The contenance angloise , or English countenance, was a group of musical characteristics identified by theorists of the 15th century as being English in origin. The booklet here names a primary one: a new emphasis on vertical sonority (or harmony) over the combination of contrapuntal lines that were complex in themselves. Another aspect of the English coutenance was the acceptance of the third rather than the "perfect" fourth as a consonant interval. For political reasons, and at a hard-to-define level for musical ones as ...
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The contenance angloise , or English countenance, was a group of musical characteristics identified by theorists of the 15th century as being English in origin. The booklet here names a primary one: a new emphasis on vertical sonority (or harmony) over the combination of contrapuntal lines that were complex in themselves. Another aspect of the English coutenance was the acceptance of the third rather than the "perfect" fourth as a consonant interval. For political reasons, and at a hard-to-define level for musical ones as well, British music gained a foothold in northwestern continental Europe at this time, and the results were of lasting importance in the Western musical tradition. Students in music history courses and casual attendees of Renaissance music concerts sometimes encounter the contenance angloise concept, and it's good to have a disc that examines it in more detail. This Swiss release by the multinational ensemble Chant 1450 covers the main composers involved: John Dunstable...
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