Micrologus; The Medieval Improvisors

82-10 THE MEDIEVAL IMPROVISORS

It has become increasingly clear in the last few decades that much of the music heard in the Middle Ages depended on something extra brought to the performance by the performers—some on-the-spot composing, as it were. And it has only been in the last, say, 15 years that scholars and performers have begun to make convincing realizations of this repertoire, using "how-to" explanations found in a handful of medieval treatises, supplemented by folk and non-European musical traditions where similar practices survive today, and also by the precious few surviving pieces which seem to follow the rules of improvisation as set down by the theorists.

The earliest and certainly the most straightforward of these improvised practices about which we have knowledge is parallel organum, that is, the duplication of a chant melody in parallel motion at the interval of an octave, a fifth, or a fourth. The practice is described in some detail in a pair of treatises: Musica enchiriadis (Music manual), and Scholia enchiriadis (Commentary with manual). These treatises date from the 9th century. which means that the music you will hear based on the techniques described in them is among the oldest you will ever hear on this program.

In these few short examples the improvised voices are first in parallel 5ths with the original chant then in parallel at various combinations of 5ths, 4ths, and octaves—something which is referred to as composite organum. The technique is fairly simple in both explanation and execution, but how much more solemn the sound must have been to the listeners and what new vistas were opened up for composers and improvising singers.

[MUSIC]

The author of Musica enchiriadis noted that strict parallel organum at the 4th was often not very satisfactory because of the frequent appearance of the interval of an augmented 4th—an unconscionable dissonance which they referred to as diabolus in musica (the Devil in Music). To avoid this he recommended modifying the strict parallel nature of organum at the 4th beginning and ending phrases on a unison and using occasional unisons, 5ths, and even 3rds, to avoid dissonance where necessary. This is the example he gives:

[MUSIC]

Modifed parallel organum at the 4th was all the rage for about 200 years—how's that for stylistic stability!—although there were a few variations documented in the 11th century by the famous theorist Guido of Arezzo in his attractively-titled treatise, Micrologus. By 1100 AD, however, things had changed. Presumably singers got so used to modifying the parallel motion that they came to appreciate the variety of intervals available to them. The new style, which we refer to as free organum, called for a great deal of contrary motion—a complete turnaround from the strict parallel style of the earliest organum—and the consonant intervals available to the improvising singers were: unison, octaves, 5ths, 4ths, and even occasional 3rds and 6ths. In this example from a treatise entitled Ad organum faciendum (On the making of organum) only the sections of the original chant which would normally have been sung by soloists are set in organum, suggesting that it was the task of cantors of the time to sing an improvised part in free organum when these sections arrived.

[MUSIC]

An "Alleluia" in free organum from the treatise Ad organum faciendum]

I think there must have been a fair amount of ego involved in the development of the next style of improvising. One can imagine that the singers got so good at singing one note against each note of the original plainchant, that they had an overpowering urge to sing more than one note-in other words to show off. At any rate the, next style—which we usually refer to as the St. Martial School—includes many places where several notes are sung by the improvisor against one note of the original chant. Naturally, the chant in this style must move more slowly to accommodate the extra notes in the improvised part.

[MUSIC: "Rex omnia tenens " a piece in the improvised organum style of the so-called St. Martial School of the 12th century]

Up to this point in the program by the way all of the examples have been performed by the Pro Cantione Antiqua of London directed by Edgar Fleet.

It is curious that certain stylistic traits have to be taken to unbelieveable extremes before they are discarded. Such is the case with the slowing of the tenor melody to accommodate more notes in the improvised part. In the style of organum from the School of Notre Dame (named after the cathedral in Paris which was under construction as the style developed) one note of the original chant might be held for a prodigious length of time—so much that at times the chant sounds and functions like a drone over which the improvising singer spins his melody of scales, sequences, cascading runs, and so on. The example we will hear, which is from the "Alleluia" for Easter Sunday, is probably a written-out version of an improvisation by the legendary 12th century Notre Dame singer Leonin. It's performed here by the Early Music Consort of London, directed by David Munrow.

[MUSICl]

Toward the end of that example you may have noticed that the chant sped up to almost the speed of the improvising voice—almost back to our note-against-note style, in other words—and it was this style, called discant, which eventually became the basis of virtually all part-music written in the European tradition. After all, the sustained-note style which dominated that piece when applied to the music of the entire Mass, produced a church service that lasted for hours and hours. I am sure the singers must have protested even if the congregation did not.

At any rate the 12th century, which saw so many changes in organum style, also saw the rise of the troubadours and their music. The theorist most closely associated with the troubadours, Johannes de Grocheo, tells us that every vielle player worth his salt knew how to play an introduction to any one of these songs. With that useful but meager reference, modern scholars and performers have turned for stylistic guidance to the Arabic musical tradition, which was close to the Provençal culture at the time, and where the practice of introducing and accompanying songs has changed little since the Middle Ages. In the troubadour song we are about to hear only the words and a simple melody have been notated. Virtually everything played by the vielle in this performance—the long sectionalized introduction. the drones and other accompaniment figures—have all been devised in the style of the Arab Nuba by the performer Sterling Jones, and the director of this performance by the Early Music Quartet, Thomas Binkley.

[MUSIC: "Baros de mon dan covit." a troubadour song, sung by Richard Levitt, countertenor, with an improvised accompaniment by Sterling Jones, vielle]

There is some evidence that troubadour songs were sung using improvised organum-like techniques as well. Once or twice we find a reference to a singer who could descantar the songs of another troubadour. Descantar is an old Provencal verb meaning "to sing a discant.” We also have one or two troubadour song melodies which appear in liturgical manuscripts with Latin words and, interestingly, added voices in organum style. In this next example, another troubadour song, the melody played by the harp comes from one such sacred manuscript. You have to listen closely because the harp is quite soft.

[MUSIC: "L'autrier just' una sebissa,” a troubadour song as performed by Martin Best, with the harp in an improvised discant style]

By the late 13th century the English had developed their own unique kind of improvising, one which included far more 3rds and 6ths than the continental variety. In fact there are so many 3rds and 6ths in this style that it is largely a parallel procedure, like the earliest organum and unlike the discant technique which was developing on the continent and which still regarded contrary motion as the most desirable procedure.

We are going to listen to a l2th century English song in praise of St. Nicholas. We will hear it first in its natural simplicity as performed by David James of The Hilliard Ensemble, then in a version in English Cantilena style performed by Ensemble Sequentia. Both selections were recorded live in concert

[MUSIC]

The next selection is another short piece in the English Cantilena style of the late l3th century, this time a setting of the communion chant "Beata viscera.” It is performed by the Pro Cantione Antiqua of London, directed by Edgar Fleet.

[MUSIC]

That sweet sonority became the basis of the l5th-century improvised procedures of faburden and fauxbourdon, and eventually of the sweet triadic harmonies of the music of the Renaissance era, so we begin to see the importance and influence of medieval improvisatory techniques on the development of musical style in our culture!

The final piece on today's show reflects the early l5th century practice of improvising over a slow-moving dance melody. Such pieces were played by the minstrels of French noble households: musicians, I might add, who by all reports could not read music and therefore depended entirely on an aural improvised tradition—somewhat like the jazz improvisers of this century. We hear now "Je suis povere de léesse" (which might in fact be freely translated as "I got the blues") performed by Syntagma Musicum, directed by Kees Otten.

[MUSIC]

You've been listening to a program exploring the musical traces of Medieval Improvisers.