🎶Music History – Medieval Unit 1 – Medieval Music: Origins and Context

Historical Context

• Medieval period spans from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the 15th century
• Characterized by the rise of Christianity and the Catholic Church as dominant cultural and political forces throughout Europe
• Feudal system emerged with a hierarchical structure of lords, vassals, and serfs
• Crusades (11th-13th centuries) led to increased contact and cultural exchange between Europe and the Middle East
• Growth of cities and universities in the High Middle Ages (11th-13th centuries) fostered intellectual and artistic development
• Black Death (14th century) had a profound impact on European society causing widespread loss of life and social upheaval
• Hundred Years' War between England and France (1337-1453) marked the end of the medieval period and the rise of nation-states

Origins of Medieval Music

• Developed from the monophonic liturgical music of the early Christian Church (Gregorian chant)
• Influenced by the musical traditions of ancient Greece and Rome as well as Jewish and Byzantine chant
• Earliest surviving examples of medieval music are religious chants notated in neumes (early form of musical notation) from the 9th century
• Secular music emerged in the form of troubadour and trouvère songs in the 11th and 12th centuries
  • Troubadours were poet-musicians from southern France who composed and performed love songs
  • Trouvères were their counterparts in northern France
• Development of polyphony (multiple melodic lines) in the 12th and 13th centuries marked a significant shift in musical style and complexity
  • Organum introduced the concept of adding one or more voices above or below a pre-existing chant melody
  • Motet emerged as a polyphonic vocal composition featuring different texts sung simultaneously
• Rise of instrumental music in the 13th and 14th centuries as evidenced by the increasing depiction of instruments in art and literature

Key Genres and Forms

• Gregorian chant: Monophonic, unaccompanied sacred music used in the Catholic Church liturgy
  • Characterized by free rhythm, modal scales, and Latin texts
  • Examples include "Dies Irae" and "Pange Lingua"
• Organum: Early form of polyphony featuring one or more voices added above or below a pre-existing chant melody
  • Developed at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris during the 12th and 13th centuries
  • Composers associated with the Notre Dame school include Léonin and Pérotin
• Motet: Polyphonic vocal composition featuring different texts sung simultaneously
  • Originated as a sacred genre but later expanded to include secular themes
  • Example: "Alle Psallite cum Luya" by Anonymous IV
• Troubadour and trouvère songs: Secular monophonic songs composed and performed by poet-musicians in France during the 11th and 12th centuries
  • Themes include courtly love, chivalry, and nature
  • Example: "Can vei la lauzeta mover" by Bernart de Ventadorn
• Ars Nova: Musical style that emerged in France and Italy during the 14th century characterized by increased rhythmic complexity and use of secular texts
  • Key composers include Philippe de Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut
  • Example: "Messe de Nostre Dame" by Guillaume de Machaut, one of the earliest known complete settings of the Mass Ordinary
• Cantigas de Santa Maria: Collection of over 400 monophonic songs in praise of the Virgin Mary compiled during the reign of King Alfonso X of Castile (1221-1284)
  • Features a mix of sacred and secular themes and incorporates elements of Arabic and Jewish music
  • Example: "Non sofre Santa Maria" (Cantiga 159)

Instruments and Performance Practices

• Vocal music dominated the medieval period with instrumental music serving a subordinate role
• Instruments were primarily used to accompany singing or dancing and to provide music for outdoor events and processions
• Wind instruments:
  • Flute: End-blown or transverse, made of wood or bone
  • Shawm: Double-reed instrument, predecessor of the oboe
  • Bagpipes: Consisted of one or more pipes attached to a bag filled with air
  • Trumpet: Used for military and ceremonial purposes
• String instruments:
  • Lute: Plucked string instrument with a pear-shaped body and fretted neck
  • Vielle: Bowed string instrument, predecessor of the violin
  • Harp: Triangular frame with strings of varying lengths
  • Psaltery: Plucked string instrument, similar to a zither
• Percussion instruments:
  • Drums: Various sizes and shapes, used for dance music and military purposes
  • Bells: Used in church towers and as hand-held instruments
• Keyboard instruments:
  • Organ: Used primarily in churches, featuring multiple pipes controlled by a keyboard
  • Clavichord: Struck string keyboard instrument, predecessor of the piano
• Performance practices varied depending on the genre and context
  • Gregorian chant was sung unaccompanied by male voices in churches
  • Troubadour and trouvère songs were performed by a single singer, often accompanied by a lute or vielle
  • Polyphonic music required multiple singers and sometimes instrumentalists
  • Dance music featured a combination of wind, string, and percussion instruments

Notable Composers and Works

• Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179): German Benedictine abbess, composer, and visionary
  • Composed over 70 monophonic songs, including the morality play "Ordo Virtutum"
  • Example: "O Ecclesia" from the collection "Symphonia armonie celestium revelationum"
• Léonin (fl. late 12th century): French composer associated with the Notre Dame school
  • Credited with the development of the organum style and the Magnus Liber Organi (Great Book of Organum)
  • Example: "Viderunt omnes" organum
• Pérotin (fl. c. 1200): French composer, successor to Léonin at Notre Dame
  • Expanded the organum style to include up to four voices
  • Example: "Sederunt principes" organum quadruplum
• Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300-1377): French composer, poet, and cleric
  • Prominent figure of the Ars Nova style, known for his motets, lais, and the "Messe de Nostre Dame"
  • Example: "Rose, liz, printemps, verdure" rondeau
• Francesco Landini (c. 1325-1397): Italian composer, organist, and poet
  • Leading composer of the Italian Trecento style, known for his ballate and madrigals
  • Example: "Ecco la primavera" ballata
• John Dunstaple (c. 1390-1453): English composer, influential in the development of the contenance angloise style
  • Known for his smooth, flowing melodies and use of thirds and sixths
  • Example: "Quam pulchra es" motet

Notation and Theory

• Neumes: Early form of musical notation used for Gregorian chant
  • Indicated the relative pitch and duration of notes but lacked precise pitch and rhythm
  • Examples include the punctum (single note), virga (higher note), and clivis (two-note descending pattern)
• Square notation: Developed in the 12th century, using square-shaped notes on a four-line staff
  • Allowed for greater precision in pitch and rhythm compared to neumes
  • Example: "Ut queant laxis" hymn, which gave rise to the solfège system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la)
• Mensural notation: Emerged in the late 13th century, using different note shapes to indicate duration
  • Included the longa (long), brevis (short), semibrevis (half-short), and minima (smallest)
  • Enabled the notation of complex rhythmic patterns in polyphonic music
• Rhythmic modes: System of organizing rhythm in polyphonic music, based on recurring patterns of long and short durations
  • Six modes were identified, each with a specific pattern of longa and brevis notes
  • Example: Mode 1 (trochaic) consisted of a longa followed by a brevis
• Hexachord system: Method of organizing pitches into six-note scales, each starting on a different pitch
  • Three hexachords were used: natural (starting on C), hard (starting on G), and soft (starting on F)
  • Facilitated the teaching and memorization of melodies using the solfège syllables (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la)
• Musica ficta: Practice of altering pitches by a half-step to avoid dissonances or create more pleasing melodic lines
  • Indicated by the use of accidentals (sharps, flats, and naturals) in notation
  • Became increasingly common in the 14th and 15th centuries as composers sought to expand the available range of pitches

Cultural and Religious Influences

• Catholic Church played a central role in shaping medieval music through its liturgy and patronage of composers
  • Gregorian chant served as the foundation for sacred music throughout the period
  • Cathedrals and monasteries were important centers of musical education and composition
• Secular music emerged as a distinct tradition in the 11th and 12th centuries with the rise of troubadours and trouvères
  • Reflected the values and ideals of courtly love and chivalry in medieval society
  • Patronage of secular music by aristocratic courts fostered the development of new genres and styles
• Islamic and Jewish musical traditions influenced medieval music through cultural exchange during the Crusades and in regions such as Spain and Sicily
  • Andalusian music, which blended Arabic and European elements, flourished in Islamic Spain
  • Jewish musicians and composers, such as Sephardic Jews, contributed to the development of secular and sacred music
• Universities and intellectual centers, such as the University of Paris and the Cathedral of Notre Dame, played a significant role in the development of music theory and notation
  • Scholars such as Johannes de Garlandia and Franco of Cologne wrote treatises on music that codified the rules of polyphony and rhythm
  • The study of music as a branch of the quadrivium (alongside arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy) elevated its status as a liberal art
• Marian devotion and the cult of the Virgin Mary inspired the composition of numerous hymns, sequences, and motets in her honor
  • Collections such as the Cantigas de Santa Maria and the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat exemplify the widespread veneration of Mary in medieval music
  • Marian feasts, such as the Annunciation and the Assumption, were celebrated with elaborate musical performances in churches and cathedrals

Legacy and Transition to Renaissance

• Medieval music laid the foundation for the development of Western classical music in terms of notation, theory, and performance practices
• Polyphonic genres such as the motet and the Mass Ordinary setting paved the way for the more complex and expressive works of the Renaissance
  • Composers such as Guillaume Dufay and Josquin des Prez built upon the techniques and styles of their medieval predecessors
  • The cyclic Mass, which unified the movements of the Mass Ordinary through shared musical material, emerged as a key genre in the early Renaissance
• Secular music continued to evolve, with the chanson and the madrigal becoming prominent forms in the 15th and 16th centuries
  • The influence of troubadour and trouvère songs can be seen in the works of Renaissance composers such as Claudin de Sermisy and Jacques Arcadelt
  • The lute and other plucked string instruments gained popularity as accompaniment for secular vocal music and as solo instruments
• The invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century revolutionized the dissemination of musical scores and treatises
  • Printed collections, such as Ottaviano Petrucci's "Odhecaton A" (1501), made music more widely available and facilitated the spread of musical styles across Europe
  • Music printing also contributed to the standardization of notation and the preservation of musical works for future generations
• The humanist movement of the Renaissance, with its emphasis on classical learning and individual expression, influenced the direction of musical composition and performance
  • Composers sought to emulate the perceived ideals of ancient Greek music, leading to the development of monody and the recitative style in the late 16th and early 17th centuries
  • The rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman texts on music theory, such as those by Boethius and Ptolemy, sparked new debates and innovations in musical thought
• The Protestant Reformation in the early 16th century had a significant impact on sacred music, particularly in Germany and England
  • Martin Luther promoted the use of vernacular hymns (chorales) in Lutheran worship, leading to a rich tradition of congregational singing
  • The Anglican Church, established by Henry VIII, maintained many elements of Catholic liturgical music while also incorporating English-language anthems and service music
• The end of the medieval period and the beginning of the Renaissance saw a gradual shift in musical style and aesthetics
  • Composers began to prioritize clarity of text, balanced phrasing, and smooth, flowing melodies over the complex rhythmic and textural interplay of the Ars Nova and Ars Subtilior
  • The increasing use of thirds and sixths as consonances, as well as the adoption of major and minor tonality, marked a departure from the modal system of the Middle Ages
  • The rise of instrumental music and the development of new instruments, such as the violin family and the harpsichord, expanded the expressive possibilities of music in the Renaissance and beyond.