Introduction to Modes

Transcription

1 Introduction to Modes CHAPTER 33 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL Music for Analysis Determine the mode of each of the folloing chants. A solis ortus, Lauds for Christmas Day, Hymn 3 (Lier Usualis, p. 400) V œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ A so-lis or - tus car - di - ne Ad us - que ter - rae li - mi-tem, V œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Christ - tum ca - na - mus Prin - ci - pem, Na - tum Ma - ri - a Vir - gi- ne. Requiem aeternam, Mass for the Dead (Lier Usualis, p. 1807) V œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œœœœœ œœœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Re - qui -em ae - ter - nam Do - na e-is V œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Do - mi - ne, Et lux per - pe - tu - a V œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ lu - ce - at e - is. 131

2 132 The Dodecachordon Heinrich Glarean ( ) as a Siss music theorist hose ork codified the use of the modes in medieval and Renaissance music. His theoretical treatise as titled Dodecachordon, from dodeca- meaning telve and -chord(on) meaning a group of notes played on strings. Glarean as the first theorist to link the modes used in Gregorian chant ith the emergence of the emergence of tonality, hich primarily used the Aeolian and Ionion modes. Glarean descried the eight modes (four authentic and four plagal) that ere used in the composition of chant tunes. In addition, he proposed the addition of four ne modes that ecame prominent during the Renaissance, Aeolian, Ionian, and their plagal counterparts. He discussed the use of all modes in the polophonic music of the Renaissance and stated his elief that the Ionian mode as used most frequently y composers of his day. Glarean s treatise had an enormous effect on later theorists. Many other Renaissance riters accepted his ideas on the telve modes and ased their susequent orks on his premise. Renaissance Polyphony In the Renaissance period, theorists egan to rite aout changes in the ay that modes ere perceived and aout ne methods of composition. Pietro de Aaron, in treatises ritten in the early sixteenth century, distinguished the successive method of composition from the simultaneous method. The simultaneous method of composition ears a greater resemlance to tonal composition than the earlier successive method. Using the simultaneous method of composition, composers constructed each line of a polyphonic texture ith a regard for ho that line ould sound ith other lines of the texture. Eventually, composers and theorists of the later Renaissance dropped the distinctions eteen the authentic and plagal modes and egan to refer to the six modes, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Ionian. Toard the end of the Renaissance period, certain chordal formulas egan to appear consistently at ending points in compositions, moving toard the concepts of cadences and chord progressions as e kno them today. These formulas ecame especially prevalent as the use of the original four modes egan to ane and the to neest ones, Aeolian and Ionian, ecame the most commonly used modes. The chordal formulas, similar to our IV V I progressions ecame the norm in compositions at the end of the sixteenth and the eginning of the seventeenth centuries. The move aay from modal music, ith its lack of emphasis of chords and progressions, toards tonal music, ith all its implications, as one of the signals of the end of the Renaissance and the eginning of the Baroque (anvvd the Common Practice period). The folloing example from a late Renaissance mass demonstrates the groing concept of cadential progressions. Spell the chords found in the last to measures to discover if the polyphony in this piece produces a familiar chord progression. Carlo Gesualdo, Missa O Magnum Mysterium, Kyrie, mm B B. Ó Ky - œ œ œ lei œ œ. œ Ó Ky -ri - ri - e e - # i - n e e lei œ œ œ œ lei œ œ œ œ son, Ky -ri - œ œ. œ e e œ son, Ky -ri - e e # lei - lei -

3 133 PRACTICE: The Modes Using Key Signatures rite the key signature fore each of the folloing modes. It ill NOT e the same as the parallel major or minor key signature. F Dorian G Phrygian A@ Mixolydian C Locrian A Lydian C# Mixolydian B@ Aeolian D Phrygian F# Ionian B Phrygian C# Dorian G Lydian B@ Mixolydian D Aeolian E@ Dorian B@ Locrian E@ Phyrgian D Mixolydian D@ Dorian B Ionian G@ Dorian F Locrian G@ Phrygian C Lydian

4 134 PRACTICE: Modal Progressions Using roman numerals, rite several progressions using the chord qualities specific to the mode that you choose. You should experiment ith several of the modes. Using the staves elo, choose to of the progressions you rote and create a soprano and ass line for each. Add inner voices and nonharmonic tones. Use additional staff paper if you ish to notate more of your progressions.

5 135 Keyoard Exercises: Modes The folloing figures demonstrate ho to use a scale other than C major to perform the modes on the piano. This is the Ionian mode starting on F. It is identical to F major. If you start the F Ionian mode on its second note, the result is Dorian on G. If you start the F Ionian mode on its third note, the result is Phrygian on A. If you start the F Ionian mode on its fourth note, the result is Lydian on B@. If you start the F Ionian mode on its fifth note, the result is Mixolydian on C. If you start the F Ionian mode on its sixth note, the result is Aeolian on D. If you start the F Ionian mode on its seventh note, the result is Locrian on E.