The Middle Ages

1. The Middle Ages c. 1400 – 1600

2. The Middle AgesDiscovering Culture • Music of Greece, Rome, and other ancient civilizations was the foundation of modern musical culture (instruments, theory, practices). • The two centers of power in medieval society were: • Church (monasteries, convents) • State (centralized government or court) • National Literary Landmarks • Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (England) • Dante’s Divine Comedy (Italy) • Chanson de Roland (France) • Reflecting on Culture • Modern culture, including music and instruments, had its roots in ancient civilizations. • The principal patrons of music were the church and the state. • Religious institutions were central to the preservation of knowledge from early times. • Modern societal attitudes toward women were shaped by rules of chivalry.

3. The Middle AgesDiscovering Sacred Music • Gregorian chant is a huge body of music for the Roman Catholic Church. It is • monophonic, nonmetric, conjunct with small range; • notated in neumes on a four-line staff. • The three styles of setting text to chant were • neumatic, melismatic, and syllabic. • The Mass is divided into two sections: • Proper and Ordinary. • The Notre Dame school of Paris saw the development of • polyphonic music in two, three, and four parts; • a modern metric system derived from Greek poetry. • The motet can be either secular or sacred, depending on the texts (it is polytextual). • One of the first chant composers known was a nun, Hildegard von Bingen. • Hildegard wrote the first known morality play.

4. The Middle AgesDiscovering Sacred Music • Note the following points while listening: • The Gregorian chant Haec dies is monophonic and responsorial. • It is sung only on Easter Sunday, as a part of the Proper of the Mass. • The Notre Dame-style organum is two-part, with the chant melody in the bottom voice and the upper voice moving faster and freely. • The three-voiced motet has the chant melody in its lowest voice, with two free voices above it, both in rhythmic modes. • The motet has multiple texts, all honoring the Virgin Mary. • Reflecting on sacred music of the Middle Ages • A system of musical notation was devised during this era. • Singing was central to the celebration of the Mass and to the Jewish worship service. • The Roman Catholic Church owes much to the influence of Judaic traditions. • Modern concepts of polyphony and meter were developed in the late Middle Ages.

5. The Middle AgesDiscovering Secular Music • Lower-class minstrels include goliards and jongleurs. • Upper-class minstrels include: • troubadours (southern France); • trouvères (northern France; one composer is Moniot d'Arras); • Subjects of courtly poetry include love, war, history, and dances. • Instruments and musical ideas were brought from the Middle East by the Crusaders. • French Ars nova (new art) saw increased focus on secular music. • Guillaume de Machaut was the most important Ars nova composer. • Early instruments were divided by function: • loud for outdoor occasions; • soft for indoor occasions. • Instruments accompanied voices and the dance.

6. The Middle AgesDiscovering Secular Music • Note the following points while listening: • This is a polyphonic French-texted chanson for three low (men's) voices. • It is in a fixed form—the rondeau, with a complex repetition scheme of two sections (ABaAabAB) • The subject matter is unrequited, or courtly, love. • Reflecting on secular music of the Middle Ages • Like today, secular music served as entertainment, at courts and in cities. • The Crusades enabled many cross-cultural exchanges, including music theory and instruments. • Early instruments and instrument families are the precursors of our modern instruments.

7. The Middle AgesListening Guide