Middle Ages, The Period In: European History Roman Civilization Renaissance Europe

Lesson 1: Music of the Medieval Period (700-1400)
Medieval Period- Middle Ages, the period in European history from the collapse of Roman civilization in
the 5th century CE to the period of the Renaissance (variously interpreted as beginning in the 13th,
14th, or 15th century, depending on the region of Europe and other factors). The term was first used by
15th-century scholars to designate the period between their own time and the fall of the Western
Roman Empire. The medieval period was also known as “middle ages” or "dark ages”.
Characteristics of Medieval Period
1. Performing Medium- During the medieval Period, music was primarily vocal.
2. Rhythm- Rhythm was not notated. Tradition regarding the treatment of sacred text, its meters,
and the abilities of singers and instrumentalist often determined the rhythmic complexity and
tempo of a piece.
3. Melody- Melodic intervals and the range of melodies were generally small during this era, and
sacred melodies were often based on church modes.
4. Harmony- Music appears to have been constructed and heard as separate lines rather than
vertical sonorities.
5. Texture- Monophonic texture was predominantly used during the first part of this era, and
polyphonic texture began to be used in the mid to late Medieval Period.
6. Form- Popular genres during this period included the following large forms-sacred vocal music,
such as plainchant, masses, motets, and secular vocal songs.
Musical Forms
 Sacred Music
The sacred music was the music of the Christian church shaped in part by Greek, Hebrew,
and Syrian influences.
Gregorian Chant
The Gregorian Chant was the official music of the Roman Catholic Church for many years. It is
also known as Plainchant or Plainsong, it consisted of a single melodic line. The Gregorian Chant also
known as Roman Chant was named after Pope Gregory the Great.
 Secular Music
Secular music arose in courts and castles performed by;
a) Minstrels- lowly musicians who wandered among the courts and towns and regaled
their audience with gossip and news.
b) Jongleurs/Jongleuresses- versatile entertainers who played musical instruments,
sang and dance, juggled and showed tricks, and performed with animal acts.
c) Troubadours (Southern France) and Trouveres (North of France)- travelling poets
and musicians who flourished in the various courts of Europe.
d) Minnesingers- singers of courtly love.
Secular Music became an integral part of medieval court life. They functioned as;
a) Accompanied for dinner, dancing, and after dinner entertainment.
b) Central to court ceremonies, tournaments, and civic processions.
c) Military Music to support campaigns and inspire departing warriors and greet them on
their return.
Troubadours Music
Troubadours wrote about a wide range of secular subjects though their common themes are
about chivalry and courtly love.
1. Canso- a simple love song, generally admiring the beauty and virtue of a woman.
2. Alba- refers to a morning song for lovers.
3. Canso de crozadas- political in content about the crusades and generally in support of their
ventures.
4. Tenso- sung as a two-voiced debated generally over political or ethical matters.
Types of troubadour Compositions
1. Trobar leu (light)- the simplest and most accessible to people with varying levels of education.
2. Trobar clus (closed)- contains such complex metaphors and difficult vocabularies that only
selected audiences understand.
3. Trobar ric (rich)- between leu and clus styles, it is more sophisticated in its use of vocabulary and
metaphors although trobac ric song could still be understood by a reasonably wide audience.
Adam dela Halle
Adam dela Halle, also known as Adam le Bossu (Adam the Hunchback). He was a French-born
trouvere (1240-1287), poet, musician, and innovator of the earliest French secular theatre.
Adam produced literary and musical works which includes 36 chansons in the Trouvere
tradition.
LESSON 2: Music of the Renaissance Period (1400-1600)
Renaissance literally means “rebirth”. During this period, there was an enormous renewal of
interest in and study of classical antiquity. But the renaissance was more than a rebirth, it was also an
era of exploration, where Amerigo Vespucci and Ponce de Leon gave a new picture of the earth.
One of the most famous persons from the renaissance was Leonardo da Vinci. Renaissance was
a time period may be described as having clarity and balance. Vocal polyphony reached its highest peak,
thus it was also sometimes referred to as Golden Age of Polyphony.
musical styles that rose during the period include;
1. Acapella singing- a chorus without musical accompaniment was the ideal medium.
2. Modality- a type of church mode used in both secular and sacred music.
3. Cantus firmus- a pre-existing melodic line that runs through a musical piece and forms the basis
of a polyphonic composition.
4. Word painting- a musical technique of writing music to create and reflect the literal meaning of
a song.
5. Motet- a piece of plainsong with two or more additional parts with different words written in
latin and in French.
Mass
The renaissance mass is a polyphonic choral composition made up of five sections; Kyrie, Gloria,
Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.
1. Kyrie- is a prayer of mercy.

2. Gloria- is a joyful hymn of praise omitted during Advent and Lent.
3. Credo- is the confession of faith and the longest of the mass texts.
4. Sanctus- is a song about God’s holiness which concludes with the “Hosanna” and the
Benedictus, with the Hosanna often repeated.
5. Agnus Dei- is a song that ask God to take away the sins of the world and grant peace and mercy.
Secular Chanson
It has four voices or three voices with one instrument playing a lower voice.
Madrigal
It is a form of vocal chamber music based on a relatively constant poetic form of two or three
stanzas with three lines each having 7 or 11 syllables per lines.
Kinds of Madrigals
1. Italian Madrigals- Italian madrigal; may be described in terms of

 Forms- single stanzas with no refrains or repeated lines
 Text- topics included love songs and pastoral scenes.
 Music- all voices played an equal role, similar to the motet of the same period.
2. English Madrigals- it started in the late 1500s tended to be less serious and lighter in topic, and
use simpler texts.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Born: February 3, 1525, in Palestrina, Italy
Died: February 2, 1594, Rome, Italy
Composition: “Veni Sponsa Christi”, “Stabat Mater”
Thomas Morley
Born: 1557, Norwich, United Kingdom
Died: October 1602, London, United Kingdom
Composition: “It Was a Lover and His Lasse”, “As You Like It”

Middle Ages, The Period In: European History Roman Civilization Renaissance Europe

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Middle Ages, The Period In: European History Roman Civilization Renaissance Europe

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Middle Ages, The Period In: European History Roman Civilization Renaissance Europe

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lesson 1: Music of the Medieval Period (700-1400)

Characteristics of Medieval Period

Types of troubadour Compositions

Adam dela Halle

LESSON 2: Music of the Renaissance Period (1400-1600)

musical styles that rose during the period include;

1. Kyrie- is a prayer of mercy.

1. Italian Madrigals- Italian madrigal; may be described in terms of

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Born: February 3, 1525, in Palestrina, Italy

Died: February 2, 1594, Rome, Italy

Composition: “Veni Sponsa Christi”, “Stabat Mater”

Born: 1557, Norwich, United Kingdom

Died: October 1602, London, United Kingdom

You might also like