Medieval Music Difficulties
Least surviving material
Longest period of music history
476-1475 Middle Ages
1475-1600 Renaissance
1600-1750 Baroque
1750-1820 Classical
1825-1900 Romantic
1900-2000 Modern
Music in the Monastery
Sacred music preserved in much greater quantities than secular
The Church was the only real source of education/literacy
Monastic life a rigorous combination of work and prayer (sung – Gregorian Chant)
Music notation develops in monasteries
Neumes
Early chant notation
Small symbols written above text
Did not originally indicate a specific pitch
Evolved into system of square notes
Square Neumes on 4-Line Staff
Visit http://www.netaxs.com/~rmk/Chant/ for help reading neumatic notation
Gregorian Chant
Named for Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)
Also known as Plainsong or Plainchant
Single line melody (monophonic)
Free of accent or meter
Conjunct movement Avoids leaps Gentle contour
Modes
Modes were the scale patterns of Western European music through the Renaissance
Music composed using modes is called “modal” (as opposed to “tonal”)
Modes sound less familiar to our ears than major/minor tonal scales
The Medieval Modes:
This is for your information & will not be on a test Dorian Hypodorian Phrygian Hypophrygian Lydian Hypolydian Mixolydian Hypomixolydian
For more extensive information on modes click here
Text Settings
Syllabic One note per text syllable
Neumatic Two – four notes per text syllable
Melismatic Long groups of notes per text syllable
Listening Example
Title: Gradual Viderunt Omnes
Composer:Anonymous (5th century)
Genre: Gregorian Chant
Notes on Gradual Viderunt Omnes
Monophonic texture
Alternation of soloist and choir (male)
Mixture of text settings Mostly neumatic with some long melismas
Very smooth melodic contour (conjunct)
Note the free rhythm and lack of meter
A gradual from the proper of the Mass
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
10th child of noble parents, raised in convent
Founded her own convent in 1150
Experienced and recorded visions
Scivias is the 1st book of her writings
Wrote religious poetry and music
Notes on O Rubor Sanguinis
Monophonic texture
Sung by women
Predominantly neumatic text setting
Very smooth melodic contour (conjunct)
Note the lack of a regular beat
Text is not from the Mass Hildegard wrote the text
Music in the Cathedral
Monasteries focused on traditional chant
Urban cathedrals were centers of musical innovation
Composers began to make greater use of polyphony
Polyphony
Extremely important development in Western Music
Meter, notation, and composer’s role are all affected by this development
Early polyphony generally consisted of parallel lines
This early polyphony was called organum
Organum
Begins as improvised, parallel 4ths & 5ths
Second line of basically follows the chant – no new, independent musical lines
Gradually musicians begin to compose brand new melodies to accompany the chant
Composers at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris perfect this new style of organum
Notre Dame Style Organum
Notes of original chant tune “stretched” or held out Tenor comes from Latin word meaning hold The line that contained the elongated chant was
called the tenor
Newly composed material sung above chant
Use of rhythmic modes (eg. long-short-long)
Leoninus and Perotinus
Leoninus and Perotinus
Composers at Cathedral of Notre Dame Leoninus (fl. 1169-1201) First polyphonic composer known by name Two-voice organum Magnus liber organi
Perotinus (fl. 1198-1236) Successor to Leoninus Wrote up to four-voice organum
Notes on Viderunt Omnes
Three active upper voices over sustained lower voice
The upper voices feature LONG melismas Listen for the held notes of the original chant Notice the rhythmic mode in the upper voice
Repeated long-short pattern resembles triple meter Open, hollow-sounding cadences
Cadences are the endings of musical phrases
The Medieval Motet
Evolved out of 13th century organum
French word for “word:” “mot”
New texts added to upper organum voices
Polytextual: texts could be different Different words Different languages Sacred or secular
Medieval Motet Structure
Chant tune provides structural foundation Chant tune held, but not as long as in organum Tenor – Latin for “to hold” is “tenere” Triple meter representing Trinity Tenor can be sung or played
The Mass
Central worship service of Catholic Church
Mass texts divided into two categories The Proper
Texts that vary from day to day Viderunt omnes is a Gradual from the Proper
The Ordinary Texts that are always the same See page 75 for chart of Proper vs. Ordinary
Guillaume de Machaut
Dates: ca. 1300-1377
Worked in both sacred and secular worlds Secretary to John I, King of Bohemia Served in court of Charles, Duke of Normandy Served as canon of cathedral at Rheims
Poet and composer
Admired by Geoffrey Chaucer
Guillaume de Machaut
Ca. 400 poems and 150 compositions
Composed both secular and sacred music
Best known for composing the first complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass Messe de Nostre Dame
Notes on Kyrie
Built on preexisting chant, notes held out He then adds three new voices against the tenor
Contratenor superius and altus are above the tenor Contratenor bassus is below the tenor Contratenor parts feature greater rhythmic variety
Polyphonic texture
Characteristic medieval dissonance
Male voices
Rise of Music at Court
Early middle ages: Church is primary patron of music
Late middle ages: Nobles increasingly sponsor music to enhance their prestige
Due to their education, clergy often composed courtly poetry and music
Court Poet-Musicians
Troubadours – Southern France Troubadours (male, common or noble) Trobairitz (female, noble)
Both words mean “inventors” (composers)
Trouvères – Northern France
Minnesingers – Germany
Courtly Poetry
Range of subject matter Simple ballads/love songs War stories Moral tales
Chivalric values Honor Valor Idealized, or “courtly,” love
Courtly Love
Idealized love
Variety of relationships described Inspired to acts of chivalric valor Unattainable object of affection Unrequited, unconsummated relationship Illicit romance
All in the general context of chivalric code
Women at Court
Women not allowed to sing at churchWomen regularly composed and performed at courtPlayed the soft instruments Harp Lute Rebec Flute
Troubador Songs
Early songs usually monphonic
Sometimes with instrumental doubling
No clear rhythm or meter
Later medieval songs often polyphonic
This polyphony was quite simple as we hear in A Chantar M'er
Beatriz, Countess of Dia
Trobairitz in S. France in mid-12th century to early 13th century
A Chantar M'er is the only trobairitz song to survive with music intact
Three other poems extant, music lost
Notes on I Must Sing
Song of unrequited love
Full first line: “I must sing of that which I’d rather not…”
Five strophes of seven lines each
Seven-line melodic form: ABABCDB
Vielle alternates with singer
Simple lute accompaniment
Medieval Chanson
Chanson is French for “song”
Chansons are always secular
They feature polyphonic texture 2-4 voices Combinations of voices and instruments
Variety of subjects including courtly love
Chansons used fixed poetic forms
Fixed Forms
Poetic meters governed musical structure
Three most common forms: Rondeau Ballade Virelai
Rondeau features a repeated line of text
This corresponds with a repeated melody
Guillaume Dufay (c1397-1474)
Probably born near Brussels
Involved in church music from early age
Was ordained a priest by 1428
Held many ecclesiastical positions
Also maintained close ties to numerous courts and nobles
Composed sacred and secular music
Notes on Ce Moys de May
Rondeau form
Listen for the repeated refrain in the music
Voices doubled by instruments
Melismas at ends of phrases
Notice the irregular accents and dissonance common to medieval polyphony
Instrumental Music
Most medieval instrumental music was for courtly entertainment (secular)
Little written instrumental music survives
Much of it was improvised
Most instrumental music is dance music
Medieval Instruments
Instruments were much less standardized than they are today
All were handmade and varied by location
The following slides list common kinds of instruments and their modern descendants
Medieval Instruments
Shawm – double reed (oboe)
Slide trumpet – Sackbut (trombone)
Tabor (large drum)
Nakers (small drum)
Organs Very large organs existed in large churches Smaller portable organs could be outdoors
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