The Middle Ages500–1450

Important historical events

• Fall of Roman Empire (c. 476)• Dark Ages (500–1000)—all power flowed from the king

with the approval of Roman Catholic Church and its bishops.• Rise of monasteries.

• Late Middle Ages (1000–1450)—construction of great cathedrals and founding of universities throughout Europe.• Time of Crusades and knights—Crusades to conquer the

Holy Land from the Muslims.

Lincoln Cathedral, England, 1092.

Notre Dame, Paris, started 1163.

Oxford University, England.Year of establishments is unknown, teaching existed since 1096.

University of Paris,’ The Sorbonne’, France.

Established in the 12th century.

University of Cambridge, EnglandEstablished c. 1209

Pythagoras (born between 580 and 572 BC, died between 500 and 490 BC ).

Pythagoras was very interested in music, and so were his followers. Pythagoras wanted to improve the music of his day, which he believed was not harmonious enough and was too hectic.

According to legend, the way Pythagoras discovered that musical notes could be translated into mathematical equations was when one day he passed blacksmiths at work, and thought that the sounds emanating from their anvils being hit were beautiful and harmonious and decided that whatever scientific law caused this to happen must be mathematical and could be applied to music. He went to the blacksmiths to learn how this had happened by looking at their tools, he discovered that it was because the anvils were "simple ratios of each other, one was half the size of the first, another was 2/3 the size, and so on."

Pythagoras

Please watch segments 3, 4, and 5 from the movie “Equal Temperament”. You could either click on the link below or access this movie from the TCC Library Website at Online Videos, Films on Demand. You will need you Blackboard credentials to login.

http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=10879&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Equal%20Temperament&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=#

Medieval woodcut showing Pythagoras with bells and other instruments in Pythagorean tuning

Neumes – symbols in plainchant indicated raising and falling pitch and the division of syllables.

From Neumes to Notes

Watch segments 3 – 6 from the movie “Notation: The Thin Red Line”. You could either click on the link below or access this movie from the TCC Library Website at Online Videos, Films on Demand. You will need you Blackboard credentials to login.

http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=10877&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Notation:%20The%20Thin%20Red%20Line&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=#

By the 13th century, the neumes of Gregorian chant were usually written in square notation on a staff with four lines and a clef marker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsn9LWh230k

Guido of Arezzo – invented modern musical notation.

ModesMajor / minor tonality system was not established until the Baroque era. The following modes were used in Medieval and Renaissance music.

You can play these on the virtual piano: http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/music/piano/index.htm

• Dorian: D E F G A B C D • Hypodorian: A B C D E F G A • Phrygian: E F G A B C D E • Hypophrygian: B C D E F G A B • Lydian: F G A B C D E F • Hypolydian: C D E F G A B C • Mixolydian: G A B C D E F G • Hypomixolydian: D E F G A B C D

Play examples of the modes on the following page:

http://www.teoria.com/reference/g/gregorian.php

Vielle / Fiddle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPKhBkLgFLk

Rebec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWA6oTr0vnU

Hurdy Gurdy

http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/mp3/hurdy1b.mp3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHmML7bu-iM

Harp

http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/mp3/harp2.mp3

Citole

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOIGp0ORlJU

Psaltery

http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/psaltery.wav

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NafOksjVGk

Percussion Instruments

• Tambourine• Bells• Tabor• Nackers

http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/percuss.htm

Rauschpfeiff

http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/mp3/Musica_Antiqua_nachtanz.mp3

Bagpipe

http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/

bagpipe.wav

Portative Organ

http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/mp3/organett.mp3

Plucked, Keyboard and Percussion InstrumentsPlease watch the following. You will need your credentials to access the TCC Library website.

Plucked Instruments – segments 1 – 4. http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=923&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Plucked%20Instruments&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=

Keyboard and Percussion – segments 1 – 4.http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=925&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Keyboard%20and%20Percussion&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=

Brass and Bowed Instruments

Please watch the following. You will need your credentials to access the TCC Library website.

Brass Instruments – segments 1 – 4.http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=926&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Brass%20Instruments&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=

Bowed Instruments – segments 1 – 4.http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=924&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Bowed%20Instruments&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=

Sacred Music • Mass – a service of

the Roman Catholic Church.• Plainchant – was used

during the Medieval Mass. Was called Gregorian Chant because of the Pope St. Gregory The Great who ordered to systematize the chants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK5AohCMX0U A dove representing the Holy Spirit

sitting on Pope Gregory’s shoulder symbolizes Divine Inspiration

Video Assignments

Watch segments 2 and 3.http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=716&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20First%20Secular%20Music&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=#

Watch segment 2, Plain Chant. http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=10877&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Notation:%20The%20Thin%20Red%20Line&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=#

The Structure of the Mass• Ordinary chants – texts are the same every mass.

• Kyrie: Machaut, Messe de Nostre Damehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y1O-BcZQwY• Gloria: Machaut, Messe de Nostre Damehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rf5uAnoQYc&list=PL0006DCE1DC56A64A• Credo• Sanctus• Benedictus• Agnus Dei

• Proper chants – texts change every mass.• Hildegard of Bingen, Alleluia, o virga mediatrix (Alleluia, O mediating

branch), a chant from the Proper of the Mass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ol_QffDhE

Early Polyphony• Polyphonic music – two simultaneous melodic lines.• Organum - singers in monasteries began experimenting with

adding another part to the chant, generally a voice in parallel motion. This is how polyphonic music started evolving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR9xkGmUjIo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj_jXG7TqVs

Hildegard of Bingen (1098 - 1179)

• A German composer, philosopher, writer, abbess.• Was given to the church to serve by her parents as a tithe.• Experienced religious visions.• Wrote theological, botanical and medicinal texts, as well as letters,

liturgical songs, and poems. • “Illuminations” - art work.• Ordo Virtutum – an allegorical morality play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2aKyH2NhW0• Three books of visions.• A text on herbal medicine.

Ars Nova

• A late Middle Ages musical style in France.• Greater independence of rhythm, use of

syncopation.• Polyphony was used in secular music.• New forms – motet, chanson, ballade.

Watch segment 8:http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=716&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20First%20Secular%20Music&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=#

Guillaume de Machaut(1300 – 1377)

• The first composer to create a polyphonic setting of the Ordinary of the Catholic Mass.

• Wrote in a wide range of styles and forms.• Helped develop motet and secular song forms.

Watch segment 9:http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=716&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20First%20Secular%20Music&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=#

Chanson “Puis pu’en oubli” (Since I am forgotten)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHjWbgRZSrQ

Motet “Quant en moy”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxAqWV7a0A

Secular Music• Troubadours, trouveres, minnesingers – poet-musicians, some of them

were noble, who wrote mostly about chivalry and courtly love.

Watch segment 7:http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=716&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20First%20Secular%20Music&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=#

• Summer is Coming – a 13th century English round. Please open both links and listen looking at the music. An early example of polyphonic music.

http://www.bl.uk/learning/images/medieval/artmusicliterature/large96674.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWWEHAswpFI

French troubadour Perdigon (ca. 12 – 13 centuries) playing his fiddle

Required readings:• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_music• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(music)• http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/MU

S101-Unit-4.1.1-CHANT_FINAL.pdf

• http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/MUS-101-ASSIGNMENT-4-1-3-SECULAR-MUSIC-IN-THE-MIDDLE-AGES_FINAL.pdf

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_Of_Bingen• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_d%27arezzo

Optional video assignment:http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=716&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20First%20Secular%20Music&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=#