Changes: John Dunstable: 'Quam Pulchra es' motet/Yanet Bermudez

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Revision as of 02:35, 27 March 2018

==Introduction ==

John Dunstable, notable English composer of the Early Renaissance period (1400-1474). This period was marked by the rebirth of the ancient culture (Greek and Roman) in a humanist context.

The music composed in this period was similar to the medieval era with slow changes in the harmony perspective. In this motet composed by Dunstable and called Quam Pulchra Es, the influence of the past in his music is evident but with the addition of the English style of music which used triads moving mainly in parallel motion.

Analysis

After listening the motet with the score it is easy to understand why this is a motet because it has 3 voices with Latin text, which is called a polyphonic sacred work. The interesting element are that these three voices have the same words at the same time, which could mean that in this period began to appear a particular interest on the text. There are not many dissonances here in contrast with the last musical period. I would say that the music composed in this period is more consonant than dissonant. Composers were avoiding dissonances. Dunstable particularly uses a lot of triads in his music and this motet is not the exemption, it shows triads in parallel motion. I consider that this motet has a lyrical melodic line.

Comparisions

“Quam Pulchra es” motet can be contrasted with the motet “Nuper Rosarum Flores” composed by Dufay. In three ways, melodies, treatment of voices and rhythms.

In Quam Pulchra es all voices have the same text at the same time and in the case of the Nuper Rosarum Flores the text is treated differently almost in a canonic structure.

The rhythm in the Nuper Rosarum Flores is a resource that Dunstable exploited more than Dunstable for example in Quam Pulchra es motet the rhythm is mostly the same but in the case of Nuper Rosarum Flores” the rhythm is repeating constantly in different meters.

In Quam Pulchra es, I noticed a relevant exaltation of the text but in Nuper Rosarum Flores this concept is not emphasized.

Observations

For me it has been interesting to see how composers in this particular period began to change the treatment of the harmony avoiding the popular dissonances of the past earning surprising results. I preferred the motets to see how they started adding new elements to their music, and also the fact that composers began to be more confidents about the relationship between music and text

Works Cited

Brown, Howard. Music in the Renaissance. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1976. p. 40.

W. Warren, Charles The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan., 1973), pp. 92-105.

http://sausage.whatbox.ca:15263/imglnks/usimg/1/14/IMSLP78350-PMLP157781-Dufay_Nuper_rosarum_flores_PML.pdf

http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/f/f4/IMSLP44169-PMLP94985-Dunstaple_Quam_pulchra.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QipoTdSDx8[1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a75GMFCbLBA

Quam_pulchra_es-0 — Quam pulchra es-0

File:IMSLP44169-PMLP94985-Dunstaple Quam pulchra.pdfFile:IMSLP78350-PMLP157781-Dufay Nuper rosarum flores PML.pdf

Guillaume_Dufay_-_Nuper_rosarum_flores-0 — Guillaume Dufay - Nuper rosarum flores-0