MAPEH | M1 Music

Flashcards focusing on key vocabulary related to Medieval music and its elements.

Medieval Period

Known as the Middle Ages or ‘Dark Ages’; era of Western music from about 500 A.D. to 1400.

Gregorian Chant

A vocal music style named after Pope Gregory I, characterized by monophonic plainchant.

Troubadour

A composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages.

Monophonic

Music consisting of a single melodic line without accompaniment.

Neumes

The basic element of musical notation before the invention of five-line staff notation.

Timbre

The quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another.

Rhythm

The pattern or placement of sounds in time, giving music its regular rhythmic pattern.

Meter

Rhythmic patterns produced by grouping together strong and weak beats.

Melody

The tune of a song or piece of music, created by a series of pitches.

Texture

Musical texture refers to the number and type of layers used in a composition.

Phrasing

The way in which musical ideas are expressed in segments or phrases.

Chivalry

A theme prevalent in troubadour music related to noble ideals and courtly love.

Liturgical Music

Sacred music used for church services during the Medieval period.

Secular Music

Non-religious music characteristic of the medieval era, often associated with troubadours.