurred into any hoop set with
small cymbals being called a tambourine.
Jingles
Tambourines could be played like a timbrel or like a drum.
Modern crash and ride cymbals on the drum set developed from this
category.
Jingles
Crash Cymbals were first developed in Turkey, and Ziljian cymbals
emerged as some of the best quality cymbals and are still one of the top
cymbal companies today.
Long Drums
Long Drums were so called because their
height exceeded their diameter. They were
double-headed, tensioned with rope or
sinew, and played with sticks.
The modern tenor drum and tom-tom
evolved from the long drum.
Naker Drums
Nakers were copper bowls with goat or calfskin heads.
They were tensioned by sinew that ran from the rim of the head to a ring
at the bottom of the drum.
They began as relatively small drums carried on a belt at the waist and
struck with thick wooden or cotton-covered wooden beaters.
Naker Drums
Nakers were used primarily for military and ceremonial purposes, or as
mobile accompaniment for "loud" ensembles (those consisting of loud
instruments such as the shawm, cornetto (early trumpet), sackbut (early
trombone), and bagpipe).
The naker was the direct ancestor of the kettledrum or timpani.
Timpani or Kettle Drums
Timpani or kettle drums are larger, usually stationary, versions of the
Naker.
Timpani began to appear as a distinct category of percussion around the
end of the 14th century, and by 1650 had completely replaced their
smaller ancestors.
Timpani or Kettle Drums
Timpani are perhaps the most familiar of modern orchestral percussion
instruments (along with crash cymbals).
The distinctive feature of the timpani were that they were tuned to specific
notes, rather than being purely timbre-based.
Timpani or Kettle Drums
In later years the timpani came to be
tunable 'on the fly,' as they are today.
This allowed the percussionist to adapt
to key changes without changing
drums, and it is this feature in
combination with the timpani's deep
resonance and booming note that
makes them such a favorite of modern
orchestral composers.
Side Drums
Side drums were drums that were larger in diameter than in height.
They were, like the long drum, double headed and tensioned.
Some of them grew to respectable proportions, and these are the
ancestors of the bass drum.
The Military Snare Drum also
evolved from the Side Drum.
Side Drum
Because of their dimensions, side
drums were often played with the heads
perpendicular to the floor, rather than
parallel, and so the name 'side drum.'
These were some of the loudest of all
percussion instruments.
Tabor Drums
Tabors were specific forms of long drum
played with one hand using a specially-
shaped beater and often had a single
snare of sheep or goat intestine stretched
across the upper head.
Tabor drums
They accompanied a flute or fife, played with the other hand, and were
thus part of an early manifestation of the 'one-person band.'
The tabor was carried by a strap slung over one shoulder and couched
under the arm or resting on the hip.
Tambour Drums
Tambours were side drums with
only one head.
They encompassed many different
drums, including the Bodhran,
tabrin, and tabret, and came in a
great range of sizes.
Tambour Drums
The modern so-called 'finger drums' and 'hand drums,' as well as the
timbale, came from the tambour.
As the name suggests, the tambourine developed from a marriage
between the tambour and the timbrel.
Performance (part 2)
Remember that no percussion music survives from the Middle Ages, so all
performance guidelines are based on conjecture.
The prevailing school of thought at the present seems to be that
percussionists were simply living metronomes who kept a beat for the
dancers with only the occasional flourish and practically no syncopation.
Performance (part 2)
Since there’s very little information about the use of percussion during this
period, and a lot of this information is purely speculation based upon what
we know about history, they believe percussion is used primarily for
keeping a beat.
I believe there were probably a few musicians who devoted themselves
solely to percussion, and advanced their talents far beyond the
'metronome' or 'simply echo the melody line' level of musical
achievement.
Performance (part 2)
The key to being a competent musical percussionist was to stay alert
during this period. Watching other musicians, listening to the music and
following its path in your mind.
In recognizing patterns and repetition, it is not difficult to predict where a
phrase will go next or in fact when and how the piece will end, even if you
have never played it before.
Performance (part 2)
When a percussionist and the rest of the musicians are truly 'in synch,'
there is a comfortable, flowing rhythm that once experienced is never
forgotten.
The achievement of this rhythmic oneness' should be the goal of every
percussionist during every performance.
Percussion is an accompaniment instrument, which means that it serves
almost exclusively as an addition to other instruments.
Performance (part 2)
As such, it must always be subservient to the melodic parts.
With the exception of drum solos, percussionists must constantly seek
feedback about their volume and never let it overpower or in any way
interfere with melodic lines.
This does not decrease the importance of percussion as a component of
the ensemble, it merely defines its role and sets the boundaries of
acceptable performance.
Quiz #1
1) What drum is considered the ancestor of the Timpani? Why?
1) The Tambourine is a marriage between what 2 drums?
1) What was the most important type of music during the Renaissance?
1) What drum is the ancestor of the Bass Drum?
1) What drum is the ancestor of the Snare Drum?
● Medieval Music was learned, performed and understood by priests and
monks.
○ Because of this, what do you think was the most prominent type of music
during this time?
● Royalty during the Medieval Period were the only ones that could afford to
pay someone to play music for them.
● So, there is a little bit of “Secular” music from this time period, but most of it
is “Sacred”.
○ the number of priest/monk musicians outnumbered the Royalty
musicians at this time.
Sacred…..Secular….?
Backing up in History...
● Sacred music was the staple of the Medieval period, and was very plain -
even going so far as to call music of that era “Plainchant”, but moving into the
Renaissance period, instruments began to be more popular.
● Polyphony became important in vocal music and lead to a relatively thick
texture.
○ Polyphony - many different sounds happening at once.
● Socially, it was expected that everyone to learn to play an instrument and/or
sing - Music was no longer just for royalty and the rich.
Renaissance Music
Instruments and the Renaissance
● Instrumental Music during this time period was written with Dance activities in
mind, and as a result, many dance styles became available.
● The Drum became more active in instrumental music. Because there were
no words, it was allowed to be more free.
● Melodies were given to violin-like instruments, or recorders, while the drum
played and accented various beats.
● Guitar-like instruments called Lutes were used to strum to emphasize the
beats played by the drum.
Music followed the Architecture
● Music and Art often reflect what is happening in the world, and as a result
they mimicked the prevailing thoughts of the periods.
● During the Medieval times, architecture was pointy, and angular; full of
Gargoyles and sharp lines that made buildings uninviting.
● Music during this time was similar. It was usually only vocal, and mostly
sacred because the only people that studied music at this time were the
clergy of the church.
● Music was stark, usually a single melody, or in parallel 5ths.
Music followed the Architecture
● In the Renaissance, which means rebirth, there was new life in the culture.
This was reflected in the architecture, as it was more flowing: it had more
curved lines and arches instead of strict angles.
● As a result, buildings were more inviting, and pleasant to look at.
● Music also became more flowing, contained more vocal parts with lots of
imitation. Sacred music was beautiful and explored independent lines.
● While sacred music was still popular, and did change to add more flowing
music, it rarely added instruments in the period.
● Motets and music for the Mass were the two big Sacred Music contributions
to the Renaissance.
● Motet - polyphonic choral sacred music not associated with the Mass.
● Mass - choral music with specific text to be used during the celebration of the
Catholic Mass:
○ Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei
Sacred Music
● Secular music used instruments and became more popular, and began to be
based upon poetry in the Renaissance.
● Poems contained “Word Painting” became popular, and works by William
Shakespeare became very popular.
● Word Painting -when music tries to mimic what happens in the text.
○ If the text is about a leaf falling to the ground, the music might start high,
and gradually descend.
○ If the text is about running, the music might have some very fast notes to
depict that sensation.
Secular Music
As Vesta Was Descending by Thomas Weelkes
Example of polyphonic
secular music that uses word
painting.
Watch the music for the
words “descending” and
“ascending”.
Listen to what happens in the
music when those words are
sung.
Instruments in Secular Music
● Music was more available to regular folk, and as a result, it became easy to
use it as a way to incorporate dance into society.
● Songs with vocals used instruments as background as the words were still
considered to be the most important thing.
○ The Drum was primarily used to keep the beat.
○ Some music did allow the drum to be more prevalent.
● Instrumental songs, allowed the drum to be more free to add more interesting
rhythms.
1) What is polyphony?
1) What type of music flourished as a result of education being more
readily available?
1) What is Word Painting? Explain.
1) What are the 5 parts of the Catholic Mass?
1) How did music follow architecture?
Quiz #2
Music for Dancing
Dance music was strictly secular, is a relatively minor subset of the class
of instrumental music during the middle ages, gaining somewhat in
importance in the Renaissance.
Since the Renaissance was the period of enlightenment, and more people
were being educated, music began to be written for everyday things.
Secular Music - music that is not associated with religion.
Sacred Music - music that is associated with religion.
Music for Dancing
Our concern here is to differentiate the various forms of music likely to be
encountered in our chosen context and to establish some guidelines for
percussion accompaniment of each.
We will therefore address the following types of music, with emphasis on
(but not limited to) music useful in the dance: Basse Dance, Branle
(Ronde), Cantiga, Courante, Estampie, Galliard, and Pavan.
Basse Dance
The 15th century basse dance existed only as a series of long notes
which were played as a bass line by one performer while one or more
others improvised counterpoint around them.
It was standard practice to perform in this manner, without written music,
and every decent musician had a repertoire of improvisational figures to
use on such occasions.
Basse Dance
The basse dance is a slow, graceful processional dance, distinguished
from the pavan by freer, less formal movements.
Performance for percussionists: Slow dances require slow, measured
beats, gradually adding brief eighth or sixteenth note flourishes.
Avoid lots of eighth note patterns, as they tend to give a piece a 'double
time' feel that does not complement the basse dance well in most
instances.
Branle Dance
The branle (pronounced brawl') probably evolved from the ronde or
country dance, and is in 2/2 or 4/4 time.
For dancers: it is basically a circle or chain of dancers linked by holding
hands or fingers.
Branle Dance
Performance for the percussionist: This is perhaps the most common form
of dance. It is fast, lively, and offers great flexibility for the percussionist.
In other words, the percussionist has lots of freedom in what and how
he/she can play the music in this style.
Branles are predominantly in 2/2 time (a few in 4/4), and repeat often. As
with any piece, take your cue from the rhythmic construction of the melody
line.
Branle Dance
Frequent repetitions of the rhythm as well as syncopation (off-beat
rhythms) are appropriate, as long as the drummer doesn’t ruin the beat.
Often the percussionist’s freedom to embellish varies depending on the
skill of the other musicians.
A strong leader will facilitate this freedom.
Cantiga Dance
The Cantiga is more properly called
one of the 400 Cantigas de Santa
Maria of Alphonso X (el Sabio, the
Wise), King of Castile from 1252-84.
It is not known whether he wrote
them all or just collected them, either
way, he has been given all the credit.
Cantiga Dance
Cantigas are not necessarily written for dances, however, they are fun to
dance to because they are lively.
They are highly rhythmic pieces who lend themselves well to certain types
of dance, and are the most fun for the percussionist.
As a result, Cantigas offer the best opportunity for the percussionist to
show off their skills in all of the medieval repertoire.
Cantiga Dance
So many variations and rhythmic devices may be employed in
accompanying cantigas that general rules simply are not practical.
We will listen to Peter Maund (A world-class early music percussionist of
today).
Courante Dance
Courante means “to run”, but are characterized more by hopping and
sliding than running.
However, if the musicians are playing this dance very fast, it will feel like
running!
Percussionists should be keeping largely to the metric rhythm (usually in
6/8) as a service to the dancers.
Courante Dance
Courantes can be tricky and as a result it is easy to lose the beat as they
dance, because many times they are trying not to slide/hop into the other
dancers.
Percussionists were expected to emphasize beat 1 (downbeat) to help the
dancers.
Estampie Dance
The Estampie is one of the earliest surviving documented forms of
(European) dance music.
It was written in several sections, each of which was repeated, sometimes
adding a refrain section.
A steady beat is preferred with a little embellishment, and using lead-in
rhythms before obvious transitions.
Estampie Dance
The other instruments will most likely be trading off droning and melody
and probably increasing in difficulty as the repetitions progress.
Because of the melodic playfulness, rhythmic continuity falls squarely on
the shoulders of the percussionist.
As a general rule, the more complex the melodic lines, the simpler the
percussion should be.
The Galliard is found most often together with the Pavan. The Pavan will
be presented in duple meter (4/4 or 2/2), then a short pause, and followed
by a galliard in triple meter (6/8, 3/2, or 6/4).
Pavans were slow, galliards were fast.
Duple Meter - rhythms are even, felt in 2’s
Triple Meter - rhythms are odd, felt in 3’s
Galliard Dance
Galliard Dance
Percussion may reflect the fast rhythms by creating eighth note figures in
the galliard, making it feel faster.
Straight rhythms are preferred, so syncopation (off-beat rhythms) is not
appropriate.
The Downbeat is the most important.
Pavan DanceThe pavan or peacock dance' (pavo = peacock) is a slow, stately, formal,
often highly stylized processional dance characterized by legato tones
and almost rigidly rhythmic cadence.
Melody lines are more stately, and formal, so percussion is simpler and
has more repetition.
Simple, steady metric cadence with occasional embellishments drawn
from rhythms in the melodic line are the most pleasing for the pavan.
Quiz #31. What is the difference between Sacred and Secular music?
1. _______ ______________ is used to make music mimic what the text
was conveying visually.
1. Was Instrumental Music or Vocal Music more important during the
Renaissance? Why?
1. What was the primary use for the drum in the Renaissance?
1. Instrumental (secular) Music was played with what in mind?