Messe de Nostre Dame

A four-part polyphonic setting of the Mass Ordinary by Guillaume de Machaut, composed in the 14th century. It is among the earliest complete settings of the Ordinary attributed to a single composer.

Mass Ordinary: The set of unchanging texts sung or spoken in the Roman Catholic Mass. Machaut sets its five principal movements as a unified musical cycle.
Polyphony: Music in which two or more independent melodic lines sound simultaneously. Four vocal parts create the Mass's interwoven musical texture.
Guillaume de Machaut: A French poet and composer of the 14th century, known for both secular and sacred works. He is the composer to whom the Mass is attributed.
Machaut's Kyrie: The Kyrie movement of Guillaume de Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame. Its compact phrases establish the cycle's opening invocation.
Kyrie: A Greek-language prayer for mercy used in Christian liturgy. Its repeated petitions open the Mass Ordinary cycle.
Cantus firmus: A pre-existing melody used as the basis for a polyphonic composition. A chant melody anchors the lower voice in portions of the cycle.
Reims Cathedral: A Gothic cathedral in northeastern France and the seat of the archbishop of Reims. Machaut served there as a canon, linking his career to the city's liturgical life.
Machaut's Gloria: The Gloria movement of Guillaume de Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame. Its extended text calls for a different pacing from the shorter movements.
Isorhythm: A medieval compositional technique that repeats a rhythmic pattern, often with a different melody above it. Machaut uses isorhythmic organization in parts of the Mass's movements.
Hocket: A musical technique that divides a melody between voices through alternating notes and rests. Brief exchanges between parts sharpen the Mass's rhythmic motion.

Linked from 5 pages