Development of Visual Arts
Chapter 6
– What was the “Great Schism” (aka. “Papal Schism”)? How did it shake people’s faith in the Catholic church?
The Great Schism which was also known as the Papal Schism was the division of the Catholic Church into three factions in the year 1378. Each faction had its own pope. The division happened because the government of the day in England and France could not understand why the church was being exempted from tax. The reason by the church was that it was free from secular law that required everyone to pay tax because it associated it with the secular world. The people’s faith in the Catholic Church was shaken because all the three factions were constantly bickering. Moreover, they were threatening princes that they would excommunicate them yet no one knew which pope represented the true church.
– What effect did the Plague have on the secularization of culture?
The plague on the secularization of culture led to the re-Assessment of people’s life and their culture. The psychological and spiritual reaction not only led people to turning back to got but also turning into hedonism in equal measure. This was as a result of fatalism.
– What do “Ars nova” and “Ars antiqua” refer to in music?
Ars antiqua refers to the music of the thirteenth century, Ars nova on the other hand, refers to a form of French music of the fourteenth century.
Who was the greatest composer of the ars nova? Why is his Messe de Notre Dame such a big deal? How was is different from settings of the Mass that came before it?
It was developed by Phillipe de Vitry. The music made a major contribution of notating the rhythms of the fourteenth century which were problematic. To do this, the form of music rejected triple rhythm which enabled the development of an effective rhythm that had a rhythmic notation through a system called mensuration.
The new approach gave rise to duple and triple groupings. Hence music could be divided into two or three breves. Where a breve could be divided into two or three semibreves. Furthermore, a semibreve consisted of two or three minims. The mensural proportions were determined at the start of a piece and remained so unless indications were made in the music. It was done by changing the mensuration signature or using red ink. Consequently, the notations of the fourteenth century were some of the most attractive scores. The music’s mensural system, led to the development of a new form of music. Which was a takeover from the ars antiqua of the thirteenth century and which saw the introduction of duple rhythm which would become dominant later in the sixteenth and twentieth century. As a result, the Ars nova made it possible to coordinate very complex rhythms of the twentieth century music.
– What are characteristics of the “ars subtilior”? Where and when did it flourish?
The ars subtilio is form of French music that flourished in the late fourteenth century. The music exploited ars nova to its limit. It encouraged subtlety and extravagance whereby composers created music of high intricacy and elaborateness. The music was characteristic of mannerism due to the ending life span of ars nova. It was also characterized by the exploitation of notational possibilities of the mensural system. Artists used any available instrument to come up with complex rhythms. The notations took various shapes that had a visual appeal.
Composers of the art tested the limit of dissonance and harmony. Therefore, at the end of the fourteenth century, the eight pitch class was expanded to accommodate other pitches that were contained in the chromatic scale. As a result, artists had the free will to try out any form of dissonance so long as the music reached the perfect consonance.
Chapter 7
– What other great discoveries (outside of music) happened in the 1400’s? How was visual art changing (read especially Leonardo da Vinci excerpts!)
Besides music, there were other great discoveries that took place in the 1400s. One such discovery was renaissance. The discovery freed the imagination of people from authority especially that of the church. It therefore propagated the belief that life could be fulfilled by human intellect and his effort rather than relying on grace and revelation. Another discovery was on the nature of the earth. Christopher Columbus travelled across the world and discovered new places.
In visual arts, Leonardo da Vinci was of the opinion that art was all about the imitation of what one could see in nature and portraying it in the mind. It also means having a personal attachment to these objects by observing their characteristics such as social manners. It is based on these characteristics that analyses can be done. Art also used proportions to represent visual perspective which was a takeover from symbolic organization. The setting for art, was realistic and satisfied the artist’s urge to create some form of order.
What was the biggest effect of the Hundred Years’ War on European music? What composer was largely responsible for this influence? Who in particular did he influence?
The Hundred Years’ war on the European music affected the development of musical styles. The war made people to move from one region to the other hence affecting the interaction which could have led to development of music. The composer who influenced this was John Dunstaple an English man. He influenced the musicians in the whole of Europe because his music appealed to the cultural movement.
Guillaume Du Fay composed the Nuper rosarum flores for what purpose? And what inspired his composition?
Guillaume Du Fay composed the Nuper rosarum Flores as a dedication to the dome in the cathedral in Florence. He was inspired by architect Filippo Brunellesch who had solved the problem of the dome which had given the builders problems in supporting it. The Nuper rosarum Flores made reference to King Solomon’s temple built in Jerusalem.
