Transcript The Medieval Era

The Medieval Era
The Dark Ages
The Middle Ages
Medieval Era
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Literally means:
– “Between the ages.”
– In this case, the term refers to the time
between the Age of Antiquity and the Age of
the Rebirth or…the Renaissance
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476 CE Medieval Era Begins with the Fall
of the Western Roman Empire (East being
Byzantium)
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1420ish CE Renaissance Era Begins
Life in the Middle Ages
Average life expectancy—30 Years of Age
 Diseases, War, Famine, Bubonic Plague all
contributed to sharp decline of population
 Travel had to be done in convoy (or large
groups) to help protect against vagabonds
and outlaws.
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Life in the Middle Ages
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Feudalism was the ruling system
– Church
– Nobles (including vassals)
– Peasants
People of the church (clergy, monks, etc.)
were educated…very few others were.
(EARLY)
 Monasteries and church schools expanded
to Universities (France, Italy and England)
increasing numbers of educated (LATE)
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Life in the Middle Ages
This caused great control by the church
(money, power, service)
 Hell was a very real place for people, and
according to the church, they knew they
didn’t want to go there.
 Church absorbed Greek/Roman practices
of ‘paganistic’ deamons…this increased
buy-in. (reason for development of
grotesques).
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Population
Fell in 5th Century after the decline of a
central rule
 Climbed toward 11th Century from an
increased population and increased
education (church schools expanding)
 Fell again during 14th Century from crop
failure/famine and bubonic plague.
Europe lost 1/3 of population
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Architecture
Old Style= Romanesque, more rounded
and plain
 New Style=Gothic, pointed and
elaborate…included gargoyles (water
spout that diverts water from
stonework…gargle) and grotesques (just
figures distorted from reality).
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Romanesque
Romanesque
Gothic
Gothic
Gothic
Gargoyle/Grotesque
Charlemagne
Crowned in 800 CE as “Sovereign of the
Roman Empire”
 Began an alliance between the papacy
and the “government”
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Charlemagne
Reign included all of France and much of
Western Europe.
 Called for unification of liturgy used by the
church
 Founded singing schools to teach liturgy
to monks and others to take “singing
burden” away from priests
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Hundred Years’ War
Between France and England
 Began in 1337
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The Crusades
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Began in 1095 by Pope Urban II
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Cleansing of the church
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Turmoil began here continues today
Music in the Middle Ages
Early-still monophonic
 Late-polyphony surfaces
 Mostly still improvised and passed along
orally
 Notation was evolving steadily throughout
this period
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Boethius (480-525 CE)
The Link between the Old Theory (Greek
and Roman) to the New Theory
(Renaissance)
 Wrote down theory practices given by
Pythagoras and company.
 Not until 9th Century did manuscripts
begin to make sense of those studying
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CHANT
The Mass
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Celebrated as part of the Divine Office (p.29)
The central service of the traditional Christian
(Catholic) liturgy
Eucharist—(Communion) ritualistic celebration of
Christ’s Last Supper with his Disciples
Included parts that were spoken and/or sung
Two kinds:
– Ordinary-fixed texts said or sung at every Mass
– Propers-text that varies for special circumstances
The Mass
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Parts of the Mass (Ordinary)—Appendix 5
– Kyrie (Lord have Mercy)
– Gloria (Praise to the Holy Trinity)
– Credo (Creed, Statement of Faith)
– Sanctus (Consecration of Bread and Wine)
– Agnus Dei (Prayer for Peace)
The Church Calendar
Advent
 Christmas (Christ’s Birth)
 Epiphany
 Lent
 Easter (Christ’s Resurrection)
 Pentecost
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Chant
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Called plainchant
Monophonic music of the Christian
Church
Accounts for the “sung” portion of the
Mass
Un-metered
Notes were called neumes
Chant
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Three types
1) Syllabic-each syllable of text has its own
note
2) Neumatic-each syllable of text is sung to two
or three notes
3) Melismatic-each syllable of text is sung to
several notes
♫ ♫
Pope Gregory I (r. 590-04)
Given credit for the
organization/unification of Chant
 Gregorian Chant comes from this “myth”
 Saint Gregory the Great—Came from the
myth of a divine encounter
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Historians now unsure if Pope Gregory I or
II was responsible…could be someone
else!
Music Theory
Chant built on Hexachords—six notes
 Denoted by solmization syllables (comes
from solfeggio or solfege)
 Ut (later do), Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La
 Guido of Arezzo (991-ca. 1033) known for
creating mnemonic device…”Guidonian
Hand” to help students remember
functions of notes (p.38)
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Music Theory
Chant written in modes, based on
hexachords
 Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian
 Derived from Greek places thought to be
associated with each
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Key Terms
Mass-central service of the Catholic
Church
 Ordinary-Fixed texts said or sung at every
Mass
 Propers-text that varies for special
circumstances
 Eucharist-Holy Communion
 Plainchant-Monophonic, music of the
Catholic Church
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Key Terms
Neumes-pitches of the chant (notes)
 Gregorian Chant-Music of the Roman
Catholic Church, named after Pope
Gregory I, who is given credit for it’s
codification
 Liturgy-order of the ritual or service
 Liber usualis-book of most frequent used
chant for the Roman Catholic Church
(Gregorian Chant)
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Key Terms
Strophic Hymn-sacred song, not based on
scripture, with each stanza set to the
same melody
 Gamut-entire available range (written)
 Modes-Arrangement of hexachords with
different starting pitches
 Trope-musical addition to an existing
chant
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Chant continues…
After the 9th Century (following
codification of Gregorian Chant), additions
began to be made to the established
Office and Liturgy
 Religious music began to expand to
“liturgical dramas”—dramas that portrayed
religious themes, presented within the
liturgy
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Continued as a regular part of the Church service until the Second
Vatican Council (1963-1965). Elements of Chant are still present.
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
German Nun, later abbess
 First woman given papal permission to
write on theology
 Works came from visions and revelations
 Considerable output of music (P.44)
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Secular Music
Mostly written about love (lost, longed or
actual), drinking and other erotic behavior.
 Usually written in Latin…easily crossed
linguistic boundaries
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Secular Music in France
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Traveling musicians, poet, actors:
– Troubadours (Southern France)
– Trouveres (Northern France)
– Joungleurs (Jugglers)
Entertained and reported the news
 Music was mostly strophic and syllabic
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Secular Music in Germany
Minnesinger-singer of courtly love
 Music and traditions similar to troubadours
and trouveres of France.
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Polyphony
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First reference to polyphony comes in a book
called Musica enchiriadis (“Musical Handbook”)
from 9th Century France
Organum-plainchant voice with at least one
additional voice above or below (means
“instrument” eventual origin of “organ”…)
Used parallel fifths, fourths, octaves
Lower voice became known as tenor (Latin: to
hold)
Duplum, Second voice to plainchant
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Polyphony
Clausula-brief discant organum substituted
in place of a larger organum (does not
stand alone)
 Motet-(12th-13th Century)-Polyphonic work,
usually sacred, text for each parts
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Polyphony
Mensural Notation: Franco de Cologne,
given credit for the decisive publication
(1280)…”The Art of Measurable Song.”
 Franconian notation-basic
 Petronian notation-more elaborate
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School of Notre Dame
Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, 1163
 Produced the most elaborate examples of
organum
 Leonin begins tenure 1163, compositions
showed more rhythmic definition with
measured organum (opposed to free
organum)
 Perotin begins tenure 1180, known for
adding third and fourth voices to organum
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French “ars nova”
th
14
Century
Ars Nova, new art
 Characterized with increased polyphony
(sacred and secular)
 Text now in common vernacular, not Latin
 Pope John XXII condemned polyphony for
regular use calling it distracting
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Phillipe di Vitry (1291-1361)
Poet, Musician, Composer, Theorist,
Bishop
 Codified mensural notation
 Given credit for the term ars nova
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Guillame de Machaut (1300-1377)
Poet, Musician
 Known for Polyphonic setting of the Mass
Ordinary
 Used Hockets…rapid fire syllables
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French Ballade
One of the fixed forms “formes fixes” of
the 14th-15th century
 Secular
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Italian Madrigal
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14th Century literary work set to music in 2-3
strophes.
Two-line ritornello (refrain) at the end
Ritornello in contrasting meter
Form becoming more important
Instruments began to show more mathematical
engineering
Fibonacci, Italian mathematician (13th Century)
Fibonacci Series 1 1 2 3 4 8 13 21…
Musical Examples
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Neumatic example
– Introit from the Mass for Easter Sunday 1:2
Melismatic example
– Gradual and Alleluia from the Mass for Easter Sunday
1:3,4
Hildegard von Bingen, Liturgical Drama
– Good versus evil 1:9
Beatriz de Dia, A chantar
– Song of longing (troubador) 1:10
Melismatic organum
– Kyrie Cunctipotens genitor deus 1:13