ARS NOVA

The polyphony in the profane music

Ars Nova was born in France at the beginning of 1300. At the same time of the French one, the Italian Ars Nova flourished. Among the greatest French composers, we can remember Guillaume de Machaut and, among the Italian ones, Francesco Caudino. The most important forms of Italian Ars Nova were:

• The Madrigal, one of the first examples of profane polyphonic music, was often played at meetings in the open air by groups of young people. The subject was amorous, the music was of two voices, rarely of three.

• The Hunting, a vocal form developed in Italy in the XIV century. The texts often described scenes of hunting.

• The Ballad, a composition of profane form meant to be sung. It was constituted by one or more stanzas and by a refrain.