World of Music - “Music History” – European “classical” music
Middle Ages/Medieval Period (roughly 500’s-early 1400’s)
*Musical life was dominated by Roman Catholic Church (sacred music)
sacred vocal music was in Latin
-chant (plainsong) – monophonic
*Pope Gregory (590-604) ordered all chants to be written down to record
& preserve them, and to create musical unity in all churches. For this
reason, it’s often called “Gregorian Chant.”
This also was a huge step toward the development of music notation as
we know it.
-organum (parallel organum) – homophonic
a very simple form of harmony, when one singer/group does a chant,
while another copies the chant 4 or 5 notes away. Notes remain a parallel
distance apart most of the time.
-motet – polyphonic; usually 3 parts
often a chant, plus a slow moving bass part, plus a faster, higher part
-Mass – 5 sections with a standard set of words (text) for church service.
Usually chanted during this time period
secular (non-church service) vocal music
-sometimes had religious themes (in Latin)
-troubadours/trouvères/minstrels traveled from town creating & spreading songs in the local language (vernacular)
-songs of love, war (ballads-slow, told stories)
-dance tunes
-caccia – like a “round”; hunting songs
Instruments
portative organ (small)harpsackbutdrums
viols (different sizes)luteshawmtambourine
recorders (different sizes)krumhornfinger cymbals
Composers
Hildegard von Bingen – lived during 1100’s; was a nun; among her many talents,
she wrote musical plays & devotional songs
though female, she received great respect from male leadership
Guillaume de Machaut – lived during 1300’s; known for Mass, motets and secular songs
Renaissance – early 1400’s-about 1600
Decreasing importance of Church
Increase in skilled labor/craftsmanship/trade guilds; secular life
Emergence of middle class – not just peasants vs. royalty & Church
**invention of printing press leads to greater literacy rates
*Music – polyphonic music is the new standard
Popular music begins to influence sacred music (L’homme armé)
Sacred polyphonic songs: Masses, motets; chorales (homophonic & polyphonic
Secular polyphonic songs: madrigals
usually 5 voice parts
rhymes, alliteration, innuendo in text
“word painting” in music
fa-la-la
Beginnings of opera (end of Renaissance – earliest known opera 1597)
stories from mythology and ancient history told in song with small group of instruments
recitative – speech like singing (like fast chanting)
aria – songs
chorus music
Composers
Josquin des Prez --- sacred music
Giovanni Palestrina—sacred music
madrigals - John Farmer
Orlando Gibbons
Antonio Gabrielli
Orlando di Lasso
Baroque (approx. 1600-1750)
Instruments become more sophisticated & mechanically reliable due to advances in engineering & craftsmanship
Music sounds decorated, intricate, complicated, ornamented (trills)
*intense polyphony
Musical Styles
Keyboard music became HUGE (lots of dance suites, preludes, toccatas & fugues)
Instrumental Suites (dance tunes – minuet, sarabande, etc.)
Continuo – low-sounding string instrument (cello or viola da gamba)
plus harpsichord or organ
to provide background accompaniment to other parts of music
Concerto Grosso – string orchestra (“tutti”) plus small group of soloists
(“concertino” or “principale” – usually 2 violins, cello & harpsichord)
Concerto – solo instrument plus string orchestra
Opera becomes fully developed (arias and recitative; stories based on mythology)
Oratorio developed as conservative alternative to opera—no sets or costumes
musical setting of bible stories
has same features as opera – recitative, arias, choruses
Instruments
*harpsichord – used in almost every secular instrumental piece and as a solo instrument
organ used extensively for sacred music & as a solo instrument
violin family (viola, cello, bass)
trumpet and other brass instruments
recorders still used, emergence of transverse flute (previously only used in military)
*vocal music, especially sacred music
Some notable Composers & their biggest claims to fame:
Antonio Vivaldi – concertos (lots of string instruments)
Johann Sebastian Bach – keyboard music, sacred choral music, concertos
George Frederic Handel – instrumental suites, oratorios, keyboard music
Claudio Monteverdi – early opera!