Recently I brought home a library book about Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, and it had a paragraph about Leonin, a composer who began a new kind of music, a kind which was sung in the cathedral when it was newly- built. So this would have been the late 1000's or the early 1100's. Leonin composed in a radical new style which used two notes at once. (He is sometimes called Leoninus.)
Intrigued, I searched the Internet for a piece by Leonin and found one. It was 88 measures long, but I have edited it and asked Joe Offer to post it to this thread. I hope you will listen to it, download to a music program if you have one and perhaps play it this Christmas season. The piece is in 6/8 time, but that is a modern convention. It doesn't sound anything like a 6/8 piece we would play today, such as a jig. ButI found that if I had the computer play it while I played my recorder along, that I soon got the hang of it.
The net site said that Leonin is the first composer whose identity we know. All compositions before his are anonymous.
I hope that this works and that you enjoy hearing this ancient piece.
Still having problems with Mudcat MIDIs. best I can do is temporarily post this as MIDItext.
-Joe Offer-
MIDI file: LEONIN~1.MID
Timebase: 192
Name: leonin
Text: Generated by NoteWorthy Composer
TimeSig: 6/8 24 8
Start
0000 1 57 110 0160 0 57 000 0032 1 57 110 0094 0 57 000 0002 1 55 110 0160 0 55 000 0128 1 59 110 0160 0 59 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 59 110 0256 0 59 000 0032 1 57 110 0160 0 57 000 0128 1 59 110 0160 0 59 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 59 110 0256 0 59 000 0032 1 55 110 0160 0 55 000 0128 1 59 110 0160 0 59 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 60 110 0094 0 60 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0094 0 60 000 0002 1 59 110 0094 0 59 000 0002 1 57 110 0160 0 57 000 0032 1 57 110 0094 0 57 000 0002 1 53 110 0160 0 53 000 0032 1 57 110 0094 0 57 000 0002 1 55 110 0160 0 55 000 0032 1 55 110 0094 0 55 000 0002 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0094 0 52 000 0002 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 57 110 0160 0 57 000 0032 1 57 110 0094 0 57 000 0002 1 53 110 0160 0 53 000 0032 1 50 110 0094 0 50 000 0002 1 52 110 0160 0 52 000 0032 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 55 110 0094 0 55 000 0002 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0094 0 52 000 0002 1 50 110 0160 0 50 000 0128 1 53 110 0160 0 53 000 0032 1 52 110 0094 0 52 000 0002 1 53 110 0160 0 53 000 0032 1 55 110 0094 0 55 000 0002 1 57 110 0256 0 57 000 0320 1 59 110 0160 0 59 000 0032 1 57 110 0094 0 57 000 0002 1 57 110 0160 0 57 000 0032 1 55 110 0094 0 55 000 0002 1 57 110 0256 0 57 000 0320 1 57 110 0160 0 57 000 0032 1 57 110 0094 0 57 000 0002 1 55 110 0160 0 55 000 0032 1 55 110 0094 0 55 000 0002 1 53 110 0160 0 53 000 0032 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0160 0 52 000 0128 1 55 110 0160 0 55 000 0032 1 55 110 0094 0 55 000 0002 1 53 110 0160 0 53 000 0032 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0160 0 52 000 0032 1 52 110 0094 0 52 000 0002 1 50 110 0160 0 50 000 0128 1 53 110 0160 0 53 000 0032 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0160 0 52 000 0032 1 52 110 0094 0 52 000 0002 1 50 110 0160 0 50 000 0032 1 50 110 0094 0 50 000 0002 1 48 110 0160 0 48 000 0128 1 55 110 0160 0 55 000 0032 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0160 0 52 000 0032 1 55 110 0094 0 55 000 0002 1 53 110 0160 0 53 000 0032 1 52 110 0094 0 52 000 0002 1 50 110 0160 0 50 000 0032 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0160 0 52 000 0032 1 50 110 0094 0 50 000 0002 1 48 110 0160 0 48 000 0128 1 55 110 0160 0 55 000 0032 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0160 0 52 000 0032 1 57 110 0094 0 57 000 0002 1 55 110 0160 0 55 000 0032 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0160 0 52 000 0032 1 50 110 0094 0 50 000 0002 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 53 110 0094 0 53 000 0002 1 52 110 0094 0 52 000 0002 1 50 110 0160 0 50 000
EndABC format:
X:1
T:leonin
M:6/8
Q:1/4=120
K:C
A,2A,G,3|B,2DC2D|B,3A,3|B,2DC2D|B,3G,3|B,2DD2C|
DCB,A,2A,|F,2A,G,2G,|F,E,F,A,2A,|F,2D,E,2F,|
G,F,E,D,3|F,2E,F,2G,|A,6|B,2A,A,2G,|A,6|A,2A,G,2G,|
F,2F,E,3|G,2G,F,2F,|E,2E,D,3|F,2F,E,2E,|D,2D,C,3|
G,2F,E,2G,|F,2E,D,2F,|E,2D,C,3|G,2F,E,2A,|
G,2F,E,2D,|F,F,E,D,13/8||