Johannes de Grocheio (or Grocheo) (
Ecclesiastical Latin
Latin, also called Church Latin or Liturgical Latin, is a form of Latin developed to discuss Christian thought in Late Antiquity and used in Christian liturgy, theology, and church administration down to the present day, especially in the Ca ...
: ">ɔˈan.nɛs dɛ ɡrɔˈkɛj.jɔ c. 1255 – c. 1320) was a
Parisian musical theorist of the early 14th century. His
French name was Jean de Grouchy, but he is best known by his
Latinized name
Latinisation (or Latinization) of names, also known as onomastic Latinisation, is the practice of rendering a ''non''-Latin name in a Latin style. It is commonly found with historical proper names, including personal names and toponyms, and in ...
. He was the author of the treatise ''Ars musicae'' ("The Art of Music") (c. 1300), which describes the functions of
sacred
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
and
secular music in and around
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
during his lifetime.
Biography
Johannes de Grocheio, originally named Jean de Grouchy, likely grew up in a wealthy family that controlled a
fiefdom
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...
in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
.
Grocheio studied music and philosophy in Paris, but there is no evidence that he received a degree. Despite the lack of such evidence, he is credited as ''magister'' (master) and ''regens Parisius'' (resident teacher in Paris in the Darmstadt manuscript, although the latter title was added to the manuscript after it was copied. Grocheio may also have taught at the
Basilica of St. Denis
The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, a northern ...
based on the
plainsong
Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text ...
he describes in the section on church music (''musica ecclesiastica'') in the ''Ars musicae''.
Not much else is known about Grocheio's life because any biographical information comes from the ''Ars musicae'' as well as scholarly research and speculation.
''Ars musicae''
Topics discussed in treatise
Grocheio wrote about several principles of music in thirteenth-century Paris that he had observed. Grocheio's divides music into three categories: ''musica vulgaris'' ("music of the people"), ''musica mensurabilis'' ("measured music"), and ''musica ecclesiastica'' ("church music"). He also discusses
music theory and compositional techniques such as
mensural notation
Mensural notation is the musical notation system used for European vocal polyphonic music from the later part of the 13th century until about 1600. The term "mensural" refers to the ability of this system to describe precisely measured rhythmi ...
and
musica ficta
''Musica ficta'' (from Latin, "false", "feigned", or "fictitious" music) was a term used in European music theory from the late 12th century to about 1600 to describe pitches, whether notated or added at the time of performance, that lie outside ...
.
Grocheio takes a
scholastic takes approach in his treatise, rejecting
Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480 – 524 AD), was a Roman senator, consul, ''magister officiorum'', historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He was a central figure in the tr ...
' threefold division of music into ''
musica mundana'' (music of the spheres) ''musica humana'' (music of the human body), and ''musica instrumentalis'' (vocal or instrumental music). Instead, he uses a technique of classification similar to
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...
by taking a
taxonomical
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...
approach used in several of Aristotle's works.
Grocheio also consults and criticizes the works of many other music theorists, mathemeticians, and philosophers such as
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
,
Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His politi ...
,
Johannes de Garlandia,
Franco of Cologne
Franco of Cologne (; also Franco of Paris) was a German music theorist and possibly a composer. He was one of the most influential theorists of the Late Middle Ages, and was the first to propose an idea which was to transform musical notation pe ...
,
Nicomachus
Nicomachus of Gerasa ( grc-gre, Νικόμαχος; c. 60 – c. 120 AD) was an important ancient mathematician and music theorist, best known for his works ''Introduction to Arithmetic'' and ''Manual of Harmonics'' in Greek. He was born in ...
, and several others.
''Musica vulgaris''
Grocheio considers most of the music that the laypeople enjoy to be ''musica vulgaris''. He describes this music as being able to ease the fears and sufferings of the people. Grocheio consulted a monk named Clement at the
Abbey of Lessay as his source for ''musica vulgaris''. Grocheio further specifies that there are two kinds of genres ''musica vulgaris'': ''cantus'' and ''cantilena''. Both could be performed with the voice or with instruments.
Each genre had three song types that Grocheio described as follows:
''Cantus gestualis,'' ''Cantus coronatus'', and ''Cantus versiculatus''
''Cantus gestualis'', better known as ''
chanson de geste
The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th c ...
,'' is a song that is sung in honor of great figures such as French kings, particularly
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
,
Doon de Mayence
Doon de Mayence also known as Doolin de Maience, Doon de Maience or Doolin de Mayence was a fictional hero of the Old French ''chansons de geste'', who gives his name to the third cycle of the Charlemagne romances dealing with the feudal revol ...
, and
Renaud de Montauban
Renaud de Montauban (; also spelled ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', Italian: ''Rinaldo di Montalbano'', Dutch: ''Reinout van Montalba(e)n'') was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French ''chanson de geste'' known as ''Th ...
.
It is intended to make people feel sympathetic for the heroic deeds and would urge them to rise above their station and serve the public by doing their jobs. ''Cantus coronatus'' is a song written by kings and nobles that was sung for them in order to give them the ability to become great leaders. The literary themes of the song include friendship and love. ''Cantus versiculatus'' is a song that was intended to be performed from young people who refused to work.
''Cantilena rotunda'', ''Cantilena stantipes'', and ''Cantilena ductia''
All of the ''cantilenas'' that Grocheio defines are dance songs that were performed for young people. ''Cantilena rotunda'' is a dance song that was typically performed in the wester regions of northern France such as Normandy. where he grew up. Grocheio cited a song that featured a rhyme scheme similar to the
rondeau.
''Cantilena stantipes'' is better known as the
estampie
The estampie (french: estampie, Occitan and ca, estampida, it, istanpitta) is a medieval dance and musical form which was a popular instrumental and vocal form in the 13th and 14th centuries. The name was also applied to poetry.
Musical form
T ...
, because it is a dance song that features separate texts and musical content for the verses and refrains. Grocheio also notes it is difficult to dance to the ''cantilena stantipes'' due to its complexity. ''Cantilena ductia'' is another dance song that Grocheio described as having the ability to draw the hearts of young men and women away from
erotic love. The ''cantilena ductia'' is believed to have been an early version of the
virelai
A ''virelai'' is a form of medieval French verse used often in poetry and music. It is one of the three ''formes fixes'' (the others were the ballade
Ballad is a form of narrative poetry, often put to music, or a type of sentimental love song in ...
based on the repetition of the first line of the first stanza being repeated in subsequent stanzas.
Instrumental music
Grocheio discusses the use of instruments such as the
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
,
reed instruments,
flutes
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
,
organs
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...
,
drums,
bells,
cymbals
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
,
psalterium,
cithara,
lyre, and
vielle
The vielle is a European bowed stringed instrument used in the medieval period, similar to a modern violin but with a somewhat longer and deeper body, three to five gut strings, and a leaf-shaped pegbox with frontal tuning pegs, sometimes with a ...
. He specifically highlighted the use of the vielle as requiring virtuosic talent by being able to play any of the genres of the ''musica vulgaris''. Grocheio also denotes two genres performed by wind instruments which are also called ''stantipes'' and ''ductia,'' which are also dance songs.
''Musica mensurabilis''
Grocheio distinguishes ''musica vulgaris'' from ''musica mensurabilis'' (measured music), which is intended for the educated and includes genres such as the
motet,
organum
''Organum'' () is, in general, a plainchant melody with at least one added voice to enhance the harmony, developed in the Middle Ages. Depending on the mode and form of the chant, a supporting bass line (or '' bourdon'') may be sung on the sam ...
, and
hocket
In music, hocket is the rhythmic linear technique using the alternation of notes, pitches, or chords. In medieval practice of hocket, a single melody is shared between two (or occasionally more) voices such that alternately one voice sounds wh ...
. He specifies that the motet is to be performed for the clergy before feasts or during celebrations since they would be some of the only people who would appreciate the subtlety of the motet and could appreciate the "finer points of the arts".
''Musica ecclesiastica''
Grocheio discusses several aspects of ''musica ecclesiastica'' (church music) in his treatise. He describes the use of all of the chants in the
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...
, the function of the eight
church modes
A Gregorian mode (or church mode) is one of the eight systems of pitch organization used in Gregorian chant.
History
The name of Pope Gregory I was attached to the variety of chant that was to become the dominant variety in medieval western and ...
, and the threefold division of ''musica ecclesiastica'' into music for
Matins
Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning.
The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated b ...
, the
Divine Office, and the Mass.
Manuscripts
Grocheio's treatise survives in two manuscripts. One edition of the treatise survives in the
British Library, Harley in an anthology of music theory treatises by
Guido of Arezzo,
Guy of Saint-Denis,
Petrus de Cruce Petrus de Cruce (also Pierre de la Croix) was active as a cleric, composer and music theorist in the late part of the 13th century. His main contribution was to the notational system.
Life
13th-century composer, theorist, and scholar, Petrus de ...
, and several anonymous authors. The other edition is located at the
Darmstadt University and State Library in another anthology containing writings by
David of Augsburg
David of Augsburg (early 13th century – 19 November 1272) was a medieval German mystic, and a Franciscan friar. It is believed that he probably joined the Franciscan Order at Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at th ...
,
Hugo of St. Victor,
Hugo of St. Cher, and several other anonymous authors. The Darmstadt manuscript is the only copy that credits the treatise to Johannes de Grocheio.
*Darmstadt, Hessische Landes- und Hochschulbibliothek, MS 2663, ff. 56-59.
* London, British Library, Harley 281, ff. 30-52.
Editions and translations
* Rohloff, Ernst, trans. ''Der Musiktraktat des Johannes de Grocheo nach den Quellen neu herausgegeben mit Übersetzung ins Deutsche und Revisionsbericht''. Media latinitas musica 2, Gebrüder Reinecke, Leipzig 1943, p. 41-67.
* Say, Albert, trans. ''Johannes de Grocheo: Concerning Music (De musica)''. Colorado Springs College Music Press, translations (1), Colorado Springs 1973 (2nd. ed).
* Page, Christopher. "Johannes de Grocheio on secular music: a corrected text and a new translation.” ''Plainsong and Medieval Music'' 2, no. 1 (1993): 17-41.
* Johannes de Grocheio. ''Ars Musice'', ed. and trans. Constant J. Mews, John N. Crossley, Catherine Jeffreys, Leigh McKinnon, and Carol J. Williams. Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2011.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johannes De Grocheio
Grocheio, Johannes de
13th-century French writers
14th-century French writers
Grocheio, Johannes de
Grocheio, Johannes de
Grocheio, Johannes de
French male non-fiction writers
13th-century Latin writers
14th-century Latin writers
Medieval music theorists