ars nova

English - English

Definition of ars nova in English English dictionary

(Latin; "New Art") Musical style of 14th-century Europe, particularly France. As composers began to use ever shorter notes in their music, the old system of rhythmic modes (see Ars Antiqua) ceased to be adequate to describe it. In his treatise Ars nova (1323), Philippe de Vitry (1291-1361) proposed a way of relating longer and shorter notes by a metrical scheme the ancestor of time signatures whereby each note value could be subdivided into either two or three of the next-shorter note. Though seemingly abstract, this innovation had a marked effect on the sound of music because composers were better able to control the relative motion of several voices, and 14th-century music consequently sounds much less "medieval" to modern ears. De Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut are the principal composers of the Ars Nova. The term is sometimes extended to describe all 14th-century music, including that of Italy. See also formes fixes

The new style of music composed in France and Italy in the fourteenth century The name was coined by Philippe de Vitry in a tract, c 1320

New art The era of 14th-century French polyphony, in contrast to the 13th-century, which is often termed the ars antiqua This time period was characterized by new conventions of notation and a new emphasis on polyphonic song Some genres include: ballade, virelai, rondeau, madrigal, caccia, and the ballata

New Art" A term invented by Philippe De Vitry to describe the music of his era, the 14th century, as opposed to the music of earlier generations

prevalent musical style of the fourteenth century

Latin for "the New Art " Describes the more complex new music of the 14th century, marked by richer harmonies and elaborate rhythmic devices

Succeeded Ars Antiqua in the early 14th century; its pioneers included de Vitry and de Machaut Notable for greater rhythmic complexity

Hyphenation

ars no·va