Music #302 - Léonin & Pérotin

École de Notre-Dame de Paris 

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Master Leoninus and Master Perotinus were the best known of a group of composers known as the Notre-Dame school of polyphony (organum).

Polyphony is music of 2 or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony).

Léonin  

A priest at Notre-Dame, Leonin composed the Magnus Liber Organi (great book of organum) for the choir of this new cathedral.

Here's one of his 2-voice plainsongs:  

Viderunt Omnes / They saw all. 

Note the nice 2-voice polyphony?

Pérotin  

Perotin may be a pupil of Leonin, but may not have worked in Notre-Dame. After Leonin's death, Perotin revised the Magnus liber and added his own compositions of 3- and 4-voice polyphony.

(L) Alleluia Nativitas (The Nativity) : birth of Jesus   

- organum triplum (3-voice polyphony) 

 

(R) Sederunt principes (princes sat)

- organum quadruplum (4-voice polyphony)