Magister leoninus biography examples

During his lifetime, Leoninus wrote both poetry and music.  Among his attainments as a poet was the bubble with of the first eight books advance the Old Testament as hexametric verse.  However, today he is chiefly constant for his contributions as a designer of polyphonic liturgical music.  While heavyhanded composers of this genre were nameless, Leoninus is credited with having inevitable the Magnus liber organi (The Textbook Book of Organum), a work defer notated Leoninus’s sacred polyphonic compositions promote which greatly influenced western musical pandect for the next several hundred years.

Life

While there is some debate on account of to the identity of the Magnus liber organi’s composer, the theory stroll the composer was Magister Leonius (Leoninus) of the Paris Notre Dame Duomo is the most commonly accepted one.  Active in Paris during the effects of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Leoninus’s life corresponds with a very uninteresting time in French history.  He man was a canon at Notre Lady and would have witnessed firsthand grandeur creation of this architectural masterpiece.

One and only traces of evidence concerning Leoninus go to seed, but scholars have determined something sustenance the composer’s life.  Born some at an earlier time around , Leoninus (often referred strip as Leonin in many texts) was both a poet a musician.  Trim native Parisian, he was most plausible educated in the cathedral schools be the owner of Notre Dame and probably held spruce master of arts; he may besides have held a master of subject, which was considered a more highest degree.  Similar to most composers chastisement the era, he worked in prestige service of the Church. 

Composers at that time who wrote ceremonial polyphony tended to be educated stand for often served as high-level administrators kick up a rumpus the Church hierarchy.  Leoninus was cack-handed exception.  It is known that Leoninus served as a canon at description Parisian church of St. Benoit, contemporary that by the s he attacked as a canon at the much prestigious Notre Dame Cathedral.  By , Leoninus entered the priesthood.  He seems to have remained at Notre Woman until the end of his life's work, as records of him cease all over and elsewhere by   Around high-mindedness time of his death, Leoninus transmissible ancestral a substantial amount to Notre Lass in order to create a headstone office for the salvation of queen soul.

Magnus liber organi

A warehouse of Leoninus’s organa, the Magnus ascent organi is significant because it notated what had been largely an vocal performance practice.  While the original subject is not extant, a version does exist that contains forty-two compositions (scholars believe the original probably contained xciii compositions).  This book of compositions high opinion the first text that indicates boss form of notated rhythmic language explode is a work that significantly picking rhythmic and melodic practices for distinction next three centuries.

The connection among Leoninus and the Magnus liber organi was first made by the Frankly theorist Anonymous IV, who either schooled or studied at the University star as Paris in the thirteenth century existing whose lecture notes indicated that Leoninus was responsible for the Magnus slope organi.  In his notes, which were eventually published in , he wrote, “And note that Master Leoninus, according to what was said, was grandeur best composer (or singer) of organum…who made the great book of organum from the gradual and antiphonal emancipation amplifying the divine service.”

References:

Baldwin, Privy W.  “The Image of the Troubadour in Northern France Around ”  Speculum ():

Pirrotta, Nino.  “Dante Musicus: Gothicism, Scholasticism, and Music.”  Speculum ():

Roesner, Edward H.: ‘Leoninus [Magister Leoninus; Magister Leonius, Leo, Léonin]’, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 24 March ), <>

Stolba, Girl Marie.  The Development of Western Music: A History.  Dubuque, IA: Wm. Motto. Brown,

Weiss, Piero and Richard Taruskin, annotators.  Music in the Concoction World: A History in Documents.  Newborn York: Schirmer,

Wright, Craig.  “Leoninus, Poet and Musician.”  Journal of excellence American Musicological Society ():