5 Tuesday Sessions from 7:00-8:15 p.m. Eastern Time
March 19, 26, April 2, 9, and 16.
The Italian printer Ottaviano Petrucci (1466-1539) is well known for the publication of Harmonice Musices Odhecaton (1501), the first book of polyphonic sheet music printed from moveable type. Petrucci’s work comprises 61 publications in the first two decades of the 16th century, including three volumes of secular songs (Odhecaton A, followed by Canti B, and Canti C), 16 books of masses, 5 books of motets, 11 anthologies of frottole, and six books of lute music.
The quality of Petrucci’s work is outstanding; his publications are known for the complexity of the mensural notation used, the beautiful aesthetic and high accuracy, all of which set the bar high for the music printing industry of the mid and later 16th century. Petrucci printed each sheet of music in three steps: once for the music staves, a second time for the notes, and finally a third time for the words. Printed sheet music had a profound influence on the musical style around Europe by revolutionizing its accessibility and distribution with far more ease than what was previously known. With its help, the polyphonic style of Franco-Flemish composers became a new international musical language across Europe.
In this 5-week course we will sample music from Petrucci’s different publications. A technical emphasis in regards to the mensural notation of the early 16th century continues to be the ease of reading moveable clefs, working in different mensurations, including triple, and some ligatures. Sound files of the pieces are accessible for personal practice between classes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottaviano_Petrucci
