Medieval music

Medieval Music

Medieval music was the music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from about the 6th to the 15th centuries. It was the first and longest major era of Western classical music, followed by the Renaissance music.

This music included both sacred music used for the church, like Gregorian chant, and secular music that was not religious.

Most medieval music was sung, but some pieces used only instruments or a mix of voices and instruments. Instruments usually just accompanied the singing. During this time, people also began to create and use systems of music notation. This helped musicians write down and share their ideas, even though many songs were still passed down by word of mouth.

Overview

Genres

Further information: Gregorian chant, Ars nova, Organum, Motet, Madrigal (Trecento), Canon (music), and Ballata

Medieval music was made for many uses, like church services and fun activities such as love songs and dances. Early music was usually just one melody, like the famous Gregorian chant. Later, musicians added more melodies together, creating polyphonic music. An example is organum, where extra tunes were added to a chant.

Other types of music included motets, which could be about religious topics or love stories, and madrigals, popular in Italy. Madrigals had flowing melodies and sometimes used canons, where singers started the same tune at different times.

Instruments

Further information: List of medieval musical instruments

Many instruments from medieval times are still used today, though they might look different now. Flutes were made of wood and had holes to cover with fingers. Recorders were also made of wood and look similar today. Other instruments included string instruments like the lute, an ancestor of the modern guitar, and bowed instruments like the lyra and hurdy-gurdy.

Notation

During medieval times, people started writing down music to help others learn it. At first, they used simple signs above the words to show if the tune went up or down. These signs were called neumes and helped singers remember the melodies. Over time, these signs became more detailed, and lines were added to show the exact notes. This was the beginning of the musical staff, making it easier to learn new songs. However, these early notations did not show rhythm clearly.

Music theory

See also: List of medieval music theorists

The music theory of the medieval period changed how music was made, especially in rhythm and how notes were put together.

Rhythm

In the early Middle Ages, people did not have a way to write down rhythm. The first way to write rhythm appeared in the 1300s, using patterns called modes. Johannes de Garlandia, who wrote a book called De Mensurabili Musica around 1250, explained these modes. He described six ways to arrange long and short notes.

Later, Franco of Cologne wrote Ars cantus mensurabilis around 1280. He introduced a new way to write music where the shape of the notes showed their length.

The biggest change came with Philippe de Vitry, who wrote the Ars Nova treatise around 1320. His work gave its name to the new style of music. Vitry broke away from the old rhythmic modes and began using smaller notes and new ways to group them. He showed how to show the rhythm at the start of a piece using a sign.

Polyphony

Another big change was the start of polyphony, where multiple notes are played at the same time. The earliest writings about this come from two old books called Musica and Scolica enchiriadis, dated to the late 800s. They describe a method called organum, where notes are placed at set intervals like fourths, fifths, and octaves.

Organum changed over time. Early forms had problems when notes moved in the same way for too long. Later, organum allowed notes to move in different ways. The most famous composer of this time, Léonin, used a style where one note was held long while another moved quickly.

Medieval music also used a system of modes to arrange notes, similar to scales today. These modes had names like Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian, and each had rules for how melodies were made.

Early medieval music (500–1000)

Further information: Early Middle Ages

See also: List of medieval composers § (5th century) Early Middle Ages

Early chant traditions

Main article: Plainsong

See also: Gregorian chant

Chant, also called plainsong, is a simple sacred melody that was the earliest known music used in Christian churches. It developed in different parts of Europe, with important centers in Rome, Hispania, Gaul, Milan, and Ireland. Each place created its own style of chant for their church services. For example, in Spain and Portugal, they used Mozarabic chant. In Milan, Ambrosian chant was used.

The Carolingian leaders wanted all churches to use the same chants and services. They combined styles from Rome and Gaul to create what we now call Gregorian chant. This new chant spread across Europe and became the most common type of church music.

Early polyphony: organum

Main article: Organum

Around the 9th century, monks in places like St. Gall in Switzerland began adding a second voice to their chants. This new style, called organum, involved singing a melody alongside the original chant. Over time, this grew more complex.

Liturgical drama

Main article: Liturgical drama

During this time, church services began to include short musical plays. These started around the year 950 from small additions to Easter services. One early example is the Quem Quaeritis, which became a short play. Similar plays for Christmas and other holidays followed. These plays were always sung. Some of these ancient plays, like the Play of Daniel, have been preserved and can still be performed today.

High medieval music (1000–1300)

Further information: High Middle Ages

See also: List of medieval composers § (1000) High Middle Ages

Goliards

Main article: Goliards

The Goliards were travelling musicians in Europe from the 10th to the 13th century. They were often scholars and wrote and sang their songs in Latin. Many of their poems have survived, but only a little of their music has. They may have influenced later musical traditions. Some of their songs celebrated religious ideas, while others were more playful and fun.

Ars antiqua

Main article: Ars antiqua

The music from around 1150 to 1250 in the Notre-Dame school in Paris was very important. This time is called Ars antiqua. During this time, musicians began using new ways to write down rhythms. They also created new kinds of songs and ways to combine voices. One important type of song was the motet, which started from older church music and grew into a more complex form.

Cantigas de Santa Maria

Main article: Cantigas de Santa Maria

The Cantigas de Santa Maria are 420 poems with music, written in Galician-Portuguese during the time of Alfonso X The Wise between 1221 and 1284. These poems all mention the Virgin Mary, and every tenth one is a hymn. The poems were written down in beautiful books with pictures, many showing musicians playing different instruments.

Troubadours and trouvères

Main articles: Troubadour and Trouvère

See also: List of troubadours and trobairitz and List of trouvères

The troubadours and trouvères were musicians who sang songs in everyday languages. The troubadours sang in Occitan, and the trouvères in Old French. Their songs often talked about brave deeds in war, noble behavior, and the deep love for an idealized woman. Many of their songs have music that shows how skilled they were.

Minnesänger and Meistersinger

Main articles: Minnesang and Meistersinger

See also: List of Minnesänger

The Minnesänger were German musicians similar to the troubadours. Some famous ones include Wolfram von Eschenbach and Walther von der Vogelweide. Later, the Meistersinger were members of groups in Germany who wrote and sang songs in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.

Trovadorismo

Main article: Galician-Portuguese lyric

In the Middle Ages, Galician-Portuguese was used for poetry in Iberia. The songs written in this language, called cantigas, were collected in special books. These songs can be about love, friendship, or even jokes and insults. They were often sung with music and had strong dramatic elements.

Troubadours with surviving melodies

Timeline of Composers of the high and late medieval era

Late medieval music (1300–1400)

Further information: Late Middle Ages

See also: List of medieval composers § (1250) Late Middle Ages

France: Ars nova

Main article: Ars nova

The Ars nova started around 1310 with a big book of poems and music called the Roman de Fauvel. It had many new kinds of songs. Famous composers were Philippe de Vitry and Guillaume de Machaut.

Songs from this time were more complex, with many layers of music. They used special forms like the rondeau, ballade, and virelai. This was also when people began making full music services for special church events. The music had special rhythms and sounds.

Italy: Trecento

Main article: Music of the Trecento

In Italy, this time was called the Trecento. Italian songs were known for their pretty melodies. They often had one main tune with slower notes to support it. There were three main types of songs: the madrigal, the caccia, and the ballata.

Germany: Geisslerlieder

Main article: Geisslerlieder

Ars subtilior

Main article: Ars subtilior

At the end of the medieval time, there was a style called Ars subtilior. This music had very tricky rhythms and melodies. It was very fancy and hard to play.

Transitioning to the Renaissance

It is hard to know exactly when the medieval time ended and the Renaissance began. Some music from the early 1400s had features from both times. English composers like John Dunstaple helped change music with new notes and styles. This shaped music for many years.

An early composer from the Franco-Flemish School was Johannes Ockeghem. He was very famous and inspired many musicians who came after him.

Influence

See also: Neo-medieval music

The music style of Pérotin inspired composers in the 20th century, like John Luther Adams and minimalist composer Steve Reich.