medieval music 11 th, 12 th and 13 th centuries. medieval music music was an important part of...
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Medieval Music
11th, 12th and 13th Centuries
Medieval Music
• Music was an important part of people’s lives from the very earliest times – ritual, worship, entertainment etc
• Very few pieces of entertainment music (songs and dances) have come down to us as they were never written down.
• The first people to write down music were the Monks of medieval times.
Medieval Church Music
• Most music that survived from those times was for the various services of the Church.
• Early church music was known as plainsong/plainchant.
What do you need to know?
• Plainsong/Plainchant
• Church Music
• Medieval Songs
• Medieval Dance Music – Estampie and Saltarello
• Medieval Instruments
• Monophonic Texture, Call and Response, Modes, a capella
Plainsong/Plainchant• Sung without accompaniment (a capella)• Special system of scales called MODES were
used.• Two most common: Aeolian and Dorian modes.• Sung in unison.• Monophonic Texture – one line of
unaccompanied singing.• No fixed rhythm – follows the natural stresses of
words. • Call and Response• Melody moves mainly in steps.
Medieval Songs
• The earliest songs were composed by troubadours and minstrels.
• They were wandering musicians who entertained and spread the news in their songs.
• Simple, monophonic, often with accompaniment from a pipe and tabor or tambourine.
Medieval Dance Music
• The most popular medieval dances were the Estampie (a stamping dance) and the Saltarello (a jumping dance).
• Dances may be played by one or two instruments or by a larger group.
There are two groups of instruments:• Loud/Outdoor Instruments – for
performance of music in halls and churches, processions and dances in the open air.
• Soft/Indoor Instruments – for performance of music in the home; dancing, song accompaniments and background music.
“Loud” Instruments
• These include instruments such as:
- the shawm
- the pipe and tabor
- the nakers
- the bagpipes
- the cornett
The Shawm
• The shawm was the most important double reed instrument of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
The Pipe and Tabor• The pipe is a simple
instrument like a recorder but usually having only three melody holes (index finger, middle finger, and thumb).
• The drum is held with a strap or thong around the arm which holds the pipe. Thus one performer accompanies himself, making an ideal combination for dance music of a rustic nature, or to supply background music for jugglers or performing animals.
The Nakers
• Nakers consist of metal or wood dome-shaped bodies with goatskin drumheads, and are played by striking them with the hands or with sticks. They are typically played in pairs, often in a sling or harness.
The Bagpipes• The origins of the
bagpipe can be traced back to the most ancient civilizations. The bagpipe probably originated as a rustic instrument in many cultures because a herdsman had the necessary materials at hand: a goat or sheep skin and a reed pipe.
The Cornett• The most versatile wind
instrument; between 1500 and 1650 the cornett was used indoors and out, in serious music, dance music, town bands, rural households, at church, and court.
• It has a very small acorn cup mouthpiece (played on the side of the mouth where the lips are thinner) is attached to a hollowed out piece of curved wood or ivory. Six finger holes and a thumb hole are drilled in the body and it is fingered in much the same manner as a recorder.
“Soft” Instruments
• These include instruments such as:
- the medieval harp
- the psaltery
- the rebec
- the hurdy-gurdy
- the lute
The Medieval Harp• The harp is one of the
most ancient types of stringed instruments.
• Harps use open strings exclusively, thus the range of each is determined by the number of strings.
• In the Middle Ages strings were made from twisted animal gut (usually from sheep), although horse hair and even silk were used as well.
The Psaltery
• The psaltery is an ancient instrument seen in many forms.
• Early versions were simply a wooden board with gut strings stretched between pegs. The strings were plucked with fingers or by plectra.
• Later instruments included the hollow box or soundboard with soundholes and metal strings.
• The player performed with the instrument on the lap or on a table, or in front of the chest held with a strap around his neck if movement was needed.
The Rebec
• Bowing gave stringed instruments the sustaining power necessary to play a continuous melodic line.
• The status of these bowed instruments and their players remained low. The rebec was definitely an instrument of the lower classes, not the court.
The Hurdy-Gurdy• The hurdy-gurdy is the
first stringed instrument to which the keyboard principle was applied.
• The bowing action of the fiddle is replaced by a wheel cranked by a handle. The outer rim of the wooden wheel is coated with resin.
• When the crank is spun, the wheel turns and the gut strings vibrate.
The Lute• During the Renaissance
the lute held the highest respect of all musical instruments.
• The lute was an ideal accompaniment for voice and other soft instruments, and the most eloquent of all solo instruments.
• In paintings and other art works the lute is often associated with Apollo, angels, or Orpheus, and it is often mentioned at climactic points in tragedies.