The Notre-Dame School

Nationality: French

Active: Leonin, 1163-1190, Perotin, 1200-

Specialist Genres: Early polyphonic sacred music

 

Major works: 'Magnus Liber', Motets and Graduals

Leonin and Perotin are the only names known of a group of medieval composers who worked in Paris at the end of the 12^th Century and the first part of the 13^th century. The names were passed down by an English student known as Anonymous IV who was in Notre Dame in the later part of the 13^th Century.

Magnus Liber is credited to Leonin, it means 'the great book' and was written to be used by the choir of the new cathedral. He was described as “the best composer for Organum for the amplification of divine service”. (An Organum is a plainchant melody with at least one added voice to enhance the harmony). It is suggested that Leonin was one of the first composers to indicate rhythm as well as pitch in his musical notation.

Less is known about Perotin, but it's thought he revised the Magnus Liber and may have been a pupil of Leonin. Perotin was active in the creation of the four voice Motet. The development of three and four voice polyphony is one of the most important stages of musical history.

His surviving works include 'Two Graduals in four voices for the Christmas season”, approximately 12 liturgical works in three voices, and roughly 160 'Clausulae', which are polyphonic passages written to be attached to plainsong.