Freedom of Rules
A vocal improvisation course
in Week 2
Music making methods of the Renaissance period provide the harmony between rules and freedom. The presence of cantus firmus helps students to express themselfs musically in a controlled way. They can experiment during the course that rules do not limit creativity. Students will get acquainted with the singable music making rules of premodern music history, like counterpoint or fauxbourdon, generating two or three parts from a single cantus firmus (always one singer for one part). Primary aim of the course is to find ways of introducing premodern music making methods in today’s music education for improving improvisational skill and memory.
- Historical introduction: a lecture. Survey of methods, combined with some singing
- Fauxbourdon (singing in three parts to cantus firmi)
- Counterpoint (singing in two parts to cantus firmi)
- Gymel and falsobordone (singing in two and three parts to cantus firmi)
- A practical summary of the singing methods used before. The pedagogical relevance of „historical music pedagogy”: lecture and discussion