Transcript Early Medieval Music

Medieval Music
Sacred Music
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Plainchant
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Single, simple melodic line
Sacred text
Notation used neumes
Hildegard Von Bingen
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Gregorian Chant
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Wrote antiphons (poetic text set to chant) and the musical drama Ordo Virtutum for the nuns at her convent
Single melodic line, more complex than plainchant
Sacred text
Pope Gregory often credited with the development of Gregorian chant, but this is debated by scholars
Used church modes—Ionic, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian
Improvisation was common
Mass
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Introit
Kyrie
Gloria
Gradual
Alleluia
Offertory
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
Commuion
Ite, missa est
Organum
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Characteristics
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A plainchant melody with at least one added voice
Organum duplum—2 voices, Organum triplum—3 voices, Organum quadruplum—4 voices
Added voices may include a supporting bass line or may follow the melody in parallel motion
Originally, the second voice was improvised; later composers began writing down more
complex parts, creating polyphony
Leonin(1150-1201)
– First known composer of organum
– French
– Works preserved in Magnus Liber—book of organum
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Perotin(1200-?)
– Also French, known for organum
– Works preserved in Magnus Liber
– Known for taking a well-known melody and stretching it out so that it becomes a drone, over
which more rhythmically complex parts are woven
Secular Music
• Troubadors
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Composers/performers of lyric poetry
Themes of chivalry and courtly love
Many humorous or vulgar satires
Bernart de Ventadorn
Beatriz de Dia http://youtu.be/4NACeUqS2D4
Wizlau von Rugen
• Musical Plays
– Adam de la Halle—Jeu de Robin et de Marion
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCIx07t14jw
Rhythmic Modes
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Based on poetic rhythmic patterns
Long-short (trochee) quarter-eighth
Short-long (iamb) eighth-quarter
Long-short-short (dactyl) dotted quarter-eighthquarter
• Short-short-long (anapaest) quarter-eighth-dotted
quarter
• Long-long (spondee) dotted quarter-dotted quarter
• Short-short-short (tribrach or choree) eighth-eightheighth
Clausula
• A clausula is a self-contained bit of organum
ending with a cadence.
• It contained a polyphonic section for two or
more voices sung in discant style (note against
note) over a “cantus firmus” (chant melody)
• Composers composed many "substitute"
clausulae that were designed to fit within the
organum as a subsitute for the original.
Motet
• Eventually words were added to the clausulae
and the first motets were born
• Rhythm strayed from earlier rhythmic modes
and instead was driven by the text
• Sacred and secular motets were written
• Some motets incorporated more than one
language
• Phillipe de Vitry and Gulliame Machaut were
two significant composers of Medieval motets
Instruments
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Lute
Pipe and Tabor
Sacbut
Bladder Pipe
Organetto
Rebec
Hurdy-Gurdy