WESTERN-CLASSICAL-MUSIC-9.docx

WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC

C1L1-MEDIEVAL PERIOD (SACRED MUSIC)

Medieval Period

Also known as the “Middle Ages” or “Dark Ages”.
This was an era of war, famine, and chaos, and people were searching for security and protection.
It covered the fall of the Roman Empire until the rise of the Ottoman Empire.
It approximately started in 400 A.D. and ends in early 1400 A.D.

Feudal System

It was the form of government established during the Middle Ages.
This system divided the society into five classes—the king, the bishop, the baron, the lord, and the peasant.

Roman Emperor Constantine

He issued the Edict of Milan to end the persecution of Christians; consequently, Christianity flourished across Europe.
It was in 313 A.D. when he issued the Edict of Milan.

Black Death

Also known as the “Bubonic plague”.
It was a plague that started in the late Middle Ages that spread across Europe and cost many lives.

Medieval art and architecture mostly featured religious structures, e. g., cathedrals, monasteries, and churches.

Medieval architecture was predominantly Gothic in style; there were also structures built in the Romanesque style.

Stained glass windows were one of the highlights of the Gothic church structure.

Illuminated manuscripts or Elaborated writings became a famous art form during the Medieval period.

MUSIC OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

Vocal music dominated the music scene.
There are no records of instrumental music, because music was highly improvised at this time.
Rhythm was not notated.
The use of small melodic intervals and range was very evident.
Melisma, legato, and church mode were the usual characteristics of melody and are sort of a building block of the music.
The concepts of harmony and tonality were different in the Middle Ages than those in the modern Western music.

Melisma

A group of notes that are sung on a syllable of a particular word or text.

Legato

A smooth, even manner, of musical performance.

Church mode

Also called the “Gregorian mode”.
It is one of the eight scales in the Gregorian chant.

Melisma and legato pertains to the style and expression, whereas Church modes pertains to the pitches.

Monophonic texture

It was mainly used during the early part of the Middle Ages.
This texture refers to only one musical line.

Polyphonic texture

It was used between the middle and latter part of the period.
This texture is developed from combining several musical lines.
Examples: “Organum” and “Motets”

Musical genre was mainly sacred vocal music such as plainchant, conductus, masses, motets, instrumental estampie, and secular vocal songs.

Plainchant

Also known as “Plainsong”.
A form of prayer song that is purely vocal, monophonic, and intended for church use only.
It is one of the distinctive music forms that marked the Medieval period.

Gregorian chant

A compilation of a plainsong that was initiated by Pope Gregory the great to establish the unity of the church.
It was notated in neumes.

Neume

An early form of musical notation used to transcribe the Gregorian chant.
It uses a four-line staff and square to indicate the pitch, interval, and melodic motion.
Example: “Gaudeamus Omnes”

Gaudeamus Omnes

A Gregorian chant written in neumatic notation.

Traditions regarding the treatment of sacred text, the meter of the text, and the musical abilities of singer and instrumentalists also determined the rhythmic complexity and tempo of Medieval period musical pieces.

C1L2-MEDIEVAL PERIOD (THE MUSIC OF THE TROUBADOURS)

Not all the musicians were regulated by the church during the Medieval period.

Court Music

It is a form of secular music that became popular during the latter part of the Medieval period.

Troubadours

They were traveling musicians of Medieval music who entertained people in different places.
They may either be noble people or people with rank, or knights playing for lords.
“Chanson” and “Canso” were the songs of the Troubadours.
They used instruments, such as Lute and Viols, as accompaniment.

Chanson

It is a French secular song during the Medieval period.
It is a popular lyric-driven song based on poems.

Chansonnier

A singer specializing in chansons.

Canso

It is a troubadour’s Formal Love song.

Minstrels

They were the servants hired to serve in courts.

Jongleurs

They were hired to entertain crowds with acrobatic tricks.

Minnesingers

German troubadours
They used instruments, such as Lute, Harp, and etc.

Adam de la Halle

Also known as “Adam le Bossu” or “Adam the Hunchback”.
He was one of the popular composers of the Medieval period.
He was a poet and musician, who was known for his chansons and poetic debates.

Le Jeu de Robin et Marion

It is a musical play that is one of Adam de la Halle’s famous works.

C1L3-RENAISSANCE PERIOD (THE GOLDEN AGE OF A CAPPELLA)

Renaissance period

Renaissance means “rebirth”.
The Golden Age of a cappella or choir music.
The period of transformation in Europe.
The age of discovery, innovation, and exploration.
This period marked the revival of the culture and the arts of Greece and Rome.
It influenced the development of a form of philosophy called humanism.
Artists during this time started to work more on secular or nonreligious concepts.

It was during the Renaissance period when…

Christopher Columbus reached America;
Johannes Gutenberg introduced the printing press to Europe;
The first concept of a telescope was introduced;
Nicolaus Copernicus published his heliocentric model.

Renaissance Art and Sculpture

Renaissance art and sculpture were greatly influenced by Humanism.

Humanism

It is a philosophy that focuses on the mind, beauty, power, and value of an individual rather than the supernatural.
Because of this, religion was no longer the sole subject of artworks. Artists began to venture on other subjects, such as Greek and Roman mythology.

Realism

It dominated the style of art and sculpture in this period.
It features accurate, detailed, and realistic human faces and bodies.
This style is also characterized by the use of linear perspective to add depth to the background of the artwork.

THE FOUR POPULAR ARTISTS IN THE WORLD OF RENAISSANCE ART

Leonardo Da Vinci
Michelangelo
Raphael
Donatello

Music of the Renaissance period

Renaissance music

It sounds fuller than medieval music, because the bass part was now added below the tenor voice.
Music in this period was also characterized by the mild and gentle flow of rhythm, elegant flowing melody, and chiefly polyphonic texture.
Music became accessible when the printing press was introduced, which helped disseminate copies of musical sheets. As a result, composers began to increase in number.
Renaissance music was very emotional, because they became interested in giving more emphasis on emotions to the words of their songs.
Similar to the medieval period, vocal music was still more important than instrumental music. The distinction between sacred and secular music was also established.
Composers use imitative polyphony and word painting in writing their compositions.
There were no instruments used inside church music.
Instrumental music was considered less important until the 16th century.
During this time, composers started to explore harmony that led to the development of choral polyphony.
Musicians gained respect in society and were better appreciated, as compared to those in the medieval period.

A cappella

It means "in the style of the chapel.”
It means unaccompanied by any musical instrument.

Sacred Music

All sacred music was in Latin language and sung as a cappella. There were two types of sacred music prominent during this period-the motet and the Mass.

Motet

It is a polyphonic music set to a sacred Latin text other than the Ordinary of the Mass.

Mass

It was set into polyphonic music during the Renaissance.

The two types of Mass

Low Mass
High Mass

Low Mass

It was the usual type of Mass heard.
It has five parts: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.

Kyrie

It is a short liturgical prayer that begins with or consists of the words "Lord, have mercy."

Gloria

It is a Latin doxology that is the second item in the Order of Mass that begins with the words "Gloria in Excelsis Deo.”

Sanctus

It is a hymn of adoration sung or said immediately before the prayer of consecration.

Agnus Dei

It means "Lamb of God.”
It is a liturgical prayer to Jesus.

Secular Music

Madrigal

It was a poetry set into music and arranged into multiple parts without accompaniment.
It was a popular form of entertainment that talked about love, pastoral themes, or any secular topic.

Word painting and imitated melody were often used in madrigals.

Word painting

It was a musical technique in which the melody reflects the literal meaning of the text.

C1L4-BAROQUE PERIOD (SACRED AND SECULAR MUSIC)

Baroque

It means "irregularly shaped pearl."
This is the style of music, art, sculpture, and architecture from 1600 to 1750.
The era of the introduction of concerto, sonata, and opera music.
It is known for its extravagant, lavish, decorativeness, theatrical, and melodramatic characteristics.
Most of our instruments today, such as the organ, violin, trumpet, trombone, and others, came from this era.
Various instrumental forms, such as solo concerto, concerto grosso, suite, toccata, and fugue were popularized during this period.

Baroque Art, Sculpture, and Architecture

Baroque art, sculpture, and architecture featured beautiful, realistic, and grandiose religious artworks. These artworks emphasized motion and drama to elicit emotion from spectators or viewers. The use of light and dark vivid colors to show contrast is common to baroque art.

Music of the Baroque period

Baroque music is grand, ornate, and lively. It features one basic mood or a unity of mood with a consistent and strong rhythmic drive. This means that music that starts lively will end lively. Another distinct characteristic of Baroque music is that the melody moves from one instrument to another, which is characterized by the frequent use of embellishment and ornamentation such as trill, appoggiatura, and mordents.

Trill

A musical ornament played by rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, usually a semitone or a tone apart.

Appoggiatura

Also known as the “grace note.”
It consists of an added note in a melody that is resolved, which delays the appearance of the principal note.

Mordent

It is similar to the trill; however, it has a single alteration, whereas the trill has multiple alterations for the duration of the note.

Question and Answer style

It is applied in melodic phrases in which the melody is introduced and later imitated with elaborate ornamentation.
Unlike the music in the previous periods, there was an equal importance of sacred and secular music, as well as vocal and instrumental music, in this era. Baroque composers aimed to elicit audience's emotion such as sadness, joy, and fear through music.

Characteristics of Baroque Music

Strong rhythmic drive
Use of basso continuo or continuous bass
Use of major and minor tonality, veering away from modes
Use of embellishment and ornamentation
Terraced dynamics or sudden changes in dynamics (loud to soft, heavy to light, and fast to slow)
Unity of mood
Complex melody
Conveyed emotion

Vocal F0rms

Opera

It was born in Italy during the Baroque era.
In Latin and Italian, it means "labor, work, and composition.”
It is a drama put into music with elaborate costumes.
At its inception, classical opera was dominated by men, similar to the Noh theater of Japan.

In contrast to Renaissance polyphony, early baroque music featured monody.

Monody

a musical texture in which a solo instrument or a voice dominates other parts that serves as accompaniment. The solo part is either an aria or a recitative.

Aria

A lyrical song accompanied by an orchestra. The recitative is a musical form of talking accompanied sparsely by a harpsichord.

Oratorio

A musical play without scenery, costumes, and acting. Unlike the opera that is secular and based on mythology, oratorio features a religious subject.

Cantata

A musical performance in both sacred (church cantata) and secular (chamber cantata) styles with acting and scenery.

Cantata originally came from Italy and made its way through Germany and France. It has taken many forms; it was originally opera-like, with recitatives and arias.

Chorale cantata

A special kind of cantata that was made by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach that was sung and played in Lutheran church services, as he was a devout Lutheran.

C1L5-BAROQUE PERIOD (PROMINENT COMPOSERS)

Instrumental music gained more popularity during the Baroque period. It became equally important vocal music.

Concerto

It is derived from the Italian word concertare, which means "to unite."

Solo concerto

It is a musical work that consists of one soloist accompanied by an orchestra.

Concerto grosso

It is almost the same as concerto. Instead of one soloist, there are two independent groups of instruments.
It alternates a small group of soloists called concertino with a larger ensemble called tutti to show a contrast in dynamics.

Fugue

It is an instrumental form based on imitative polyphony. It starts with a subject or a melodic idea that the composer repeats over and over, appearing in different starting points.

Instrumental composition

It is one way for composers to create music that goes beyond the limitation or range of vocal composition. It is where a composer maximizes the instruments that can be included in a composition.