Transcript Medieval Musical Instruments

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Medieval Music
11th, 12th and 13th Centuries
Medieval Music
• Music was an important part of people’s
lives from the very earliest times – ritual,
worship, entertainment etc
• Very few pieces of entertainment music
(songs and dances) have come down to
us as they were never written down.
• The first people to write down music were
the Monks of medieval times.
Medieval Church Music
• Most music that survived from those times
was for the various services of the Church.
• Early church music was known as
plainsong/plainchant.
What do you need to know?
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Plainsong/Plainchant
Church Music
Medieval Songs
Medieval Dance Music – Estampie and
Saltarello
• Medieval Instruments
• Monophonic Texture, Call and Response,
Modes, a capella
Plainsong/Plainchant
• Sung without accompaniment (a capella)
• Special system of scales called MODES were
used.
• Two most common: Aeolian and Dorian modes.
• Sung in unison.
• Monophonic Texture – one line of
unaccompanied singing.
• No fixed rhythm – follows the natural stresses of
words.
• Call and Response
• Melody moves mainly in steps.
Medieval Songs
• The earliest songs were composed by
troubadours and minstrels.
• They were wandering musicians who
entertained and spread the news in their
songs.
• Simple, monophonic, often with
accompaniment from a pipe and tabor or
tambourine.
Medieval Dance Music
• The most popular medieval dances were
the Estampie (a stamping dance) and the
Saltarello (a jumping dance).
• Dances may be played by one or two
instruments or by a larger group.
There are two groups of
instruments:
• Loud/Outdoor Instruments – for
performance of music in halls and
churches, processions and dances in the
open air.
• Soft/Indoor Instruments – for performance
of music in the home; dancing, song
accompaniments and background music.
“Loud” Instruments
• These include instruments such as:
- the shawm
- the pipe and tabor
- the nakers
- the bagpipes
- the cornett
The Shawm
• The shawm
was the most
important
double reed
instrument of
the Middle
Ages and
Renaissance.
The Pipe and Tabor
• The pipe is a simple
instrument like a recorder
but usually having only
three melody holes (index
finger, middle finger, and
thumb).
• The drum is held with a
strap or thong around the
arm which holds the pipe.
Thus one performer
accompanies himself,
making an ideal
combination for dance
music of a rustic nature, or
to supply background music
for jugglers or performing
animals.
The Nakers
• Nakers consist of
metal or wood
dome-shaped
bodies with
goatskin
drumheads, and
are played by
striking them with
the hands or with
sticks. They are
typically played in
pairs, often in a
sling or harness.
The Bagpipes
• The origins of the
bagpipe can be traced
back to the most ancient
civilizations. The
bagpipe probably
originated as a rustic
instrument in many
cultures because a
herdsman had the
necessary materials at
hand: a goat or sheep
skin and a reed pipe.
The Cornett
• The most versatile wind
instrument; between 1500
and 1650 the cornett was
used indoors and out, in
serious music, dance
music, town bands, rural
households, at church,
and court.
• It has a very small acorn
cup mouthpiece (played
on the side of the mouth
where the lips are thinner)
is attached to a hollowed
out piece of curved wood
or ivory. Six finger holes
and a thumb hole are
drilled in the body and it is
fingered in much the same
manner as a recorder.
“Soft” Instruments
• These include instruments such as:
- the medieval harp
- the psaltery
- the rebec
- the hurdy-gurdy
- the lute
The Medieval Harp
• The harp is one of the
most ancient types of
stringed instruments.
• Harps use open strings
exclusively, thus the
range of each is
determined by the number
of strings.
• In the Middle Ages strings
were made from twisted
animal gut (usually from
sheep), although horse
hair and even silk were
used as well.
The Psaltery
• The psaltery is an ancient
instrument seen in many forms.
• Early versions were simply a
wooden board with gut strings
stretched between pegs. The
strings were plucked with fingers
or by plectra.
• Later instruments included the
hollow box or soundboard with
soundholes and metal strings.
• The player performed with the
instrument on the lap or on a
table, or in front of the chest held
with a strap around his neck if
movement was needed.
The Rebec
• Bowing gave stringed
instruments the
sustaining power
necessary to play a
continuous melodic
line.
• The status of these
bowed instruments
and their players
remained low. The
rebec was definitely
an instrument of the
lower classes, not the
court.
The Hurdy-Gurdy
• The hurdy-gurdy is the
first stringed instrument
to which the keyboard
principle was applied.
• The bowing action of
the fiddle is replaced by
a wheel cranked by a
handle. The outer rim of
the wooden wheel is
coated with resin.
• When the crank is
spun, the wheel turns
and the gut strings
vibrate.
The Lute
• During the Renaissance
the lute held the highest
respect of all musical
instruments.
• The lute was an ideal
accompaniment for voice
and other soft instruments,
and the most eloquent of
all solo instruments.
• In paintings and other art
works the lute is often
associated with Apollo,
angels, or Orpheus, and it
is often mentioned at
climactic points in
tragedies.