Music in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

The Middle Ages (450 - 1450 A.D.)

• Also know as the Medieval Period• Begins around the time that Roman Empire

disintegrated • Sharp divisions in classes: peasantry, nobility,

clergy • Very heavy presence of the Catholic Church• Thus, large amounts of music was centered

around church/faith-related aspects, although not all music was not religious

Sacred vs. Secular

• Sacred music: is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. Mostly vocal, some instruments such as the organ were later added.

• Secular music: nonreligious music, using both voices and instruments at will .

Sacred Music of the Middle Ages

• Gregorian ChantQualities • Monophonic – one melodic line• Step-wise – no large intervals • Meter-less – no defined meter• Modal tonality – not major or minor

• Alleluia: vidimus stellum – Anon.

Neumes

Sacred Music of the Middle Ages

• Organum – Gregorian chant + added lines

Qualities:• Polyphonic – more that one melodic line• Step-wise• Eventually became metered• Modal tonality

• Alleluia: Nativitas – Perotin

Sacred Music of the Middle Ages

• Ars nova – ‘new art’, a style of polyphony with rhythmic notation that could divide notes into duple and triple division and allow for syncopation

• The mass ordinary: consists of texts regularly recited in Catholic church services

• Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Angus Dei

• Angus Dei, Notre Dame Mass – Machaut

Secular Music of the Middle Ages

• Bards, minstrels, jongleurs, troubadours, and trouveres

• Songs deal with love, nature, and great deeds• Dances accompanied music (estampie) • Instruments widely used• Metered

• Estampie – Anon. • Ecco la Primavera - Landini

The Renaissance (1450 – 1600)

• The ‘rebirth’ of human creativity • The Catholic Church loses its control on

everyday culture with the rise of Humanism and the Protestant Revolution

• Resurgence of Classical form (Greek & Roman)• Spread of learning and literacy

Sacred Music of the Renaissance

• Motet - polyphonic setting of Latin sacred textQualities• Polyphonic• Step-wise and intervallic • Metered• Modal and major/minor sounding

• Ave Maria...virgo serena - Desprez

Sacred Music of the Renaissance

• Mass - consists of texts regularly recited in Catholic church services

Qualities• Polyphonic• Calm, ‘otherworldly’ • Metered• Tonality strong reflects major/minor system

• Pope Marcellus Mass: Kyrie - Palestrina

Secular Music of the Renaissance

• Madrigal – polyphonic musical setting of poetry • Began in Italy then imitated in EnglandQualities• Polyphonic• Metered• Tonality reflects major/minor system

• As Vesta Was Descending - Weelkes

Secular Music of the Renaissance

• Ballett (fa-la) – song genre in which a repative melody alternated with sections of fa-la-las

Qualities• Homophonic• Fast, dance-like

• Now is the Month of Maying - Morely

Secular Music of the Reniassance

• Instrumental music, although still not as upheld as vocal music, became more important in the Renaissance.

• Instrument developments created instruments such as the recorder, lute, viols, harps, kettledrums, cornetts, sackbuts, and others

• Terpsichore: Passamezzo – Praetoris