2 ways to know music from past
strong oral traditions
notation
notation
earliest notated music found in
Nippur, Iraq 2,000 B.C.
Middle Ages/Dark Ages
900-1450. Decline of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Catholic Church. Start of notated music in monasteries
neumes
symbols used to notate Gregorian chants
Medieval Music Characteristics
-monophonic (polyphony did start tho)
-mainly vocal
-center of musical development = France
-mainly vocal
-center of musical development = France
Gregorian chant
monophonic. central tradition of Western plainchant– liturgical chants. Pope Gregory I ordered the simplification of music for church calendar
organum
early polyphony. Musicians experiments by adding voices to the original chant in harmony
secular
outside of church
liturgical drama
like Roman drama with Christian stories.. involved acting, singing, speaking, instruments. many performed by traveling actors
goliard
itinerant poet-musicians of Europe who were mostly scholars that wrote and sang in Latin… secular
Troubadors and Trouveres
French poet-musicians who set their own poems to music, mainly about love. Rows of pitches without rhythm
Motets
complex non-imitative polyphony, were not part of mass. different languages
Leonin
organum composer (1135- 1200)
MA
MA
Perotin
organum composer (1185-11205
MA
MA
Bernart de Ventadorn
famous troubadour (1140-1200)
MA
MA
Guillaume de Machaut
motet composer (1300-1377)
MA
MA
Johannes Ockeghem
from the franco-Flemish school. sacred music composer polyphonic
Jacob Obrecht
from the franco-Flemish school. sacred music composer polyphonic
Josquin des Prez
from the franco-Flemish school, composed secular and religious. moved away from complex polyphony to homophony
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Italian composer that made refined polyphony in response to the Council of Trent (he made the music easier)
Renaissance
cultural/intellectual movement (14th-17th century) “rebirth”. Began in Florence, a city-state in Italy focused on commerce and controlled by Medici family (who sponsored the arts) arts, science, philosophy were all studied.
Polymath/Renaissance Man
think Da Vinci… a person with vast knowledge and expertise in different areas
Characteristics of Renaissance Music
-modal
-more instruments than the MA
-printing press made music available/cheap
-polyphonic mainly
-first music ensembles: consorts
-related to the church for the most part
-Masses and motets
-more instruments than the MA
-printing press made music available/cheap
-polyphonic mainly
-first music ensembles: consorts
-related to the church for the most part
-Masses and motets
Council of Trent
18 year long post-Reformation meeting of the church. discouraged complicated music
Secular music
(frottola, rondeau, virelai, ballade, chanson, madrigal) mainly for dance
Consorts
refer to a type of musical ensemble (evolved into chamber ensembles) most often with instruments of the same family but there were mixed consorts
Viols
ancestors of violin family
Humanism
focused shifted to study of humans
