Music Back in the Day

Module 4 YouTube Playlist

Music in the Middle Ages

Quote

All art in the Middle Ages was functional art. — Watsinga

• Used in liturgy
  • Transmit the word of God
  • Transmit the theology of the church
• Two types of chanting
  • Syllabic chant - one note per syllable, narrow range, simple - used for reading
  • Melismatic chant - many notes for one syllable, wider range - used in contemplating and reflecting
• Hildegard of Bingen
• To allow more than two parts to join the chant, the rhythm notations were introduced. Hence the importance shifted from performers to composers.
• Musical Mass
  • Proper of the Mass, text changes
  • Ordinary of the Mass, text doesn’t change
  • Kyrie → Gloria → Credo → Sanctus → Agnus Dei
• Vielle and Shawm

Music in the Renaissance

Features of Renaissance Music

• Chant inspired.
• Imitative polyphony the basis of the style.
• Predominately vocal.
• Performed a cappella.
• Genres: the 3M’s = Mass + Motet + Madrigal

• Rebirth of classical antiquity in ancient Greek
• Now the creator has a name! Humanism emerges!
• Instruments
  • Positive vs. Portative Organ.
  • Clavichord, Harpsichord
  • Lute - early guitar
  • Sackbut - early trombone
  • Cornetto - died out
• Dances
  • Pavane - slow stately dance
  • Galliard - faster and athletic
• A Cappella Sistina → A Cappella, originally played in Sistine Chapel
  • Motet - 2 + 5x4 + 2 = 24 lines of lyrics
  • Voice Paring - go against each other
  • Imitation - go along each other
• Protestant Reformation = to protest
  • Who sings the soprano?
    • Women are originally proscribed from singing in church: “Mulier taceat in ecclesia” (women silent in church)
    • Have men sining soprano and falsetto - Castrato or Choir
  • Chroale Tune = Hymn Tune
  • Part Book
• Madrigal
  • 4 to 5 solo voices in a cappella
  • In a vernacular language
  • madrigalism = word painting = mimicry
  • Music underscores the meaning of the text
  • Music became a memetic language!