Ars subtilior

The ars subtilior is a style of the music of the Middle Ages of the end of XIVe century, located between the Ars nova and the free Flemish music.

History

The term ars subtilior at summer invented in 1963 by the musicologist Ursula Günther to define an evolution of the ars nova appeared after the death of Guillaume de Machaut (1377), whose main feature was its extreme refinement and its rhythmic and polyphonic complexity. It is in France and in Italy that this music appeared, one finds of them examples at the court of the duke Jean de Berry, of Gaston Fébus and Janus de Lusignan in Cyprus, like at the court of the popes of Avignon and the court of the dukes of Visconti with Pavia.

Forms

The ars subtilior regains the same shapes as the ars nova: one finds there ballades, the madrigaux ones, rondos, virelais, of the isorythmic motets, the polyphonic parts of masses. The musicians of the time arranged also works of the ars nova while making them more complex. One thus finds parts instrumental according to Machaut and Landini which is preserved in the Faenza codex, which is one of the first testimonys of musics written for a keyboard instrument.

Representatives

The principal type-setters of this musical current are:
  • Anthonello of Caserta (active about 1400)
  • Baude Cordier (active about 1400)
  • Jacob of Senleches (active between 1378 - 1395)
  • Jehan Vaillant (active between 1360-1390)
  • Johan Robert says Trebor (active towards the end of XIVe century)
  • Johannes Ciconia (about 1370 - 1412)
  • Johannes Cuvelier (active between 1372-1387)
  • Johannes Simon Hasprois (death in 1428)
  • Matteo da Perugia (death in 1418)
  • Philipoctus of Caserta (credit about 1400)
  • Solage (active between 1370 - 1390)

Manuscripts

Works of the ars subtilior are preserved in the manuscripts according to:
  • Codex of Chantilly (Museum Cop)
  • Handwritten of Ivrée (Biblioteca Capitolare, Ivrée)
  • Codex Faenza (Biblioteca Communal, Faenza)
  • Handwritten of Modena (Biblioteca Estense E Universitaria, Modena)
  • Handwritten Mancini (Archivo del Stato, Lucques)
  • Handwritten of London (British Library, London)
  • Handwritten of Apt (Public library of Apt)
  • Handwritten of Seville (Colombina Library, Seville)

Discography

  • Unit Organum, Codex Chantilly , Harmonized mundi 1986

  • Ensemble Project Ars Nova, Ars Magis Subtiliter , New Albion 1987
  • Mala Punica, Ars Subtilis Ytalica Polyphonie pseudo-Frenchwoman in Italy , Arcana 1993
  • Huelgas Ensemble, Febus Avant! Music at the court of Gaston Febus , Sony Classical 1992
  • Huelgas Together, Music of the court of king Janus in Nicosie , Sony Classical 1994
  • Went Francesca, perfect Beauté, the autumn of the Middle Ages , Opus 111 1997
  • Ferrara Ensemble, Fleurs of virtues, subtle songs of the end of the 14th century , Arcana 1996
  • Ferrara Ensemble, In doulz chastel of Pavia , Harmonia mundi 1997
  • Capilla flamenca, Zodiac , Eufoda 2004

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