The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages span nearly one thousand years (c. 4761450). The early Christian church and the state were the centers of powers during this time. Much of the surviving music from the Middle Ages is religious, or sacred, because of the sponsorship (patronage) of the church. The later Middle Ages saw the rise of cities, cathedrals, and great works of art and literature. The ideals of knighthood and the devotion to the Virgin Mary helped raise the status of women. The Middle Ages spans nearly 1,000 years (c. 4761450) Early Christian church and state were centers of power In Middle Ages most musical patronage (sponsorship) was from the church Most surviving music is sacred Later Middle Ages saw the rise of cities and cathedrals, and creation of great works of art and literature

Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

Many world cultures use a kind of chant, a monophonic (single-line) melody, in their worship (CP 3). The music of the early Christian church, called Gregorian chant, features monophonic, nonmetric melodies set in one of the church modes, or scales. Chant melodies fall into three categories (syllabic, neumatic, melismatic) based on how many notes are set to each syllable of text. The most solemn ritual of the Catholic Church is the Mass, a daily service with two categories of prayers: the Proper (texts that vary according to the day) and the Ordinary (texts that remain the same for every Mass). Some chants are sung alternating a soloist and chorus in a responsorial performance. The Paris Cathedral of Notre Dame was a center for organum, the earliest type of polyphony, with two-, three-, or four-voice parts sung in fixed rhythmic patterns (rhythmic modes). Preexisting chants formed the basis for early polyphony, including organum and the motet; the latter features multiple texts (polytextual). 1. Liturgical Music o Liturgy: set order of services and structure of each service in the church o Characteristics of Gregorian chant (plainchant, plainsong) Monophonic texture Nonmetric Latin text o More than 3,000 melodies survive o Chant is classified by the way the notes are set to the text

Syllabic: one note per syllable of text Neumatic: small group of notes sung to a syllable of text Melismatic: many notes per syllable of text o Early chants were handed down orally o Early chant notation used neumes Neumes suggested contours of the melody but not rhythm o Scale patterns used are the church modes 2. The Mass o One of two categories of services in the Roman Catholic Church, the other being the Offices o The prayers that make up the Mass fall into two categories: Proper: texts change according to the day Ordinary: texts are the same for every Mass 3. Life in the Medieval Cloister o Cloister: a place for religious seclusion Monastery: men Convent: women o Cloisters were places of prayer, scholarship, preaching, charity, healing 4. The Music of Hildegard of Bingen o Hildegard of Bingen (10981179) o 1150 founded convent in Rupertsberg, Germany o Known for miracles and prophecies o Recorded 3 collections of visions and prophecies in manuscript o Composed religious poetry with music o Characteristics of Hildegard's poetry Brilliant imagery Visionary language Collected in volume: Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations, for liturgical church year 5. Hildegard of Bingen: Alleluia, O virga mediatrix (Listening Guide 2) o From the Mass Proper Proper to feasts of the Virgin Mary o Ternary form (A-B-A) o Responsorial form (soloist alternates with chorus) o Monophonic texture o Conjunct melody with few leaps o Free, nonmetric rhythm o Neumatic text setting 6. The Rise of Polyphony o Early Polyphony emerged at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris o Polyphony evolved toward the end of the Romanesque period (c. 850 1150) o Organum: earliest polyphonic music

Second melody added above or below the older Gregorian melody Lonin: earliest known composer of the Notre Dame School Protin: Lonin's successor, added two and three melodies to chant Polyphony necessitated the use of notated rhythm and pitch Rhythm was chosen from a group of patterns called rhythmic modes 7. Notre Dame School Organum: Gaude Maria virgo (Listening Guide 3) o Text praises Blessed Virgin o Three-voice organum in the style of Protin All voices sing same text Melody in two upper voices is melismatic Original melody is older chant, slowed down 8. The Early Medieval Motet o A new genre emerged near the end of the thirteenth century o Composers wrote texts to second melody in organum o New genre called motet (mot is French for "word") Many three-voice motets have different texts (polytextual) Sometimes the languages were mixed in one piece French and Latin Motets can be sacred or secular Can have instrumental accompaniment A Gregorian chant is the basis for a motet The other voices are composed around the chant

Secular Music in the Middle Ages

Secular music arose in courts, performed by aristocratic troubadours and trouvres in France and by Minnesingers in Germany, and in cities, performed by wandering minstrels (jongleurs). Secular song texts focused on idealized love and the values of chivalry (code of behavior). Secular songs and dances were sung monophonically, with improvised instrumental accompaniment. Guillaume de Machaut was a poet-composer of the French Ars nova (new art) who wrote sacred music and polyphonic chansons (secular songs) set to fixed text forms (rondeau, ballade, virelai). Instrumental music was generally improvised, performed by ensembles of soft (bas) or loud (haut) instruments, categorized by their use. The religious wars (Crusades) and medieval explorations enabled the exchange of musical instruments as well as theoretical ideas about music with Middle Eastern and Far Eastern cultures (CP 4). 1. Secular music grew in a separate tradition from sacred polyphony

Secular songs in Latin probably originated in university towns 2. Medieval Minstrels o Different classes of secular musicians emerged Jongleurs (male) and jongleuresses (female) Itinerant actor-singers lived on the fringe of society Troubadours (male) and trobairitz (female) Southern French high-class musicians (sometimes royalty) Trouvres Northern French high-class musicians Minnesingers German courtly musicians o The poems of the troubadours and trouvres had diverse subjects o Poetry of secular song often focused on idealized love and chivalry o Secular songs sung monophonically, with improvised accompaniment 3. Raimbaut de Vaqueiras and the Troubadour Tradition o Southern French secular composer (c.1155-1207) Musician at the court of the marquis of Montferrat (northwest Italy) Knighted for bravery in battle Joined in the Fourth Crusade to the Holy Land Probably died in battle alongside his patron 4. Raimbaut de Vaqueiras: Kalenda maya (Listening Guide 4) o Late-13th-century estampie (troubadour dance song) o Set to a strophic poem o Instrumental portion performed on rebec, pipe, guitar, nakers, hand drum o Middle Eastern influence evident in the work (improvisation, instruments) 5. Guillaume de Machaut and the French Ars nova o Ars nova (new art): movement beginning in 14th-century France Greater refinement than music of the Ars antiqua (old art) New developments in rhythm, meter, harmony, and counterpoint Guillaume de Machaut (c. 13001377) was the foremost composer French poet and composer Double career as cleric and courtier Composed motets, chansons (French for "songs"), and a polyphonic Mass Ordinary Favored fixed text forms: rondeau, ballade, virelai 6. Machaut: Puis qu'en oubli (Listening Guide 5) o Three-voice French chanson o Text: rondeau form o Music reflects pain of unrequited love
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Low melodic range (depths of despair) 7. Early Instrumental Music o Central role in art music reserved for vocal music o Instrumental music mostly improvised (not notated) for dance Performed by ensembles of soft (bas) or loud (haut) instruments Instruments were categorized by their use (indoor or outdoor) o Medieval organs Large organs required physical pumping of bellows Small organs (portative, positive) were portable Some recordings today use early instruments for authenticity