First Pick: Magister Perotinus PÉROTIN

[20] PÉROTIN (PÉROTIN (Magister Perotinus) 

BORN: Paris (?), c. 1160

DIED: c. 1203 or 1225

So usually I find liturgical stuff to be a slight deterrent because often I find that composers in that realm have a tendency to make some boorish stuff with organ hymns and your standard Christian choral feeling type stuff. But I poked around and I was relieved to find a track I liked. Classical is not my favorite genre, but it is completely varied in it's versatility. I think it's honestly a funny sounding tune. Someone in the comments said it was intended for the feast of St. Steven. So that's  why it's so upbeat and jolly, that makes sense. I like all the "HA HUH HUH HUH AH HUH HUH HUH" vocal arrangements. Not the typical solemn monk music platitudes or Gregorian chant type stuff. This is that underground monk music that only the cool monks listen to:

"Perotin - Organum quadruplum "Sederunt principes" (ca.1200)" Performers unnamed.

And now for any quick points in his life summation that may be interesting -

Lol his nicknames were "Little Pierre," and "Petey" which is cool.

Many details about his life are "shadowy," but it seems he may have been an assistant and student to Léonin, who was apparently "pivotal to the history of Western music." He is well known for revising Léonin's "Big Book of organa" and is supposed to have invented "organa for 3 and 4 voices" which was the start of further "polytechnic developments" in the next 100 years of music to come. The rest is mostly musical technical explanation of his composition techniques and his many works. 13 organa and 3 conducti and secular works in the cantus firmus, in monkspeak.

Well, that'll do it for my first post. Hope someone finds this awesome sounding track kinda funny like I did.

- M

Thanks to Greene's, and other music history compendiums

 

Thanks to Greene's, and other music history compendiums

The name in the title is referring to the book "Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers," a book I bought at the thrift store, and then lost, and then I mail ordered it again because it is truly a unique and interesting book and I like having it around for these "random picks." I kinda have a bond with it.

First the book, then I'll tell you why I enjoy it: It was a labor of love and intense devotion and scholarship by David Mason Greene. It was published in 1985 intended as one in a series of biographical dictionaries about different subjects designed to make this knowledge more accessible to the common citizen. By "biographical," this means it that each entry is an abbreviated summary of the life and career of these musical composers including what may be known of their early life and death, or if still living - what notable event happened with them last. It's arranged chronologically, starting with Limenios the lyre player in "around second century bc," and ends with William Hugh Albright, Born 1944, at the time he was still with us. The book, or as I call it, "Greene's" is 1348 pages, with 2433 catalogued entries of unique composers. 

SO THAT'S THE BOOK. Now on to why I still really like it: Besides the biographical entries being very enjoyable despite how compact some of the entries are (It's not easy to condense someone's life into a small block of text... ) The writing is a joy to read and is to the point.

Now: how I use it. I use it as a thing to do sometimes when the feeling takes me, I guess. My odd and perhaps underwhelming use of Greene's is that I take this studious work and treat it like a dice roll basically. I look away and randomly point my finger wherever I flip. I note the composer. And I look them up on YouTube. And I hear what I just read about. Yeah I'm getting hyped up about old composers. But you see, so many of these are so unique and amazing and distinct beyond words. It's a treasure trove of artistic wonder, so many great names I never knew before this book. And I really enjoy getting that instant satisfaction of instantly hearing a great piece of music and hearing the music in the entry I just read, right away. I can't emphasize that enough, it's addictive and often surprising.

So with that explained, I decided I want to post my random composer picks published here with a YouTube link and a paraphrased summary of what Mr. Greene said. I haven't got my format down yet but we'll see how it goes.

Oh and there's another compendium I have called Music Lover's Encyclopedia by Rubert Hughes. It's really cool too but I don't have the same kinda love for the book that I have for Greene's.

So yeah. Thanks to Greene's!