Examples of Gregorian Chant and Sacred Music of the 16th Century


Book Description

The only systematic survey of its kind! The great composers of the sixteenth century—Palestrina, Victoria, des Pres, Lassus, and Morales—employed a common body of techniques in their approach to ecclesiastical art music before the development of harmony. Now available from Waveland Press, this systematic survey of examples of their music stresses these similarities, thereby helping musicians to master the techniques of sixteenth-century counterpoint. Since the basis of mastery lies in the ability to understand and to write in two and three voices, the editors have included twenty-six examples of two-voice writing and twenty-seven examples of three-voice writing. Samples of four- and five-voice writing, as well as larger, multi-movement Masses, have been included for more advanced students. Identification of sources, commentary, and translations are provided at the end of the collection.

























A Practical Approach to 16th Century Counterpoint


Book Description

Practical work in writing counterpoint! Gauldin emphasizes the acquisition of writing skills in the contrapuntal discipline and the simulation of sixteenth-century sacred polyphonic idioms in this volume. The author follows a didactic method of a non-species or direct approach. While no previous contrapuntal training is necessary to absorb this material, some acquaintance with Baroque polyphonic terminology proves helpful. Key features include: musical examples illustrating specific devices are taken from musical literature or composed by the author; demonstrates the possibility of employing a single given pitch series within the contexts of different compositional techniques; includes a collection of complete or excerpted movements drawn from musical literature at the conclusion of each major textual division; emphasizes Palestrina and the Counter-Reformation sacred style; discusses various compositional procedures of the late Renaissance, including paraphrase, cantus firmus, familiar style, parody, polychoral technique, and chromaticism.




Gregorian Chant for Church and School


Book Description

by Sister Mary Antonine Goodchild, O.P. What a wonderful find this is: an ideal textbook on chant for junior high, high school, or really any age. It is mercifully free of verbiage or exaggerated detail. It is short and completely clear on all aspects of learning to chant (notes, rhythm, Latin, style), and it contains a vast amount of the basic repertoire, in neumes and with English translations. It even has study questions! Many of us have wished that such a book would be written. It took Fr. Samuel Weber to point out that such a book already exists, and now, praise be to God, it is in print again. As the title says, it is the perfect text for Church and school. It came out in 1944 but it isn't in the slightest bit dated. This is priced for mass distribution.