Overview of Middle Ages and Renaissance Music

Years of the Middle Ages

450-1450

Plainchant characteristics

Plainchant/Gregorian chant is singing/chanting sacred words with a narrow range, conjunct contour, non-metrical (free rhythm) meter, monophonic texture, medieval church mode, and sacred Latin text.

Pope Gregory I

Pope Gregory is credited with the codification/standardization of plainchant.

Neumes

Early what we call modern-day notes.

Types of text setting

Syllabic: 1 note per syllable; Neumatic: a few notes per syllable; Melismatic: many notes per syllable.

Hildegard von Bingen

Known as the 1st great women composer, she was also a nun, writer, and mystic.

Responsorial singing

A group of singers repeats the leader's text lyric phrase.

Organum

Earliest polyphony. A melodic line added to the plainchant melody.

Creation of organum

The melodic line became more independent, and then a third and fourth voice were added, leading to the polyphony we know today.

Leonin & Perotin

Organum composers at the Cathedral of Notre Dame and Ars Antiqua, known as Ars Antiqua (Ancient Art) composers.

Rhythmic modes

A set rhythm pattern.

Ars Nova vs. Ars Antiqua

Ars Nova was refined and complex compared to Ars Antiqua, with greater freedom of rhythmic notation, and meter, harmony, and counterpoint were developed.

Philippe de Vitry

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

Machaut

An Ars Nova French secular composer who composed the Notre Dame Mass, the 1st complete setting of the ordinary of the mass by 1 composer.

Troubadours & Trouvères

Medieval poet-musicians from the south (Troubadours) and north (Trouvères) of France, whose songs focused on idealized love and the values of chivalry.

Bernart de Ventadorn

A well-known troubadour that set the standard for all other troubadour/trouvere songs.

Strophic Form

Same music for each stanza/verse.

Jongleurs

Traveling performers of secular songs who provided entertainment like telling stories, music, acrobatics, dancing, and tricks, but were not held as high as the troubadours and trouveres.

Purpose of instrumental music

For dancing.

Estampie

A type of dance music.

Triple meter

A rhythmic pattern where each measure is divided into three beats.

Lively rhythm

A rhythm that is energetic and spirited.

Soft (bas or indoor)

Instruments suitable for quiet settings, such as Recorder, Lute, Rebec.

Loud (haut or outdoor)

Instruments suitable for loud settings, such as Shawm, Sackbut, Cornetto, Tabor.

Years of Renaissance

1450-1600.

Characteristics of Renaissance music

Includes polyphonic and homophonic texture, conjunct contour, static dynamics, static tempo, gentle rhythm, and consonant harmonies.

Motet

Sacred short polyphonic work for a group of voices/chorus in Latin.

Josquin des Prez

A sacred and secular composer of motets known for imitative polyphony and homorhythmic texture.

Anthem

A short polyphonic vocal work similar to the motet but performed in English, typically in the Anglican church.

William Byrd

A practicing Catholic who wrote Protestant music.

Mass

Polyphonic vocal work performed in the Catholic church, divided into 5 sections/movements: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei.

Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass

An Italian composer wrote this mass to convince the Council of Trent to allow polyphony with clearly declaimed text.

Through-composed

A musical form where there are no repeated parts.

Madrigal

A short secular vocal song that originated in Italy.

Musical textures in madrigal

Imitative polyphonic and homophonic texture.

Word Painting

Musical illustration of the text.

Jacques Arcadelt

A well-known Italian madrigal composer and Franco-Flemish singer.

Carlo Gesualdo

An Italian madrigalist known for extreme chromaticism and being a prince and murderer.

Development of English madrigals

Italian madrigals published in English in 1588, simpler and lighter in style.

John Farmer

A popular English madrigalist, organist, and choirmaster known for 'Fair Phyllis.'

Thomas Weelkes

A composer known for madrigals and anthems, referred to as a 'drunkard at the organ.'

Ayre

A musical form for solo voice and lute, characterized by homophonic texture and melancholy.

John Dowland

An English lutenist composer and a spy involved in a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth.

Ronde

A circle or line dance in binary or ternary form.

Tielman Susato

A music publisher who played every instrument, including the sackbut.