Leonin & Perotin

Composers from the Cathedral of Notre Dame

The Cathedral of Notre Dame was located in Paris and was a pivotal actor in the rise of the organum the earliest from of polyphonic music (multiple melody lines). The organum consisted of a second voice that would run above or below a fixed Gregorian chant.

Primarily, there were two significant composers from this period at the Notre Dame School. Leonin was the first to compose polyphonic music at the school, and he was the Great Book of Organum (Magnus Liber Organi). The Great Book of Organum actually contained church music to be played at feasts for an entire calendar year.

Leonin’s successor was Perotin. He further expanded the work that Leonin was doing by increasing the texture of the organum. He did this by adding more voices, giving the organum a full thick sound. He also increased the length of the organum.