The Birth of Polyphony - Different Types of Organum Explained

In this video we explore the origins of polyphony across Europe and its development into various styles. We'll listen to examples of Notre Dame Polyphony by Leonin, Perotin, and other anonymous composers.
Introduction - 0:00
Evidence of early polyphony - 1:15
Drone - 1:53
Parallel Organum - 2:44
Mixed or Oblique Organum - 3:01
Free Organum - 3:32
Discant and Florid Organum - 4:02
Notre Dame Polyphony - 4:36
How to listen to organum - 6:03
"Viderunt Omnes" by Leonin - 6:40
"Viderunt Omnes" by Perotin - 8:04
Contemporary response by John of Salisbury - 9:12
Recordings in this Video:
O Virtus Sapientia: amzn.to/3xr1Wpa
Viderunt Omnes (Leonin): amzn.to/2Vb9lfc
Viderunt Omnes (Perotin): amzn.to/3fkC08n
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About me: I am a conductor, published composer, professional singer, sound engineer, and producer based in Los Angeles. I love classical music and want to help as many people as possible learn more about it.
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Sources:
A History of Western Music (amzn.to/2VfIzCi)
Renaissance Music: Music in Western Europe, 1400-1600 (amzn.to/3jevvVB)
Choral Repertoire (amzn.to/3locFhJ)
Choral Music of the 19th Century (amzn.to/3jwiLdp)
Choral Music of the 20th Century (amzn.to/3xliG0W)
Music of the 17th and 18th Centuries (amzn.to/3zZXj75)
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Intro Music: Short Ride in Fast Machine (John Adams) - www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJvni...

[@KeepitClassical]

Here are some links to recordings found in this video: O Virtus Sapientia: amzn.to/3xr1Wpa Viderunt Omnes (Leonin): amzn.to/2Vb9lfc Viderunt Omnes (Perotin): amzn.to/3fkC08n

[@agabrielhegartygaby9203]

Thank you again...

[@polyglot8]

Many years ago I spent several weeks in Belgium translating a guide to Medieval Art. The local author (who had been awarded France's highest Civilian Medal of Honor by the French Minister of Culture for recuperating stolen Medieval Patrimony) had an advanced degree in Medieval Philosophy and had written a guide to understanding Medieval Iconography which included several thousand pictures. As I worked in his salon, surrounded by Medieval Art treasures, he played hundreds of CD's of Flemish Polyphony (as well as "Early" and Baroque Music). He told me there was also a philosophical impetus for the creation of Polyphony. It was believed (OK some still believe) that Angels had all sorts of special characteristics, most notably, lack of gender. This is why there are both male and female name versions stemming from the important Angels, like "Michael" "Michelle" and "Gabriel Gabrielle" etc. (I don't know if you've ever seen the movie, "Constantine," but I digress). So back when scholars were debating the likes of "how many Angels can fit on the head of a pin," they also decided that Angels didn't breathe. So the aspect of Polyphony where voices take over from other voices, giving the impression of continuity, was an attempt to honor the Angels through imitation, since they could sing continuously, not hampered by having to stop to breathe. I don't know if this is one of those, "Si non è vero, è ben trovato"!

[@agabrielhegartygaby9203]

thank you - beautiful comment

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Should we rename the discussion over pronouns on Twitter an Angelic Debate?

[@jayaprakashofficial3197]

I am Jayaprakash.S, Music research scholar, Tamil Nadu, India. Sir, your videos are very useful for my music research. Thanks lot.

[@abigailmorgan9762]

I’m studying for graduate school music history entrance exams right now… this video is a lifesaver.

[@gregmark1688]

The word 'magnum' is actually cognate with the older Greek root 'mega', meaning "big" or "large", more than "great", and this was a common use of the word in Latin, the name 'Carolus Magnus' notwithstanding. So it's conceivable that they merely thought of it as their "Big Book".

[@steffski1946]

Good on you - A person of that time wouldn't likely have the cheek to aggrandize himself - Rather the glory would be to God alone

[@boshlankh9638]

I've read through (not meticulously, I'm not insane) the Magnus Liber and let me tell you. It was absolutely huge. Like 900 pages. And of course it's an old book so each page is way bigger than a modern page anyway. If they weren't calling it "the fuckoff massive book" something was wrong.

[@Baltie3]

It is fantastic that you have told that the early polyphony has a long unwritten history. Not everyone mentions that fact. Some scientists believe that there was a Big Boom when Leoninus came and that Gregorian chant suddenly came to us freshly with the notation in 9th century. It is untrue. Gregorian chant and polyphony had existed a reasonable period of time before that. Gregorian chant in its early form could be sung by the first Christians. We have some evidence even in the Gospel.

[@normanyoung8553]

That quote from John of Salisbury is not intended to be a compliment. Just read a few sentences before... "Bad taste has, however, degraded even religious worship, bringing into the presence of God, into the recesses of the sanctuary a kind of luxurious and lascivious singing, full of ostentation, which with female modulation astonishes and enervates the souls of the hearers. When you hear the soft harmonies of the various singers..."

[@AlR-ol9gh]

What an incredibly interesting video. I’m so fascinated by this history

[@konstantinidisgeorge]

Many thanks for covering this era of music so fast and explicitely.Ill show this to my students!THANK YOY AGAIN!

[@mathewfrancis1874]

You explained it very clearly..thank you for that..pls continue making videos like this.

[@KeepitClassical]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fernwehn5925]

"Aural incense" What a wonderfully accurate metaphor.

[@KeepitClassical]

*aural incense 😅

[@fernwehn5925]

@@KeepitClassical oh shoot, you’re right! How embarrassing!

[@cameratabenesi2255]

Thanks for this video! It makes a lot easier to understand the style.

[@K1z0ku]

Underrated channel. Thanks for doing this.

[@ernestocastrejon2378]

Your channel is fantastical, please continue making videos :)

[@benoitcardinal7016]

Fantastic video! Thanks for making it, I learned so much.

[@mr.roywulf]

Thank you for this great video. My son is 16 years old and a sophomore at a Catholic high school here in Virginia. If you go to his KZbin channel 'Mr. Roy Wulf', you can see a video of a presentation he did a few weeks ago about his love for Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony. He does a very soft sell of traditional music though, as there are still many who resist traditional music in favor of the modern liturgical music that started in the 1970s or those who applaud, for example, the techno music played at World Youth Day.

[@cesaraugustomezarinaprinci4311]

From Lima, Perú. Thank you very much for the expert knowledge of medieval music you shared with us !

[@KeepitClassical]

Thank you! Happy to share it!

[@rachellearmstead3411]

This channel is awesome. Thanks and keep up the great work!

[@KeepitClassical]

Thanks! It's a lot of work, but more videos are coming!

[@diobrandon8649]

Dude, I love you thank you for making this info enjoyable didadtic and 10 times better than what I was learing in school I was losing interest and you gave me a little spark of joy fo this subject dunno how much you apreciate your work but man You've changed my live even if it just for 1 subject man you are amaizing cheers mate ^^

[@dbadagna]

This music had a significant influence on the music of Steve Reich. Apparently he listed his choices for the five greatest composers as 1) Pérotin, 2) Bach, 3) Stravinsky, 4) Bartók, and 5) John Coltrane.

[@ChowMeinLover805]

Thank you so much, Matthew!

[@MitchBoucherComposer]

This was a great video! I found it very helpful.

[@Primo_extracts]

This made me so happy🔉🔉🔉

[@cindylai0201]

Thank you so much for this video! I'm a student of the musicology departement of Sorbonne université Paris. You explained the music history in very simple way! Merci beaucoup!

[@dotka95]

Good luck in your education! Sending warm hugs from musicology institute in Cracow :)

[@ErnestoValt]

Wow! I've come across your channel! It's incredibly good. This lesson about polyphony is great! Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. Like and subscribed. Greetings from Mexico!

[@JuanalaCubananana222]

Great video!!

[@Kamer.Sounds]

Nice! So much to research and listen to from here...

[@jbrupam8749]

This is fantastic learning material in short

[@danawinsor1380]

Hey man, you rock (in a classical way of course). I appreciate the Monopoly reference: I always thought the game had infernal origins. Love your videos--I learned a lot today. Cheers from Williamsburg.

[@valerietaylor9615]

Monopoly definitely turns me into a monster. When I play it, I take no prisoners. 😊

[@calebjohnson7617]

Lol needed this for my music appreciation class

[@KeepitClassical]

It's not too late! You can still appreciate music today!

[@VincenzoRutiglianoDiaz]

This channel is the best

[@CalebePriester]

Cool!

[@rogermoore27]

8:04 - i always imagine young teenages in peasant clothing joyfully walking through open fields, singing this song together

[@Baltie3]

Perhaps won't be judged as a spammer. The Gregorian version of Viderunt Omnes you can hear here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpy5doOLi6qBjpY (1:44). Of course in much more modest quality than beautiful recordings in the video ;)

[@cantionaleecclesiasticum5378]

Its a shit

[@adibalan9194]

shoutout to A. Carabenciov! BEST music teacher! without her i would't find this vide :D

[@rezavali7328]

According to the science of sound, a "monophone" is a sound that has one single sine wave. Such a sound does not exist in the nature and has to be produced in a lab using an electronic or a digital equipment. The question is then, what are the sounds of the nature? The sounds of the nature are all "polyphones" consisting of a fundamental frequency and endless secondary frequencies known as "harmonics". These harmonics have mathematical ratios to each other that are detected by the human ear as intervals. Humans are able to hear these harmonics and imitate them either separately or simultaneously. Also, the human ear is able to hear multiple sounds simultaneously and distinguish between these sounds. Finally, the human throat can produce the upper harmonics, a technique known as "throat singing", found in the music of Mongolia and Tibet. Therefore, polyphony is a human attribute and all cultures of the world exhibit some form of polyphony. What you are describing in your video is only one form of polyphony, i.e. the European polyphony. Therefore, you should call your lecture "The Birth of European Polyphony" and not " The Birth of Polyphony".

[@artfoursoul]

Thanks for this video. I wonder if I can find more info about Discant Organum and Clausula?

[@dbadagna]

Fans of this music might also enjoy Meredith Monk's "Dolmen Music" (1980).

[@rogermoore27]

Very nice video. Greetings from Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹.. i love this music but i don't know any other Trinis who know about it unfortunately

[@danawinsor1380]

This is wonderful! I'm so glad I've found this channel.

[@Electrasound]

Good video! Since we're talking about older composers, who would you consider to be the first great composer? Which recording was that of Hildegard's music?

[@scottgrunow5201]

Organum corresponds to the solid thick walls of Romanesque because it is based on the conductus as a foundation. Polyphony in the 13th century as it developed from organum resembles the stained glass letting in physical light supported by the thinner arches.

[@warrenstutely1093]

Marvellous programmes. Have you done any on Webern. Birtwistle. Etc. Who is the choir on early music ?? Thanks warren

[@junep879]

I love your channel and explanation. It is very helpful for me. Thank you so much! and my question is : what is aquitanian polyphony? ❤️🇰🇷

[@cynthianielsen]

Could you consider putting a glossary of some of these unfamiliar (to some of us) terms in the notes area for those of us who are still wondering just what organum (is that singular?) is when we see variations of types of organum? I do like the mental images of incense and stained glass as a comparison to the music. Still, my appreciation for some of these styles lags, as I don't relate to what their purpose might be. Is this praise? Is it prayer? Did people hum these as they walked along a road? How can I increase my appreciation for this style, or find a place for it in my own life? Thanks for opening the door to my understanding of these unfamiliar things a crack more!

[@KeepitClassical]

A Glossary is a good idea! I'll include that. As for the purpose, it was both praise and prayer used during religious worship. It was not meant to be sung outside of those settings as it would make it "common." You can increase your appreciation of this style by playing it in the background while you do other work. Like I said, it's not something that is really meant to be focused on or put under a microscope. Just let it waft in the background.

[@cynthianielsen]

@@KeepitClassicalThanks! And thanks for the purpose explanation. But I'm not sure about the suggestion about increasing appreciation. I have trouble with "background" music. I can't concentrate on anything else while music is playing.

[@KeepitClassical]

Same. Just a thought.

[@ALKalashnikov]

Nice

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci beaucoup for this video, and for your pronunciation of French words. You had a hint of a Quebec accent, so I found myself quickly scrambling to add the subtitles, n'est-ce pas? You said that it took gumption to name the book Magnus Liber. We have a word in French for gumption, we say "chutzpah".

[@donna25871]

David Munrow was an innovative musician who led the school of period performance practice. Such a tragedy he died from suicide at a young age.

[@agabrielhegartygaby9203]

Speaking of thinking ahead, doesn't this sound a lot like what will become "Basso Continuo" in a few centuries - where the base is doubled and when the base rests, the tenor part is fills in - played in chords predicted by the harmony? I am no expert but in a sense the drone and doubler are accompanying the other singers....all we are missing is the discovery of counterpoint.......amazing video. Please do a long form video on polyphonics......thank you

[@Hexspa]

Any detail related to strict simple and composite and modified parallel organum? These seem before free.

[@Komnenos1234]

I have to know what song is sung at 4:20.

[@jasonz5800]

Hi, thanks for this great video. Is the mix oblique organum same with the melismatic organum? If it’s not, what is the melismatic organum

[@KeepitClassical]

The word "melismatic" is only used to describe music where multiple pitches share the same syllable. It describes how the text is set into the music. The terms "parallel," "mixed/oblique," "free," "discant/florid" are all used to describe how the pitches are written. Any of these types of organum could also be describe as "melismatic" if they have multiple pitches sharing the same syllable. I hope this helps!

[@ZackBeca]

Have you done a video about orthodox music?

[@h3llonearf697]

Can you make a video on Matrial Music one day??

[@bearlh40]

Scholarly, and obviously above my head. But how can you address polyphony in musical history without acknowledging Georgian folk and liturgical music? And, why would you?

[@bifeldman]

I was distracted by the books arranged by color.

[@ruifaustino]

The time frame is missing. The examples are very useful but for the historical information, the period is relevant. I believe that the raising of polyphony happened around the 10th century...

[@Rapid1453]

what the name of the chant at 4:20?

[@bachagain1685]

I believe it's "Alleluia, Vocavit" from the "Codex Calixtinus."

[@Rapid1453]

@@bachagain1685 you are a hero! thank you!!!

[@fabbansuri]

I also heard about ND de Paris being the origin. But, is it exact? This guy Hucbald, 840 - 910 composed in polyphonic before ND got built and sounded like this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppPOh42LqbSdlZo I also put in music the first ever non latin roman text Cantilene de St Eulalie btw

[@topologyrob]

The birth of notated polyphony in Western Europe anyway - of course, humans singing and playing polyphony is many thousands of years old, as Jordan Jordania demonstrates.

[@devindecker1355]

I read that title wrong…

[@ronilonleonin1226]

i belong to composer origin..thanks

[@BillWayman]

🤔

[@Raphael3032]

The birth of polyphony IN THE WEST more precisely.

[@rivkaorlitova4892]

I love Monopoly!

[@ruffytrabe1432]

Polyphony originated in Belgium and northern France, more precisely in Hainaut (Hennegau), a surprisingly small area. Among the earliest masters were Guillaume Dufay and Gilles Binchois. What we are hearing here in your video is not polyphony.

[@elinathanferlay1013]

Sorry but... that's completely false. What you are describing is the Franco-Flemish school of polyphony, which began during 15th Century. But polyphony wasn't invented during this time nor in this area and is way older than that, the oldest records of it we have dating back from the 9th century. So during the time of Dufay and Binchos, polyphony had been already existing for at least 6 centuries and many composers such as Pérotin (Parisian composers of the 12th century) or Guillaume de Machaut (the greatest composer of the 14th century) composed many masterpieces in this style way before them. So what we can hear in this video is definitely polyphony.

[@dmagogia]

cant take my eyes off his shelf on the background. he sorts his books by colour?? yuck...

[@KeepitClassical]

There's a method to my madness.

[@williamhumphrey1084]

Spare us the jokes, stick to what you do best