Medieval Era (800-1400s)
Context
- Around 450 CE, the Roman Empire began to deteriorate, which brought about the "dark ages"
- Not much technological or cultural progress, music was mostly stalled
- Black Death... happened, and a big chunk of Europe was killed. This further stalled musical progress.
- Secular music was often supported by patronage---wealthy families paid artists, like the Medicis in Italy
- Catholic church was pretty much in control for a while (more on that later)
Religious Music
Often borrowed lyrics from other texts. This was called a trope---a musical or textual addition to pre-existing music.
Chanting was common. At the time, instruments were pretty much frowned upon by the church (with the exception later on of the pipe organ), as they were thought to be sources of evil.
Chanting at this time was characterized some of the following descriptors:
- Syllabic---one note = one syllable
- Melismatic---many notes to one syllable
- Responsorial---chants sung alternating between solo and chorus (congregation)
Mass
2 types of music utilised in mass:
- Proper---text changed often, usually used to bring special significance to one day or another
- Ordinary---texts the same with every mass
- Ex: Sanctus, Kyrie, Credo, Gloria, etc.
Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant (also called plainchant) was the most common type of music in the church at the time.
It featured:
- Single line sung in unison (no harmony)
- Melodies moved by step
- Flexible rhythm, no real time signature or tempo, little sense of beat
- Notation that was kind of similar to current system, a little bit
- Originally, the songs were only was passed orally, but Gregorian Chant grew to a point where uniformity was necessary. So they used neumes. Neumes were a guideline of what the motion of the notes was (not specific pitches, just directions), on a four-line staff
- Sung in Latin---they didn't like to use the common tongue in church, so Latin was seen as the 'language of the church'
Organum
A type of Gregorian chant, earliest example of polyphony (or, music where there are 2 or more melodic line at the same time). Development of harmony led to the need to write down pitches, and so... 6 harmonic modes were invented (more on that later).
A composer named Léonin was the pioneer of this music, with his addition of a 2nd voice. Pérotin, Léonin's successor, made things more interesting by adding 3rd and 4th voices.
Then, words were added (called trope) and voices to create something called a motet---newly-texted songs, took chants and adapted new words, polyphonic. Later composed with original melodies.
Medieval Church Modes
Church modes essentially started a scale at all 7 pitches in the scale. Ex: a scale with a C major key signature, but it's started on D (scale degree 2). Included are a couple ways to think about these keys, or, for the visual person, a picture of the scales below:
Ionian
- Or, with a major key signature, start on scale degree 1---C maj key signature, started on C
Dorian
- Or, with a major key signature, start on scale degree 2---C maj key signature, started on D
Phrygian
- Flat 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th
- Or, with a major key signature, start on scale degree 3---C maj key signature, started on E
Lydian
- Or, with a major key signature, start on scale degree 4---C maj key signature, started on F
Mixolydian
- Or, with a major key signature, start on scale degree 5---C maj key signature, started on G
Aeolian
- Same as natural minor---Flat 3rd, 6th, and 7th
- Or, with a major key signature, start on scale degree 6---C maj key signature, started on A
Locrian
- Flat 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th
- Or, with a major key signature, start on scale degree 7---C maj key signature, started on B
There are a couple pneumatic devices to help you remember these modes, but the best one is:
- I---Ionian
- Do---Dorian
- Pot---Phrygian
- Leave---Lydian
- Me---Mixolydian
- A---Aeolian
- Lone---Locrian
Important Composers:
These aren't necessary to know, but can be helpful:
Secular Music
Became more important in the 1300s (thanks to the plague and 100 Years' war---1/4 of Europe was dead!) when the feudal system was weakened and the Popes were fighting (as popes do).
As it wasn't associated with the church, this music often utilised instruments, such as:
- Wind:
- Shawm---first double reed, ancestor to oboe and bassoon
- Recorder---very similar to today's recorder, though it doesn't sound the same
- Crumhorn---nasal buzzy tone, has a reed but the player's lips don't touch it
- Sackbut---ancestor to modern trombone, sounds very similar, one of the first instruments that could be played in tune
- Cornett---mouthpiece like trumpet but fingered like a recorder
- Percussion:
- Drums---one of the earliest, head was made of animal skin with a circular body
- Pipe and tabor---pipe with 2-3 finger holes and a drum, designed for one performer
- Harpsichord---predecessor to the piano, the strings inside are plucked rather than struck, creating the metallic sound
- Organ---largely used in sacred music, required 2 operators: a bellow-operator and a player
- Strings and fretted:
- Viol---bowed instrument with frets, nasally tone
- Lute---very important because of its frequent use, 15 strings, goes out of tune easily
- Psaltery---hollow wood with pegs, strings between pegs could be bowed or plucked, small range
Ars Nova
French, translates to "new art". Resulted in the development of French "chansons," or French poetry set to music. Had a characteristic "isorhythm" where there was repeated overlapping of a single rhythmic pattern throughout various melodic forms.
The most prolific composer of this form was Guillame de Machaut, though do be careful with him---he also composed for the church, the most common example being the Messe de Nostre Dame (as he was the first to which an ordinary mass can be entirely attributed to).
Travelling Musicians
These musicians often sang about love, drinking, crusades, or loss/death.
3 main types:
- Troubadours---Southern French nobility who could read/write poetry and music
- Jong Leurs---Lower class, couldn't read or write music, so music was learned by ear and often improvised
- Goliards---travelling minstrels
More information
For more information, this document divides medieval music into the IB Music analyzing format. It does not, however cover individual genres clearly.
Editors- allisonmustync - 1104 words.
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