Medieval Music (400-1475 AD)

Medieval Music (400-1475 AD)

1. Style

   • Melody
     • Mostly Conjunct Motion
     • Narrow Range
     • Scales Use Diatonic Notes
   • Rhythm
     • Gregorian chant and early secular songs
       • Sung in rhythmic values determined by the text
       • No clearly marked rhythms or meter
     • Polyphonic Compositions
       • After 1180
       • Mostly in triple meter
       • Uses repeated rhythmic patterns
         • Rhythmic Modes
   • Harmony
     • Most surviving music is monophonic
     • Polyphonic Compositions
       • Can have dissonant sonorities within phrases
       • Phrases end with open unisons, octaves or fifths
   • Colour
     • Vocal Music Predominates
     • Little Instrumental Music Survives
       • Medieval instruments are different than modern ones
         • Some are ancestors of modern ones
         • Some became extinct
       • Unique Sounds
   • Texture
     • Mostly Monophonic
     • Surviving polyphonic compositions written in non-imitative counterpoint

2. Gregorian Chant

   • Also known as "Plainsong"
   • Named in honour of Pope Gregory
     • Reigned 590-604
     • Important for administrative abilities
     • Organized chants according to the liturgical calendar
     • Not a Musician
     • Replaced numerous regional chant practices
       • Saram
         • Celtic Areas
       • Mozarabic
         • Iberia
       • Ambrosian
         • Milan
           • Survived
   • Definition
     • Unaccompanied vocal music
     • Sacred Latin Text
     • Composed for use in religious services in the Church and Monastery
     • Written over the course of 15 centuries
   • Style
     • Rhythm
       • No meter or regular rhythms
       • Encourage pious reflection
     • Sang in unison
     • Generally no instrumental accompaniment
     • Soloists can alternate with unison choir
     • Text can be set in a syllabic or melismatic style
       • Syllabic
         • One note per syllable
       • Melismatic
         • Many notes per sylable
     • Individual composers of this vast body of music are generally unkown

3. Hildegard of Bingen

   • 1098-1179
   • Significance
     • One of the few composers of chant who can be identified
     • 77 chants have been attributed to her
   • Founded a convent in Bingen, Germany
   • Known for her extraordinary intellect and imagination
     • Popes and kings sought her adivce
     • Many fields of activity
       • Naturalist and Pharmacist
       • Wrote scientific books, plays and poetry
       • Composed chant for her convent
   • Afflicted with severe headaches
     • Had visions during these times of pain
     • Turned these visions into poetry and set them to music

4. Leoninus

   • 1169-1201
   • Member of the clergy at Notre Dame of Paris
   • Composer of organum
     • Polyphonic voice is added to the soloist portions of chant
     • Informed by the pervading medieval concept of authoritas
     • Creates a composition consisting of two more voices
       • Duplum
       • Triplum
       • Quadruplum
     • Chant is sung in long tones, the new line moves more quickly
     • Organum is only sung by soloists, the choir later continues the chant in unison
     • Used to enhance special services
       • Mass for Christmas Day
   • Called his collection of organum the "Magnus liber organi"
     • "Big Book of Organum"

5. Perotinus

   • 1198-1236
   • Uses organum and chant

6. Guillaume de Machaut

   • 1300-1377
   • Most important composer of the 14th century
   • Author
   • Composer
   • Courtier
   • Cleric
   • Composed sacred music and secular songs
     • Mass of Our Lady
       • Best known composition in medieval music

7. Secular Music

   • Vocal
     • Troubadours (Trobairitz)
       • Active in Southern France
       • Wrote vernacular poetry and set it to music
         • Generally about love
       • Often accompanied by instruments
         • Not written down
         • Very little survives
       • Performers are from all classes of society
     • Trouveres and Minnesingers
       • Northern France and Germany (respectively)
         • Began to mix the traditions of troubadours with the style of sacred polyphonic music
           • Resulted in polyphonic chanson
           • Many composers (including Machaut) adopted this style
   • Instrumental
     • Primarily used to accompany dances
     • Instruments divided into two groups
       • Hauts
         • Loud
         • Include sackbut, shawm, cornetto, drums
       • Bas
         • Soft
         • Include flute, recorder, harp, lute