The Medieval Era

1
The Medieval Era

• The Dark Ages
• The Middle Ages

2
Medieval Era

• 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
  orthe Renaissance
• 476 CE Medieval Era Begins with the Fall of the
  Western Roman Empire (East being Byzantium)
• 1420ish CE Renaissance Era Begins

3
Life in the Middle Ages

• Average life expectancy30 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.

4
Life in the Middle Ages

• Feudalism was the ruling system
• Church
• Nobles (including vassals)
• Peasants
• People of the church (clergy, monks, etc.) were
  educatedvery few others were. (EARLY)
• Monasteries and church schools expanded to
  Universities (France, Italy and England)
  increasing numbers of educated (LATE)

5
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 didnt
  want to go there.
• Church absorbed Greek/Roman practices of
  paganistic deamonsthis increased buy-in.
  (reason for development of grotesques).

6
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

7
Architecture

• Old Style Romanesque, more rounded and plain
• New StyleGothic, pointed and elaborateincluded
  gargoyles (water spout that diverts water from
  stoneworkgargle) and grotesques (just figures
  distorted from reality).

8
Romanesque
9
Romanesque
10
Gothic
11
Gothic
12
Gothic
13
Gargoyle/Grotesque
14
Charlemagne

• Crowned in 800 CE as Sovereign of the Roman
  Empire
• Began an alliance between the papacy and the
  government

15
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

16
Hundred Years War

• Between France and England
• Began in 1337

17
The Crusades

• Began in 1095 by Pope Urban II
• Cleansing of the church
• Turmoil began here continues today

18
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

19
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

20
CHANT
21
The Mass

• Celebrated as part of the Divine Office (p.29)
• The central service of the traditional Christian
  (Catholic) liturgy
• Eucharist(Communion) ritualistic celebration of
  Christs 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

22
The Mass

• 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)

23
The Church Calendar
FYI

• Advent
• Christmas (Christs Birth)
• Epiphany
• Lent
• Easter (Christs Resurrection)
• Pentecost

24
Chant

• Called plainchant
• Monophonic music of the Christian Church
• Accounts for the sung portion of the Mass
• Un-metered
• Notes were called neumes

25
Chant

• Three types
• Syllabic-each syllable of text has its own note
• Neumatic-each syllable of text is sung to two or
  three notes
• Melismatic-each syllable of text is sung to
  several notes

?
?
26
Pope Gregory I (r. 590-04)

• Given credit for the organization/unification of
  Chant
• Gregorian Chant comes from this myth
• Saint Gregory the GreatCame from the myth of a
  divine encounter
• Historians now unsure if Pope Gregory I or II was
  responsiblecould be someone else!

27
Music Theory

• Chant built on Hexachordssix 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 deviceGuidonian Hand to help students
  remember functions of notes (p.38)

28
Music Theory

• Chant written in modes, based on hexachords
• Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian
• Derived from Greek places thought to be
  associated with each

29
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

30
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 its codification
• Liturgy-order of the ritual or service
• Liber usualis-book of most frequent used chant
  for the Roman Catholic Church (Gregorian Chant)

31
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

32
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
  dramasdramas that portrayed religious themes,
  presented within the liturgy

Continued as a regular part of the Church service
until the Second Vatican Council (1963-1965).
Elements of Chant are still present.
33
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)

?
34
Secular Music

• Mostly written about love (lost, longed or
  actual), drinking and other erotic behavior.
• Usually written in Latineasily crossed
  linguistic boundaries

35
Secular Music in France

• Traveling musicians, poet, actors
• Troubadours (Southern France)
• Trouveres (Northern France)
• Joungleurs (Jugglers)
• Entertained and reported the news
• Music was mostly strophic and syllabic

?
36
Secular Music in Germany

• Minnesinger-singer of courtly love
• Music and traditions similar to troubadours and
  trouveres of France.

37
Polyphony

• 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

?
38
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

39
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

40
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

41
French ars nova 14th 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

42
Phillipe di Vitry (1291-1361)

• Poet, Musician, Composer, Theorist, Bishop
• Codified mensural notation
• Given credit for the term ars nova

43
Guillame de Machaut (1300-1377)

• Poet, Musician
• Known for Polyphonic setting of the Mass Ordinary
• Used Hocketsrapid fire syllables

44
French Ballade

• One of the fixed forms formes fixes of the
  14th-15th century
• Secular

45
Italian Madrigal

• 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

46
Musical Examples

• Neumatic example
• Introit from the Mass for Easter Sunday 12
• Melismatic example
• Gradual and Alleluia from the Mass for Easter
  Sunday 13,4
• Hildegard von Bingen, Liturgical Drama
• Good versus evil 19
• Beatriz de Dia, A chantar
• Song of longing (troubador) 110
• Melismatic organum
• Kyrie Cunctipotens genitor deus 113