PHILOSOPHICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE ARS SUBTILIOR STYLE
Keywords:
Ars Nova, Ars subtilior, medieval philosophy, William of Ockham, sophisms, notation, rhythmicsAbstract
The methodology of the research is based on the use of historical and theoretical methods. Conclusions: Composers of Ars subtilior style tried to achieve absolute possibilities in music: the complexity of rhythm, visual representation and lyrical content, the variety of ways to fix it, and, to a lesser extent, the matter of harmony. Like their contemporaries in the domain of logic, composers accepted simple logical puzzles and deliberately made them as difficult as possible. It looked like this: the composers of Ars subtilior took simple melodic lines and decorated them in various ways, as if competing among themselves, just for the sake of the complexity of the experiment. Following the example of their predecessors, Ars subtilior composers focused on expanding the boundaries of rhythm and notation more than on other musical components (for example, harmony and melody). However, they did this more for the sake of curiosity, not seeking to improve or clarify the rhythm and notation. Experiments in the development of rhythmics went in parallel with the development of other medieval sciences. Especially close and obvious contact can be traced with the philosophy of the same time. The 13th century in Western Europe became a period of its rapid development. There were created philosophical schools, particularly in England, France, Italy. The largest European philosophical center was created at Oxford University. As a result, in the XIV century, the scientific and intellectual world began to change radically and to differ from what it was before. Medieval European science and music managed to develop to a high level of intellectualism, making Europe one of the most progressive civilizations. Philosophers of the fourteenth century sought to improve their own understanding of the world,expand its boundaries. They liked to formulate their ideas in the form of puzzles, intentionally complicated, sophisticated and confusing to make the solutions hard to find.
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