The ''Contenance angloise'', or English manner, is a distinctive style of

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...

developed in fifteenth-century England which uses full, rich harmonies based on the third and sixth. It was highly influential in the fashionable Burgundian court of

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

, and on European music of the era. Its leading proponent was

John Dunstaple John Dunstaple (or Dunstable, – 24 December 1453) was an English composer whose music helped inaugurate the transition from the medieval to the Renaissance periods. The central proponent of the ''Contenance angloise'' style (), Dunstaple w ...

, followed by Walter Frye and

John Hothby John Hothby (''Otteby'', ''Hocby'', ''Octobi'', ''Ottobi'', 1410–1487), also known by his Latinised names Johannes Ottobi or Johannes de Londonis, was an English Renaissance music theorist and composer who travelled widely in Europe and gain ...

Origins of the term

The phrase ''Contenance Angloise'' was coined by Martin le Franc in 1441–42, in a poem dedicated to Duke

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

(1396–1467) to describe the era's distinctive musical style. Le Franc mentioned English composer

(c. 1390–1453) as the key figure and a major influence on the Burgundian composers

Guillaume Dufay Guillaume Du Fay ( , ; also Dufay, Du Fayt; 5 August 1397(?) – 27 November 1474) was a French composer and music theorist of the early Renaissance. Considered the leading European composer of his time, his music was widely performed and repr ...

and Gilles Binchois.R. H. Fritze and W. Baxter Robison, ''Historical dictionary of late medieval England, 1272-1485'' (Greenwood, 2002), p. 363.

Characteristics

It is not clear exactly what Martin le Franc saw as the elements of the Contenance Angloise. Musicologists have noted the style as a distinctive form of melodic

using full, rich harmonies based on the third and sixth, which may have made lyrics easier to articulate.

Major composers

Although nearly all of Dunstaple's manuscript music in England was lost during the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–40), some of his works have been reconstructed from copies found in continental Europe (particularly Italy), the existence of which indicates his widespread fame in Europe. He may have been the first composer to provide

liturgical music Liturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service (or Eucharist) and Evensong ...

with an instrumental accompaniment. This tradition was continued by figures such as: * Walter Frye (c. 1420–75), whose masses were recorded and highly influential in France and the Netherlands *

(c. 1410–87), an English

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

monk who travelled widely, composed occasionally, and wrote several theoretical treatises including ''La Calliopea legale''; he is also credited with introducing innovations to the medieval pitch systemT. Dumitrescu, ''The early Tudor court and international musical relations'' (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), pp. 197-9.

Decline

The influence of English composers on the continent seems to have declined towards the end of the fifteenth century when, having lost their major possessions in France, and entering the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

, they may have been preoccupied with domestic matters. Franco-Flemish music then became the dominant force in European music.

Notes

{{Medieval music Composition schools Medieval music genres