University of Waterloo
Department of Music
Music 253
Cathedral and Court: Music to 1600
Fall 2016
Tu & Th 1:00-2:20 p.m., CGR 1208
Instructor: Dr. Debra Lacoste
Office Hours: Tu 12:00-12:50 p.m. or by appointment, CGR 1113
Email: [email protected]
Course Description
This course introduces the major developments in western music during the Middle Ages and
Renaissance. Topics include Gregorian chant, liturgical drama, mass, motet, secular songs, instrumental
music, and other musical genres that flourished under courtly and church patronage from the early
Christian church to 1600.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
A. Identify the general musical characteristics of Medieval chant and polyphony.
 Students will listen to examples in class and at home.
 Students will study scores and facsimiles of Medieval manuscripts.
 Students will learn how to read chant notation and other styles of early music-writing.
B. Identify the general musical characteristics of sacred and secular Renaissance music.
 Students will listen to examples in class and at home.
 Students will study scores of Renaissance music.
C. Be familiar with the variety of instruments played during the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
 Students will be shown a series of videos where early musical instruments are
demonstrated.
 Students will be encouraged to try to identify the instruments they hear on recordings.
D. Identify the principal composers of early music and what types of music they wrote.
 Students will participate in composer activities.
 Students will be directed to descriptions in the text and in online resources.
 Written reports will focus on a musical work; this directed research will result in the
student becoming an expert.
E. Describe, using proper terminology, the principal types of compositions (both secular and
sacred) in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
 Daily in-class examples will be described thoroughly with reference to the score and
audio (or video) recordings.
 Students will listen to each type of composition and discover their unique
characteristics.
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Required Texts


Burkholder, J. Peter, Grout, Donald J., and Palisca, Claude V. <A History of Western Music.> 9th
ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2014. [ISBN 978-0-393-91829-8] (Library Reserve: ML160
.G87 2014)
Burkholder, J. Peter, and Palisca, Claude V., eds. <Norton Anthology of Western Music.> 7th ed.
Vol. 1: Ancient to Baroque. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2014. [ISBN 978-0-393-92161-8
(pbk.)]
Optional Materials

Norton Recorded Anthology of Western Music. Vol. 1: Ancient to Baroque. New York:
Naxos/Norton, 2010. 6 Compact Discs. (Library Reserve: CGC CD800 Nor Mus-4 v.1)
Course Requirements and Assessment
Assessment
• Quiz on Chant
• Midterm Examination
• SELECT ONE:
Presentation
or
Transcription
• Written Report, including referenced
bibliography (3% proposal + 17%
completed research report)
• Participation
• Final Exam
Total
Date of Evaluation
Th Sep 29, 2016, 1:00 p.m.
Tu Nov 1, 2016, 1:00 p.m.
Weighting
10%
25%
During class on Nov 10 or 15, 2016
10%
Due: Th Nov 10, 2016, 1:00 p.m.
Proposal Due: Oct 13, 2016 by 11:59 p.m.
Report Due: Nov 22, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.
recorded during class and through online
discussions on LEARN
During exam period TBA
20%
5%
30%
100%
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Course Outline
Topics to be covered and corresponding readings in Burkholder are listed below. Readings should be
done before each class to facilitate note taking. In addition, the textual excerpts in the Norton Anthology
(NAWM) following each musical example should be reviewed.
Class
Date
Topic
1
2
3
4
5
6
Th Sep 8
Tu Sep 13
Th Sep 15
Tu Sep 20
Th Sep 22
Tu Sep 27
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Th Sep 29
Tu Oct 4
Th Oct 6
Th Oct 13
Tu Oct 18
Th Oct 20
Tu Oct 25
Th Oct 27
Tu Nov 1
Introduction, The Middle Ages, Liturgical History
Notation, Early Music Theory, Guido of Arezzo
The Liturgical Office
The Mass
Tropes and Sequences, Liturgical Drama, Instruments
Library Presentation; Secular Song: Troubadours &
Trouvères
Quiz on Chant; then, Minnesingers, Cantigas
Early Organum, Aquitanian Polyphony
Notre Dame Polyphony: Léonin, Pérotin
Conductus & Motet, English Polyphony
Ars Nova: Philippe de Vitry, Guillaume de Machaut
Ars Subtilior, Italian Trecento: Landini
The Renaissance, 15th-Century England
Guest Lecture
Midterm Exam
16
17
18
19
20
21
Th Nov 3
Tu Nov 8
Th Nov 10
Tu Nov 15
Th Nov 17
Tu Nov 22
22
Th Nov 24
No Class (American Musicological Society Meeting)
The Duchy of Burgundy: Binchois, Du Fay
Presentations, Ockeghem, Busnoys
Presentations, Josquin des Prez
The Reformation
16th-Century Sacred Music I: Byrd, Palestrina
16th-Century Sacred Music II: de Victoria, Orlando di
Lasso
The Italian Madrigal
23
Tu Nov 29
The Rise of National Styles
Th Dec 1
TBA
The English Madrigal and English Lute Songs
Instrumental Music, Music in Venice
Final Exam
24
9th Edition Readings
(Chapter: Page #s)
2:22-32
2:32-45
3:46-47, 51-59
3:47-51, 59-60
3:60-66, 4:80-83
4:67-79
4:79-80
5:84-91
5:91-99
5:99-110
6:111-127
6:127-141
7:143-164, 8:165-173
Chapters 2-6 (pp. 22141)
8:173-187
9:190-198
9:200-212
10:213-223
10:223-234
10:234-240
11:245-256, 13:297300
9:198-200, 11:241245, 257-259
11:260-263
12:264-285
Chapters 7-13
(pp. 143-285 and 297300)
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UW-LEARN
There is a course website on UW-Learn. Check it frequently!
Late Work
Missed Tests and Assignment Deadlines: A missed quiz or exam will require official documentation
(such as a doctor’s note) for there to be any chance of leniency. The late policy for assignments is:
minus one full letter-grade per day, i.e., one day late A becomes B, two days late A becomes C, etc.
Submit your assignments in class by the deadline, or if late, to the main Grebel office or the music office
and have them dated and time-stamped.
Information on Plagiarism Detection
Please keep a copy of all submitted assignments. Electronic versions of assignments may be requested
by the instructor.
Electronic Device Policy
Recording devices are not allowed during lectures without permission of the instructor.
Attendance Policy
Attendance at all classes is expected. Bring the anthology to each class. Assigned readings should be
completed before each class to facilitate note-taking. Class Participation will take the form of group
activities and online discussions on the Learn website.
Listening Expectations
Listen often to the musical examples! Both the midterm and final exams will include a significant
listening component. We will occasionally listen to music in class that is not in your text; these selections
will not be required for recognition on exams but you may be asked general, descriptive questions about
music that is unfamiliar to you.
Travel Arrangements
Travel arrangements should be made after the date for the final exam has been announced.
Cross-Listed Course
Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under
which rubric it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a
Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science rubric.
Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the
University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and
responsibility. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage and the Arts Academic Integrity
webpage for more information.
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Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid
committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is
unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid
offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek
guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean.
When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under
Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties,
students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for
the Assessment of Penalties.
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life
has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the
department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.
Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances
(other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A
student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student
Appeals.
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
Note for students with disabilities: The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of
the Needles Hall extension (1401), collaborates with all academic departments to arrange
appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic
integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your
disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.
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