Middle Ages & Renaissance Music Review

Flashcards covering key concepts, composers, and musical styles from the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.

Plainchant Characteristics

Vocal, narrow contour, monorhamic/conjunct, free rhythm/non-metrical, monophonic texture, many modal/medieval/Church modes.

Pope Gregory I

Credited with codifying Plainchant.

Neumes

Precursors to modern day notes.

Syllabic text setting

One note per syllable.

Neumatic text setting

Few notes per syllable.

Melismatic text setting

Many notes per syllable.

Hildegard von Bingen

First great woman composer, a nun, writer, and mystic.

Responsorial Singing

A style where a leader alternates with a choir or ensemble (Call & Response).

Organum

Earliest polyphony, created by adding a melodic line to Plainchant.

Leonin & Perotin

Earliest known composers of Organum who set rhythm.

Rhythmic Modes

Set rhythmic patterns used in early polyphony.

Anthem

A short polyphonic vocal work for the Anglican Church, typically in English.

William Byrd

A Catholic composer (1539-1623) known for writing Protestant music.

Mass

A polyphonic vocal composition with five main sections.

Palestrina

Composer whose Pope Marcellus Mass convinced the Council of Trent to allow polyphony.

Madrigal

A short secular song, originating in Italy.

Word Painting

Using music to depict or illustrate specific words or ideas in a text.

Carlo Gesualdo

A composer known for extreme chromaticism and a notorious personal life.

English Madrigals

Developed as simpler and lighter versions of Italian madrigals, often translated.

John Farmer

An organist and composer, known for works like 'Fair Phyllis'.

Ayre (Air)

A song for solo voice, typically with lute accompaniment.

John Dowland

A renowned lute player and composer.

Tielman Susato

A music publisher and sackbutt player.

Ars Nova

A style of music in the late Middle Ages characterized by greater rhythmic freedom and new notation.

Philippe de Vitry

A composer, theorist, and poet who wrote the treatise 'Ars Nova'.

Machaut

A prominent composer and poet of the Ars Nova period, known for his 'Notre Dame Mass'.

Troubadours & Trouvères

Secular composers and poets from the Middle Ages.

Strophic Form

A musical form where the same music is repeated for every verse or stanza of a song.

Jongleurs

Minstrels who provided entertainment through music, tricks, and dancing, often satirized.

Purpose of Instrumental Music (Middle Ages)

Primarily for dancing and entertainment.

Renaissance Period

The period roughly from 1450 to 1600.

Renaissance Music Characteristics

Imitative polyphony/homorhythmic texture, conjunct melody, consonant harmonies, static dynamics/tempo, gentle rhythm.

Motet

A short polyphonic vocal work, typically sacred.

Josquin des Prez

A prominent Renaissance composer known for works such as 'Ave Maria… Virgo Serena'.