The Middle Ages: Chapter 2
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Transcript The Middle Ages: Chapter 2
A Presentation by Eric Jonswold
The development of “modern” classical music typically
begins with the early Roman Catholic Church.
Music did exist outside of the church as well.
The survival of compositions depended on transcription
Earliest music was monophonic- single melodic line
whether sung by one or one hundred voices.
This form of music was most commonly recognized as
Gregorian Chant or Plainsong/Plainchant.
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a
choral composition that sets the Roman Catholic Church
to music.
Syllabic: 1 note per syllable
Neumatic: 2-3 notes per syllable
Melismatic: many notes per syllable
540-1100 AD
With very few exceptions, music composed during this
period was written by composers in the direct service
of the church
Therefore it is quite rare to find chant material with a
specific name attached to it.
From the first section of the Mass known as the Ordinary.
Sample of both neumatic and melismatic styles of chant
compositions.
Note how the melody adds more notes per syllable the
longer the piece continues.
Three-part structure is meant to represent the Holy Trinity.
Also known as ternary form or A-B-A
The Kýrie prayer:
"Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy."
Leonin (ca. 1135-1201)
Perotin (ca. 1160-1240)
First written examples of polyphonic music- music with
more than one melodic line.
Manuscripts from the Cathedral began to display two
independent lines of music, a style called organum.
The concept of the cantus firmus, or fixed song, became a
regular feature in most sacred compositions, centralizing
or fixing the composition on the Gregorian chart with
additional melodic lines serving as embellishments.
Organum: two-voice
Motet: three- and four voice.
Three-voiced motet
Tenor part (exclusively instruments) = cantus firmus
Based on Kyrie “Cum Jubilo” but the old melody has
been stretched into long durations while new melodies
have been composed over the top.
Note the fairly strict repeated rhythmic patterns, called
an isorhythm, accredited to composer Philippe de
Vitry.
Compared to sacred music during the Middle Ages, very
little is known about the development of secular music in
general and instrumental secular music in particular
Most secular music was performed by poet/musicians
called troubadours, trouveres, minnesingers, or
jonglars, depending on their place of origin in Europe.
Lower-class, functioned as modern day CNN spreading
gossip from court to court.
Compositions were generally monophonic with
accompaniment by a chordal instrument .
Much of secular music was also polyphonic, though this
was predominantly instrumental and often
improvisational.
D’ Arras was a monk from northern France.
Tragic love song
Melody is repeated five times.
The only written music in existence is the melody
This is a best guess of how the work might have been
performed
Strophic trouveres song
The simplest and most durable of musical forms,
elaborating a piece of music by repetition of a single
formal section. This may be analyzed as "A A A...".
Shearer, James Edward. Classical Basics: a Brief
Overview with Historical Documents and Recordings.
Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 2005. Print.