MUSIC OF THE

MEDIEVAL
PERIOD Teacher Eugene
What you should know?

• Medieval period is also called as “middle

ages”.
• Referring between the fall of the Roman
empire and the age of reawakening and
discovery.
• Music is based upon religious subject.
• Many kinds of music were created during
this period; music for the knights, for the
nobles in the castles, chants for the priests.
• Only the church music were preserved.
• Church music spread and taught to
succeeding generations.
VOCAL MUSIC
Gregorian Chants

• Official music of the Roman Catholic

church.
• Named after Pope Gregory I
• Also named as plainsong or plainchant
• Used “neume” notation
• Set to sacred Latin text
• It is monophonic
• It does not have harmony nor counterpoint
• Sung without any accompaniment
• Male voices sing in unison
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Troubadours

• Came from the word “trouvere” meaning

to compose, “to discuss” or “to find”.
• They performed chivalry and courtly
romantic music.
• They play for both commoners and nobility.
“Trouveree”

• They are composer-performer.

• Their counterparts in Germany were called
minnesingers
• Their songs are about love, crusades, dance
songs, spinning songs.
COMPOSER

ADAM DE LA HALLE (1237-1288)

• Also known as Adam le Bossu (Adam the
Hunchback)
• A son of a well-known citizen of Arras, Henri De la
Halle.
• Was destined for the church but he eventually
married.
• His patrons were Robert II, Count of Artois, and
the Charles of Anjou, brother of Louis IX.
• He was one of the oldest secular composers whose
literary and musical works include chanson and poetic
debates.
• He was a trouvere, poet and musician, whose literary
works include chanson and jeux-partis (poetic debates)
in the style of trouveres, polyphonic rondel and motets
in the style of early liturgical polyphony. His musical
play, Jeu de Robin et de Marion was considered the
earliest surviving secular French play with music.
End