Gillespie

Five Centuries of Keyboard Music

Part I

2. Early Keyboard Music

The Beginnings

-The earliest music written especially with keyboard instruments in mind: The Robertsbridge Codex (ca 1320),

which contains the first notated organ music (2- and 3 voices). It contains 6 pieces, 3 in the general form of the

estampie.

-Estampie:

~series of puncta (sections)

~each puncta is supplied with an ouvert ending (half cadence) and the clos ending (final cadence)

~it is built almost entirely on parallel fifths

~traces of vocal style (such as hoquetus)

-Other early collections of Keyboard music are the Sagan-, the Winsem-, and the Breslau Collections.

-The most advanced collection is the Ileborgh Tablature (1448), which establishes a tonal center and indicates

clear parts for the pedal. This tablature has five short preludes and three mensurae.

-Conrad Paumann (1410-1473), a Nuremberg organist, formulated the rules for instrumental handling of

counterpoint in his Fundamentum Organisandi.

-Buxheim Organ Book (1475):

~220 arrangements of songs

~30 instrumental preludes: improvisatory passages alter with chordal sections; also the earlier practice

of fauxbourdon is here again applied to the keyboard

Keyboard Composers of the Renaissance

Germany and Austria

-Arnolt Schlick (1460-1517), organist from Heidelberg:

~leading composer in the school of organ composition that eventually led to Bach

~"Tabulaturen Etlicher Lobgesang und Lidlein uff die Orgeln und Lauten" contains 14 organ pieces, twelve pieces for lute and voice, and 3 for lute alone

~"Maria zart," 3-voice organ chorale

-Paul Hofhaimer (1459-1537), Austrian:

~founded what has been called the Viennese School

~"O Dulcis Maria"

-Johann Buchner (1483-ca 1538):

~"Quem terra, pontus"

-Hans Kotter (1485-1541):

~composed organ-chorale types of compositions, preludes, arrangements of songs, and some early dances

~"Praeambulum in Fa"

-Leonhard Kleber (1490-1556):

~his music is more 'modern'

~because of his use of ornamentation, he sometimes is called the first composer in the German Colorist School

~"Finale in re seu preambalon"

France

-In 1530/31, the Parisian music publisher Pierre Attaignant printed seven collections of keyboard works:

~the pieces are mostly arrangements of sacred and secular vocal works

~the fifth collection consists of dances

~the gaillarde (galliard) appears for the first time in print

England

-The Royal Appendix 58 (1520-40) contains ten instrumental pieces (dances):

~One of the dances, a hornpipe, is by Hugh Aston (ca 1480-1520). It has an unusual length of 153 measures and is constructed on a bass pattern derived from a triad on F alternating with its dominant

on C

~Two other pieces, My Lady Careys Dompe and The Short Mesure of My Lady Wynkfylds Rownde,

are also using an ostinato-type bass.

-The Mulliner Book (around 1550):

~most pieces are intended for organ

~contains compositions by John Taverner, Richard Farrant, and John Redford

Italy

-Italian repertoire was for the most part limited to the ricercar and the fantasia.

-Marco Antonio Cavazzoni (1480-1559), also known as Marc' Antonio da Bologna:

~The Recerchari Motetti Canzoni is one of the earliest Italian collections, it consists of eight pieces: four transcriptions of French songs, two ricercari, and two transcriptions of motets.

-Girolamo Cavazzoni (ca 1500-ca 1560):

~published in 1543 a collection of ricercari, canzoni, hymns, and magnificats

-Andrea Gabrieli (ca 1510-1586):

~he wrote ricercari, toccatas, and preludes

~he uses many sustained sonorities which suggests performance on the organ

-Claudio Merulo (1533-1604):

~he was among the best organists of his day

~he divided his toccatas into a number of sections, alternating chordal passages with florid sections

-Giovanni Gabrieli (1557-1612):

~he composed mostly for the organ

~among his best works are his ricercari and canzoni

Spain

-Antonio de Cabezon (1510-1566):

~he designated his music for keyboard, harp, and guitar, without giving direction of which instrument

was most appropriate

~he wrote many diferencias (or variations)

~"Diferencias sabre el canto ilano del caballero"