Music in the Middle Ages

1
Music in the Middle Ages

• 400-1450 AD

2
Medieval Culture

• The Middle Ages began after the fall of the
  Western Roman Empire. (476 AD)
• It witnessed the first sustained urbanization of
  Northern and Western Europe.
• Present European Political boundaries are the
  result of military and dynastic achievements
  during this period.

3
Medieval Culture
A Map of Europe in the early Middle Ages
4
Medieval Culture

• We divide the Medieval Period into 3 sub periods
• Early Middle Ages (Dark Ages), 476-1000
• High Middle Ages, 1000-1200
• Later Middle Ages, 1200-1450

5
Medieval Culture

• The Dark Ages
• All Power flowed from the KING with the approval
  of the Roman Catholic Church.
• During this time Europe saw low levels of
  economic activity .
• Incursions by Non-Christians.
• (Arabs and Muslims)
• Rise of Monasteries and Convents

6
Medieval Culture

• High Middle Ages
• Institutions of Lord-ship
• Castle building
• Mounted War Fare
• Revived urban and commercial life.
• Crusades Popes attempt to cleanse the World of
  Paganism and convert others to Christianity.

7
Medieval Culture

• The Later Middle Ages
• Power shift from the Pope to the Monarch.
• Rise of commercial interests.
• Weakening customary ties of dependence.
• THE BLACK DEATH

8
Medieval Culture

• THE BLACK DEATH
• A viral hemorrhagic disease that spread among the
  people of Europe like wild fire.
• Thought to be started by Rats and filthy living
  conditions.
• Responsible for killing 1/3 of the World
  population in mid-14th Century.

9
Medieval Culture
10
Medieval Culture

• The Church
• The major unifying Cultural Influence
• Played a significant role in governance.
• Large churches called Cathedrals were built

11
Medieval Culture

• The Church Chain of Command
• GOD
• Pope
• Arch Bishops
• Bishops
• Priests

12
Medieval Culture

• The Middle Ages witnessed the rise of Monasticism
• Religious practice where one gives up worldly
  pursuits in order to devote ones life to
  spiritual work.
• A MONESTARY was a community that housed these
  people who were called MONKS
• Monasteries are led by Abbots.
• Monasteries were the main outposts for Education
  and Literacy including Music Composition

13
Medieval Culture
14
Medieval Culture

• Some Other Things
• 800 Charlemagne crowned first Holy Roman
• Emperor
• 1214 Kublai Khan is emperor of China
• 1270 Last crusade to the Holy Land
• 1307 Divine Comedy was written by Dante
  Aligheri
• 1347 Black Death begins in Europe
• 1386 Chaucer writes Canterbury Tales
• 1386 Donatello Italian Sculptor
• 1431 Joan of Arc was executed
• 1453 Fall of Constantinople

15

• 5 Minute Break

16
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• Early Music of the Church
• Shaped in part by Greek, Hebrew, and Syrian
  influences.
• Gregorian Chant Consists of a single line
  melody that is non-metric and is free from
  regular accent.
• Gregorian Chant is also referred to as Plainchant
  or Plainsong.
• Gregorian chant is set to Latin Sacred Texts.
• It avoids wide leaps and dynamic contrast
  allowing for a kind of musical speech.

17
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• The Melodies of Gregorian Chant fall into 3 main
  categories
• Syllabic
• Neumatic
• Melismatic

18
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• A Syllabic Gregorian Chant melody is when one
  note is sung to each syllable of the text.
• Example Mary Had a Little Lamb

19
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• A Neumatic Gregorian Chant melody refers to a
  small group of notes set to one syllable.
• Example Mary Had A Little Lamb, Variation 2

20
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• A Melismatic Gregorian Chant melody is where many
  notes are set to one syllable.
• Example Mary Had A Little Lamb, Variation 3

21
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• Notating Gregorian Chant
• At first, Gregorian Chants were passed down
  orally from generation to generation.
• As the number of chants increased, singers needed
  help remembering the outlines of the melodies.
• Thus, Neumes were developed.
• Neumes ascending and descending signs that were
  written above the words to suggest the contours
  of the melody.
• Nuemes are the basis for music notation as we
  know it today.

22
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages
23
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• The Mass
• The services of the Roman Catholic Church can be
  divided into two categories
• The Daily Offices
• The Mass

24
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• The Offices are a series of services celebrated a
  various hours of the day in monasteries and
  convents.
• Examples Morning Prayer
• Evening Prayer
• Scripture Lectionary

25
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• The Mass is a reenactment of the sacrifice of
  Jesus Christ.
• This is the most solemn ritual of the Church.
• The collection of prayers that make up the mass
  falls into two categories
• The Proper
• The Ordinary

26
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• The Proper are texts that vary from day tot day
  throughout the church year.
• This is dependant upon which feast is being
  celebrated.
• Example Christmas
• Easter
• Lent
• Advent

27
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• The Ordinary are texts that are fixed, or remain
  the same in every Mass.
• There are 5 items of the Ordinary
• Kyrie
• Gloria
• Credo
• Sanctus
• Agnus Dei

28
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• The Names of the Ordinary portions of the Mass
  are in Greek
• The Text of the Ordinary portions are in Latin.
• Latin is the language of learning throughout the
  Middle Ages and Renaissance.
• The Catholic Church continued the use of Latin
  for the Mass until the middle of the 20th
  Century.
• Chant has been central to the celebration of the
  mass which was and remains the primary service of
  the Catholic Church.

29
Sacred Music in the Middle Ages

• To Be Continued