15th century music was dominated by the Franco-Flemish school, including composers Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois, Antoine Busnois, and John Dunstable. Sacred music like masses, motets, and magnificats were popular, and the mass transitioned from individual sections to a unified whole structure based on cantus firmus. Secular forms like rondeaux, ballades and virelais were also composed. Composers began writing in homophonic textures with parallel harmony to enhance understandability of liturgical lyrics. Guillaume Dufay was a pioneering composer who potentially developed techniques like fauxbourdon and helped bridge late medieval and Renaissance musical styles.

1. 15th Century Music

2.  was a group of composers active in the 15th Century
 main composers of this time are Guillaume Dufay, Gilles
Binchois, Antoine Busnois & John Dunstable
 It was the first phase of activity of the Franco-Flemish school
 most composers also wrote sacred music in ‘masses, motets &
magnificats’.
 mass was transformed from individual sections to a unified
whole based on ‘Cantus Firmus’
 The composers favoured secular forms i.e Rondeau, ballade,
virelai & bergerette (all are ‘chanson’).

3.  Motet transformed from isorhythmic model to smooth
polyphonic sectional composition
 Music was also composed for dancing
 Compositions were in triple meter with duple meter used
to add contrast

4.  French for false base, believed to be developed at this time
by Guillaume Dufay
 Homophony and mostly parallel harmony allows liturgical
lyrics to be understood clearer
 It is produced by three voices moving in parallel triads

5.  Received early training in choir at Cambrai, northern
France
 Ordained a priest in 1428
 Considered to be the leading composer of the Renaissance
 Believed to have invented and mastered Fauxbourdan
 A Franco -Flemish composer, & principle composer of the
Burgundian school
 Joined papal singers in Rome where he taught many other
composers
 His works were noted to be rich in harmonic texture
 Interlinks late medieval music to Renaissance

6.  wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgundian_School
 wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauxbourdon
 Class notes
 www.medieval.org/emfaq/composers/dufay
 Guillaume Dufay- Nuper Roserum Flores (you tube)
 Gilles Binchois- Magnificat(you tube)
 Google images: Guillume Dufay
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QipoTdSDx8&feature=player_e
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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L12y_evbfPw&feature=player_emb
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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2A_Fec3M8Y