Medieval Terms

Babylon

an ancient city

Enheduanna

First composer known by name

Lyre

an ancient, handheld stringed instrument

Epitaph

a musical composition written in memory of the deceased or a piece of music that includes musical notation and lyrics engraved on a tombstone

Pythagoras

Greek philosopher who thought “Gamma” was the universes natural frequency 

Gregorian Chant

the monophonic, modal, sacred vocal music of the Early Roman Catholic Church

Sylabic

where each syllable of text is matched to a single musical note

Melismatic

 music using many notes on long syllables (“slurred”)

Strophic 

verse verse verse, etc. (words always different, music always the same)

Responsorial

a leader will sing a line, the group will sing the next line

Antiphonal

sung by alternating groups of people

Holy Roman Empire

a complex of over 300 territories that nurtured a diverse range of musical traditions for over a millennium

Monophony

a single, unaccompanied melodic line, which can be performed by one person or multiple people singing or playing in unison

Neumes

Earliest forms of notation

Tonary

GIANT book of squigglified psalms hymns etc

Staff Notation

a system of writing music that evolved from medieval European

Guido d’arezzo

credited with inventing solfege system

Guidonian hand

Used as a musical teaching device (aural skills class in the 15th century!!)

Solmization

Like solfedge, but only using “do” up to “la”

Church Year 

the annual cycle of seasons and feast days that has historically structured the performance and composition of Christian sacred music

Divine Office

a set schedule of praise that was performed by monks& nuns

Mass

the musical composition setting the texts of catholic church

ordinary mass

a collection of the unchanging, fixed texts of the Mass

Proper Mass

the variable texts of the Catholic Mass

Modes

a type of musical scale consisting of whole and half steps

Organum

is general name for singing a counter melody to an existing chant

Conductus

were “rhymed, metrical, stophic latin poems on sacred or serious topics

Rhythmic modes

a system of fixed, recurring patterns of long and short note durations

Troubadours

a group of singer from southern france who sang secular songs that have survived time

trouvers

a group of singer from northern france who sang secular songs that have survived time

Minnesinger

Minnelieder were spiritual (Christian) love songs

Notre Dame school

early group of composers and singers who are known for establishing polyphony and motets

Adam de la Halle

First composer to have hi songs collected in a manuscript

Motet

a polyphonic choral composition on a sacred text usually without instrumental accompaniment

Philippe de vitry

Compser who created the minim (by adding a stem), which was half the value of a semi-breve

Ars Nova

a new musical notation that allowed for greater rhythmic complexity

Minim

an added steam which was half the value of a semi-breve

perfect meter

represented by a circle equal to triple meter

imperfect meter

represented by a half- circle equal to duple meter (common time)

Mensuation

to give notes an exact beat value

Isorhythm

different melodies same rhythm

mystery plays

musical dramas were often based o sacred and biblical stories

Monophony