Survey... Notes 59j2f

The Middle Ages 1/22/18 Reading Middle Ages: medieval era between fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 CE) and beginning of Renaissance (early fifteenth century)  Gregorian Chant – unison  Polyphony  Sacred and secular  Mostly conjunct with occasional leaps  Used more modes other than major/minor to create an “otherworldly sound” Sacred Music  Era of great Gothic cathedrals  Plainchant (one voice or unison) Entertainment in Music  Great artistry equaled great power for rulers  Musicians were hired for all events of the high court  Some musicians (Boccaccio, Chaucer, etc.) wrote in the people’s languages (not Latin for the church)  Dancing was a highly significant social activity  Group dances  Instruments were quite different (shawm- similar to an oboe) Records of Music  Many ed on orally, not written  Not notated until 10 century  Manuscripts were often inaccurate and used symbols to indication pitch motion  Manuscripts were elaborately and artistically made  Early notes were called neumes 1/22/18 Listening Hildegard von Bingen – Play of Virtues (1150)  Plainchant: single melodic line without accompaniment  used to emphasize emotional impact of the good vs. evil conflict in the song  monophonic texture and unison  later called Gregorian Chant  provided clarity and impact off stone walls of large cathedrals  Hildegard von Bingen was director of an abbey of nuns in western  Play of Virtues  Confrontations between Satan and 16 Virtues  The choir of virtues sing the same melody  Satan shouts his lines as music was perceived as beautiful  Creates a stark contrast  Mix of syllabic and melismatic provides variety and clarity  Free rhythm used (no specific meter followed closely) 1/22/18 In Class The Church  Judeo-Christian traditions and music (were repressed, built from barns to churches)  Nave- long part of church th

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Sacred space- layperson should not go to 1/24/18 Plainchant Alleluia – “Caro Mea” (1275)  Plainchant - part of service of worship  Used for Feast of Corpus Christi (body of Christ)  Taken from Gospel of John 6:55-56  Music qualities  Responsorial chant: solo age followed by response from chorus  Sung in unison and monophonic  Floating quality created by echoing  Uses extended melismas sco Landini – “Behold, Spring” (1350-1397)  Love poem set to music  Secular song  Ballata (dance) for two voices  Music qualities  Polyphony- two or more voices of equal importance  Eighth/ninth centuries, new plainchant was by adding melodies above or below  Triple meter  Conjunct lines divided into small units ending with a cadence  Always cadences on unison  ABAA  Mostly syllabic with few melismas Guillaume de Machaut – “I Can All Too Well Compare My Lady” (1350)  Words sing the love of the beauty of the statue by Pygmalion  Polyphonic- for three voices each with unique lines  AAB  Sung by three men Alfonso el Sabio – Songs to the Virigin Mary, no. 249 “He Who Gladly Serves” (1252-1284)  Composer- ruler of Castile and Leon on the Iberian peninsula  Originally arranged for voice, but could be instrumental  Songs were commonly arranged for instruments instead of voice when unavailable  Shawm- double-reed instrument (similar to an oboe) only still used in Africa and Middle East, disappeared from Europe by end of Renaissance  ABA  Monophony- both instruments play in unison  Homophony- one instrument plays the melody, the other a drone bass  Heterophony- both instruments play the same melody at the same time, but one is more elaborate and embellished

1/24/18 Class 

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The Church o Opposite of what you would think of as church today o Used Plainchant to communicate in the churches  Projects the voice o Music was written for one particular place Shawm o What did they look like?