Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque Music – Review Flashcards

These Question-and-Answer flashcards cover time periods, genres, characteristics, major composers, and essential terminology of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Western music to aid in exam review.

What time span is generally given for the Medieval musical period?

700–1400

Which style of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song became the central plainchant tradition of the Western Roman Catholic Church?

Gregorian Chant

After which pope is Gregorian Chant named?

Pope Gregory the Great

What type of musical texture characterizes Gregorian Chant?

Monophonic

Does Gregorian Chant have a regular repeating rhythm or free meter?

Free meter (no regular repeating rhythm)

In what language are most Gregorian Chants sung?

Latin

What early musical notation system is used in Gregorian Chant?

Neume notation

Which group of medieval secular musicians spread courtly songs across Europe?

Troubadours (or trouvères in northern France)

Name three key traits of troubadour music.

Usually monophonic, sometimes with improvised accompaniment, themes of chivalry and courtly love

From which country did the troubadour tradition originate?

France

Who was Adam de la Halle and why is he important?

A 13th-century French trouvère known for secular and polyphonic works; composer of 'Le Jeu de Robin et de Marion', the earliest surviving secular French play with music.

Give two notable works by Adam de la Halle.

Le Jeu de Robin et de Marion; La Chanson du roi de Sicile

What does the word “Renaissance” literally mean?

Rebirth, revival, rediscovery

Which musical period is called the 'golden age of a cappella choral music'?

The Renaissance period (1400–1600)

List four core characteristics of Renaissance music.

Mostly polyphonic texture, frequent imitation, word painting, flowing melodic lines easier to sing

What are the two main vocal genres of the Renaissance?

Mass and Madrigal

Define ‘Mass’ in Renaissance music.

A sacred musical composition that sets the texts of the Eucharistic liturgy to music.

What are the five ordinary sections of the Mass?

Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei

Which language is unique to the Kyrie movement of the Mass?

Greek

Name three text-setting styles found in Renaissance Masses.

Syllabic, neumatic, melismatic

Define ‘Madrigal’.

A secular vocal composition set to poetic text, sung during courtly gatherings; typically polyphonic and a cappella.

Give three standard characteristics of a Renaissance madrigal.

Polyphonic, sung a cappella, through-composed, often in 3–6 voices

Which Renaissance composer is known as the 'Prince of Music'?

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Why is Palestrina’s 'Pope Marcellus Mass' historically significant?

It demonstrated clarity of text while adhering to Council of Trent guidelines, helping keep polyphony in church music.

Which Renaissance composer mastered emotional expression through imitation and wrote 'Ave Maria… Virgo Serena'?

Josquin des Prez

Which English composer served under four monarchs and wrote the 40-part motet 'Spem in alium'?

Thomas Tallis

What time span defines the Baroque period in music?

1600–1750

From which Portuguese word does 'Baroque' derive, and what does it mean?

Barroco; 'irregularly shaped pearl'

State four hallmark characteristics of Baroque music.

Elaborate ornamental melodies, primarily contrapuntal textures with some homophony, strong dynamic contrast, clear rhythmic pulse

Name two keyboard instruments central to Baroque music.

Harpsichord and organ

What is a 'Concerto' in Baroque music?

An orchestral form featuring a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra.

Differentiate 'Concerto Grosso' from a standard concerto.

Concerto grosso contrasts a small group of soloists (concertino) with the full orchestra (tutti).

Define 'Fugue'.

A contrapuntal composition in which a main theme (subject) is introduced and developed through imitative counterpoint, typically in 3–4 voices.

What is an 'Oratorio'?

A large-scale composition for soloists, chorus, and orchestra on a typically religious narrative, performed without staging.

What Baroque form resembles harmonized hymn tunes of the Protestant church?

Chorale

Name three famous Baroque composers and one signature work by each.

Johann Sebastian Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D minor; George Frideric Handel – Messiah; Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

Which Baroque composer was dubbed the 'Red Priest' and why?

Antonio Vivaldi, because he was a Catholic priest with red hair.

Who composed the 'Brandenburg Concertos' and is regarded as a master of counterpoint?

Johann Sebastian Bach

Which Baroque composer’s works include 'Water Music' and 'Music for the Royal Fireworks'?

George Frideric Handel

Give one cultural or scientific milestone that occurred during the Renaissance period.

Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation (or the invention of the compass / heliocentric theory of Copernicus).

Compare typical texture of Medieval chant to Renaissance polyphony.

Medieval chant is monophonic; Renaissance music is mostly polyphonic with imitation.

Which musical period first saw instrumental music rise to equal importance with vocal music?

The Baroque period

In Baroque music, what term describes the bass line with accompanying harmonies often played by harpsichord and cello?

Basso continuo

Name two main differences in emotional style between Renaissance and Baroque music.

Renaissance music is calm and balanced; Baroque music is dramatic and expressive with strong contrasts.

Which texture dominates Baroque music but often alternates with homophony?

Contrapuntal (polyphonic) texture

Identify one major art or cultural characteristic of each period: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque.

Medieval – church-dominated symbolism; Renaissance – humanism and realism; Baroque – ornate grandeur and dramatic expression.

Which medieval notation system paved the way for modern musical writing?

Neume notation

What is 'word painting' and in which period was it commonly used?

A musical technique where the music illustrates the literal meaning of the text; common in the Renaissance madrigal.