Medieval Music - A Quick Guide

Summary

This video from musictheoryacademy.com explores medieval music, spanning 900 years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Renaissance. It highlights monophonic Gregorian chant characteristics, Latin lyrics, and the use of modes before the development of major and minor scales. The script delves into the evolution of polyphonic music through organum, sheet music standardization with neumes, and the introduction of instruments like the medieval flute, lyra, and dulcimer. It also touches on the emergence of secular music, such as the troubadours and the ars nova movement, offering a comprehensive look at the medieval music period's complexity and richness.

Takeaways

• 🕰️ The medieval period of music spans from around 500 to 1400, covering 900 years and extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance.
• 🎵 Medieval music is characterized by its monophonic nature, with solo performances and a single line of music, as opposed to polyphonic music with multiple lines of melody.
• 🏰 The music of this era is often religious, performed in churches, sung in Latin, and has a Gregorian chant-like quality, indicating its association with the church and liturgy.
• 🎼 Before the development of major and minor scales, medieval music used eight different modes, which can still be heard in some folk music today.
• 🔄 Organum was a key development in medieval music, introducing polyphony by adding a second voice to the existing melody, either in parallel or free organum, and even melismatic organum where one voice sustains a note while the other moves.
• 📜 Neumes were an early form of musical notation used by the Catholic Church to standardize the music sung in churches, evolving to include more rhythmic information and serving as a precursor to modern sheet music.
• 🎷 The medieval period also saw the development and use of various musical instruments, such as the medieval flute, lyra, and dulcimer, contributing to the diversity of the music beyond vocal performances.
• 🎶 Secular music developed alongside religious music, with traveling performers like troubadours and trouveres bringing music to different regions.
• 🎵 Ars Nova, or 'new art,' emerged in the 14th century in France and Italy, introducing more complex rhythms and a greater independence of voices, marking a significant shift in musical style.
• 📚 Understanding medieval music requires looking beyond the basic elements of solo, church-based, modal music to appreciate the full range of developments in polyphony, notation, instruments, and secular music.
• 🚀 The script encourages further exploration of medieval music through resources and recommended listening available on musictheoryacademy.com, highlighting the depth and variety of this musical period.

Q & A

What is the time frame of the medieval period in music history?

The medieval period in music history runs from around the year 500 to the year 1400, covering approximately 900 years.

What is the characteristic musical style of the medieval period known as?

The characteristic musical style of the medieval period is known as monophonic, which means there is only one line of music or sound.

What language is typically used in medieval music, and why?

Medieval music typically uses Latin, as many pieces were part of the sung mass in the Catholic Church.

What is the difference between the modes and the major/minor scales?

Modes were used in medieval music before the development of major and minor scales. There were eight different modes, and they differ from major/minor scales in their structure and the emotional effect they convey.

What is organum, and how did it contribute to the development of medieval music?

Organum is a technique where an additional voice or line is added to the existing melody, creating a polyphonic sound. It was a key development in moving from monophonic to polyphonic music during the medieval period.

What are the three main types of organum mentioned in the script?

The three main types of organum mentioned are parallel organum, free organum, and melismatic organum, each offering different ways of handling the relationship between the two voices.

What role did the Catholic Church play in the standardization of music during the medieval period?

The Catholic Church introduced neumes, early forms of sheet music, to standardize the music being sung in churches across different regions.

How did the development of neumes contribute to the evolution of modern sheet music?

Neumes provided an indication of pitch movement and, as they developed, included more information such as rhythm, serving as an early precursor to the staff notation used in modern sheet music.

What instruments were mentioned in the script as being used during the medieval period?

The medieval flute, lyra, and dulcimer were mentioned as instruments used during the medieval period, contributing to the diversity of the music of that era.

What is the significance of the 'ars nova' or 'new art' movement in the 14th century?

The 'ars nova' movement marked a significant development in medieval music, characterized by an increase in rhythmic complexity and the independence of voices, representing a shift towards the Renaissance period.

How did secular music develop during the medieval period?

Secular music developed through traveling performers like troubadours and trouveres, who performed their music outside of religious contexts, contributing to the diversity of the medieval music landscape.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Introduction to Medieval Music

The script introduces the medieval period of music, spanning from 500 to 1400 AD, and highlights its distinctive features. It starts with a monophonic musical example, illustrating the solo performance style common in medieval music. The script explains the use of Latin in church music and the presence of Gregorian chant influences. It also mentions the use of modes instead of major or minor scales, which were developed later. The paragraph sets the stage for exploring the evolution of music during this 900-year period, including the shift from monophonic to polyphonic music through techniques like organum, which involved adding a second voice at a fixed interval, either in parallel or contrary motion, and melismatic organum where one voice sustains a note while the other varies.

05:02

📜 Developments in Medieval Music Notation and Instruments

This paragraph delves into the standardization efforts of the Catholic Church to regulate the music sung in churches through the introduction of neumes, an early form of sheet music indicating pitch movement. It discusses the evolution of these neumes into more informative notations, which served as precursors to modern sheet music. The paragraph also covers the development of musical instruments during the medieval period, including the medieval flute, which had a similar feel to the modern recorder, the lyra, one of the first bowed string instruments in Western classical tradition, and the dulcimer. Additionally, it touches upon the emergence of secular music, with traveling performers like troubadours and trouveres, and the 'ars nova' or 'new art' movement of the 14th century, characterized by increased rhythm and independence of voices, which stirred controversy and marked significant changes in medieval music.

Keywords

💡Medieval Music

Medieval music refers to the music produced in Europe during the Middle Ages, roughly between the 5th and 14th centuries. It is a central theme of the video, as it sets the historical context for the discussion. The script mentions that this period spans 900 years, from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance, and it includes various developments in music.

💡Monophonic

Monophonic music is a type of musical texture that consists of a single melodic line without harmonization or accompaniment. In the script, it is described as a key element of medieval music, with the example provided featuring only one line of music, which is typical of the period.

💡Gregorian Chant

Gregorian chant is a form of plainchant, a part of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It is characterized by its monophonic and unaccompanied sacred song. The script identifies it as a style that medieval music often had, with the example given having a feel reminiscent of Gregorian chant.

💡Mode

In medieval music, a mode refers to any of several fixed scales, which are different from the modern major and minor scales. The script explains that there were eight different modes used in medieval music before the development of major and minor scales, and they are still heard today in some folk music.

💡Organum

Organum is a form of polyphonic music that was developed in medieval times, characterized by the addition of a voice moving in parallel with a plainchant. The script discusses three types of organum: parallel, free, and melismatic, which were key experiments in moving from monophonic to polyphonic music.

💡Polyphony

Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody. The script describes the evolution of medieval music from monophonic to polyphonic, with organum being one of the methods to achieve this complexity in sound.

💡Neumes

Neumes are a form of musical notation used from the 9th to the 15th century, primarily for plainchant. The script explains that neumes were an early form of sheet music used by the Catholic Church to standardize the music sung in churches, indicating the movement of pitch.

💡Instruments

The script mentions the development of instruments during the medieval period, including the medieval flute, lyra, and dulcimer. These instruments contributed to the diversity of medieval music, which was not limited to vocal and church music.

💡Trobadours and Trouvères

Trobadours and troubadours were traveling performers who composed and sang songs, often of a secular nature. The script highlights that secular music developed alongside church music during the medieval period, with these performers playing a significant role.

💡Ars Nova

Ars Nova, meaning 'new art,' was a style of music that emerged in the late 14th century in France and Italy. The script describes it as a development characterized by an increase in rhythm and independence of voices, marking a significant shift in medieval music.

Highlights

Introduction to the medieval period of music, spanning from around 500 to 1400.

Medieval music is characterized by monophonic performances, featuring a single line of music.

Medieval music often originates from the church and is sung in Latin, resembling Gregorian chant.

Music of this era is based on modes rather than the major and minor scales developed later.

Eight different modes were utilized in medieval music.

The period saw experiments to evolve from monophonic to polyphonic music.

Organum introduced a second voice to create a polyphonic sound.

Three types of organum: parallel, free, and melismatic, each offering different voice interactions.

Development of neumes as early forms of sheet music to standardize church music.

Neumes provided indications of pitch movement and gradually included rhythmic information.

Instruments like the medieval flute, lyra, and dulcimer were part of the medieval music scene.

The emergence of secular music with traveling performers like troubadours and trouvères.

Ars Nova, or 'new art,' marked a significant development in the 14th century with increased rhythm and independence of voices.

Philippe de Vitry's tract on Ars Nova sparked controversy and interest in the new musical style.

Medieval music's evolution included early polyphony, neumatic notation, and a variety of instruments.

The period's music was not limited to church settings, with the development of secular music styles.

Resources and recommended listening for medieval music are available at musictheoryacademy.com.

The journey through music history continues with the Renaissance period.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi everyone ben here from

musictheoryacademy.com

in this series of lessons we're going to

be having a look at the periods of music

and we're going to begin our journey

today by looking at medieval music now

the medieval period

runs from around about the year 500

to the year 1400 so it covers a massive

900 years and it runs right through from

around the time of the fall of the

western roman empire to

right through to the beginning of the

renaissance

so let's jump straight in and let's have

a listen to an example

of medieval music

[Music]

is

[Music]

you can hear from that example a number

of different

key elements that you can pick out

firstly

it's a solo performance there's only one

line

of music we call this monophonic meaning

literally mono

one phonic sound one sound and that's

very typical

of medieval music the second thing you

notice

is that it's very much sounds like it's

in a church

it's from the sung mass the language is

in latin

and it's it's got that sort of feel of a

gregorian chant

so it's another key fingerprint as it

were of the style

that we're listening to you can also

hear

that it's it doesn't sound like it's in

a major or minor scale it's in something

different

it's in what's called a mode and there

were eight different

modes that were used in medieval music

this was before

major and minor scales had been

developed you'll still hear modes

uh played today often in in folk music

but most of the music that you hear

nowadays is in either a major or a minor

scale but back in the medieval times

this was before

those were developed so you've got three

key things that that you can hear from

that piece of music

and for many people that's where their

understanding of medieval music ends

and it's like yes it's it's vocal music

sung in latin inner mode

that's medieval music but actually it's

it's a period that covers 900 years

and there were lots of changes and

developments during that time

so it's good to have a bit more of an

understanding of that period of music

so what were these experiments and

developments that went on during the

time

well one of the key things they tried to

do was to try and extend the music so

instead of it just being

monophonic so one sound they wanted to

try and develop a polyphonic

sound something that had more than one

line

of melody and one of the key ways they

tried to do this was

through something called organum now

organum was the addition of another

line of voice so you had two lines

of voices and there were three main ways

they they experimented with this

the first was this thing called parallel

organum

in parallel organum you've got two

voices at a fixed interval

so here i've got two voices at the

interval of a fifth

um and one voice sings the melody while

the other

stays at that fixed interval and they

move around

[Music]

in a parallel fashion you can see that

that interval

[Music]

of the fifth is is staying the same so

that's

parallel organum or otherwise known as

strict organum

now in free organum the two voices

uh can move in both parallel motion and

contrary motion so parallel motion

we've seen is where they're moving

in the same direction but contrary

motion is where they can move apart

and you can see how you start to get a

little bit more creativity

a bit more variety in free organum

now melismatic organum is a little bit

different

the accompanying part stays on one note

whilst the other part

can move around above it

and you can see how it's starting to

develop

so you can see how composers were

experimenting and trying to move away

from this simple

uh monophonic sound and you had these

early

developments of a polyphonic sound but

what other developments did we have

well we had developments in sheet music

so the catholic church

there was lots of different singing

going on around all the different

churches and they want to stand

wanted to standardize the music that was

being sung

in churches and the way they did this

was they brought in these things called

names and the wayms were like early

forms

of sheet music and they gave an

indication

of uh the which way the pitch was going

the movement of pitch

and throughout the period these names

developed and they had more and more of

information

on them um so they had some indication

of rhythm

in many ways this was the early

forerunner of the sheep music

that we see today there are also

developments in instruments

and we have the medieval flute let's

have a listen to how that sounds

you can hear how in many ways it sounds

like um a contemporary recorder

because it's wooden uh in its feel you

also had the lyra

this is seen as being one of the first

bowed uh string instruments in the

western classical

tradition and then also you have the

dulcimer here's how the dorchama sounds

[Music]

so you can see that the medieval period

was not just vocal music

and there were other instruments as well

during that

time but it was also not just church

music

during that time um some secular music

developed

um you've got the troubadours and the

truvaires who were these

traveling performers um who went round

performing uh their music

you also had this new development called

ars nova or

new art which was developed in 14th

century

uh france and italy um and you've got

this sort of increase of

rhythm you've got increase of

independence of hearts

the name comes from a tract written by

philippe de vitri in around about

13 13 20 and you can just imagine

the controversy at the time over this

over this

new art this uh this new style that was

developing

so we started with these three elements

the the solo sound

the church song mass the mode but we've

seen that

actually there are other fingerprints of

the medieval music style

we've got this early attempts at

polyphony um and the the organum that

comes with that

you've got the sheep music the very

early names that the

catholic church were bringing in to try

and standardize the music being sung

you've got

instruments the flutes the lyra and the

dulcimer

and then also you've got this

development of secular music

um that there was the music was not just

the music that you sung in church but

you've also got

the troubadours and the true bears i

really hope that's given you a good

understanding

of the basics of the medieval period of

music

head over to musictheoryacademy.com and

you'll find

more resources some more detailed

information and some recommended

listening on the period

the next stage on our journey takes us

to the wonders of the renaissance period