2. The word Medieval is derived from the Latin
word “medius” meaning “middle.”
The Medieval Period in Western history is also
known as the Middle Ages or also the Dark
Ages. It was a period in the history of Western
civilization when civilization broke down in
various ways and became quite primitive. The
cultural advances of ancient Greece and Rome
were essentially lost with the
Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D.
As a result, Western civilization had to begin
again during the Medieval period.
3. Medieval Period of
Western History
Lasted from about 476 A.D to 1400 A.D.
(different sources vary as to the exact dates)
One of the 3 broad periods of Western history:
Classic / Medieval / Modern
Founding of universities
Building of cathedrals and castles
4. Heidelberg Castle in Germany
Built in 1214 A.D.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, FranceThe Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France
Built 1163 – 1345 ADBuilt 1163 – 1345 AD
8. Music of the Medieval Period:
Monody – Monophonic Music
(meaning “one sound”)
Single line melodies with no accompaniment
Known as “chant,” “plainchant” or “plainsong”
Used as music for the early Christian church
Sung by monks practicing the “Divine Office” eight times
a day at the specific hours
Gregorian chant – a more uniform system of chant that
was developed under the reign of Pope Gregory I (590 AD
to 604 AD)
Musical Example: Plainchant: Viderunt Omnes No. 1
9. Developments in Medieval Music:
Polyphony
(meaning “many sounds”)
Two or more lines of music sung or played
simultaneously
Polyphony began as an additional parallel
line to a line of Gregorian chant
Music notation began to be developed around
the same time that polyphony developed
Musical Example: 2-Part Organum, based on
chant melody
10. Musical Notation in the Medieval Period
The most important development in music during the Medieval
period was the invention of the modern system of notation for
music. About the same time that polyphony was appearing,
music notation was being developed. The founder of what is
now considered the standard music staff was Guido
d'Arezzo, an Italian Benedictine monk who lived from 995–
1050. Guido D'Arezzo's achievements paved the way for the
modern form of written music, music books, and the modern
concept of a composer.
Guido d’Arezzo also composed a chant that became the basis
for the “do, re, mi” syllables still used in teaching music
today. The proportional system of note values for rhythm was
also developed in this period.
11. Example of Medieval music notation:
“O virtus Sapientiae” by Hildegard von Bingen.
12. Sacred Music in the Medieval Period:
The Medieval Motet
A polyphonic vocal composition with several different
melodic lines (several voices singing)
One line (called the “cantus firmus,” or “fixed song,” in
Latin) used phrases from Gregorian chant
Lines above cantus firmus were different melodies and
sometimes in a another language
Medieval motets often contained complex musical
techniques
Musical Example: Petrus la Cruce: “Aucun ont trouv”
(3-part motet sung in Latin and French simultaneously)
13. Secular (Non-Sacred) Music
in the Medieval Period
Hildegard von Bingen
(1098-1179 AD(
was a German writer, composer, philosopher,
Christian mystic, Benedictine nun, visionary,
and polymath. She is one of the few composers
from the Medieval period for whom
biographical information still exists.
Musical Example: Plainsong (Chant): “O frondens virga,” (“O leafy
branch”) an excerpt from the Medieval morality play,
Ordo Virtutum (Play of the Virtues) by Hildegard von Bingen
15. Léonin
(flourished from circa 1150 - circa 1201)
Leonin was the first known significant
composer of polyphonic choral music.
Little is known about Leonin’s life, but it is
believed that Leonin was French and
lived and worked in Paris at the
Cathedral of Notre Dame.
Perotin
(flourished in circa 1200)
Also called Perotin the Great, was a European
composer, believed to be French, who lived
around the end of the 12th and beginning of
the 13th century. Perotin expanded and
improved the polyphonic choral style
established by Leonin.
16. Secular (Non-Sacred) Music
in the Medieval Period
Lyrics (words) often written and preserved;
music seldom preserved
Sung in vernacular (local) languages
Troubadours – traveling composer-singers who sang
ballads about chivalry and courtly love
Also:
Dance music (mostly lost today)
Musical Example: 13th
Century Medieval Dance Song
17. Secular (Non-Sacred) Music in the
Medieval Period
Guillaume de Machaut
(c.1300-1377(
was a French composer of the late Medieval
period and another of the few composers
from the Medieval period for whom
biographical information still exists.
Musical Example: “Dame mon couer en vous remaint”
Medieval French Love Song for 3 voices (polyphony)
18. “Dame mon couer en vous remaint”
Medieval French Love Song
by Guillaume de Machaut
English Translation:
Lady, my heart remains in you.
However far I may be from you.
With true love which dwells in me.
Lady, my heart remains in you.
Now I pray God your heart may love me.
Without leaving me for any other love.
Lady, my heart remains in you.
However far I may be from you
Notes de l'éditeur
The dates of the Medieval period are approximate, as are the dates of all style periods. This period saw the beginnings of an interest in the arts and learning.
During this period, chivalry, a code of behavior among soldiers and men of the upper class, was a common practice. As part of this code, women were frequently idealized in poems and songs.
The first universities were founded during the Medieval period and their students studied the only written Western languages in existence at the time: Latin and Greek. Music was one of the four main subjects taught in the universities, along with languages, mathematics and religious philosophy.
Great cathedrals such as the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris were constructed during the Medieval period.
Here is a photograph of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, one of the most famous examples of architecture in the Medieval period. Construction on the cathedral began in 1163 AD and was completed in 1345, 182 years later.
Here is a photograph of Heidelberg Castle in what is now Germany. This castle is an example of architecture of the late Medieval period. The castle was built in 1214 AD partly as a fortress and partly as a royal court. It once served as the residence of Rupert the Third, who became King and Emperor of Germany in 1401.
Here is a Medieval painting depicting angels stabbing dragons, a common symbolic image in Medieval art.
Here is another Medieval painting depicting the victory of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius over the Persians in 627 A.D.
The earliest music of the Medieval period consisted of single line melodies with no harmony and no accompaniment. This kind of music is called monody or “monophonic,” meaning “one sound.” Examples of monophonic music in the early Medieval period include chants sung by Christian monks. This music was eventually compiled and consolidated under the reign of Pope Gregory the First, and was henceforth known as Gregorian Chant.
An important musical development in the Medieval period that followed monophony, or monophonic music, was polyphony, which consists of two or more lines of music sung or played simultaneously.
Gregorian chant. provided the basic melodic material to which Medieval musicians first added another line that ran parallel to the melody. Later in the twelfth century, two composers named Léonin and Pérotin at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris added a third and sometimes a fourth line of music. But more importantly, these two composers began to break away from strict parallel motion and made the added lines somewhat different and independent.
The most important development in music during the Medieval period was the invention of the modern system of notation for music. About the same time that polyphony was appearing, music notation was being developed. The founder of what is now considered the standard music staff was Guido d'Arezzo, an Italian Benedictine monk who lived from 995–1050. Guido D'Arezzo's achievements paved the way for the modern form of written music, music books, and the modern concept of a composer.
Guido d’Arezzo also composed a chant that became the basis for the do-re-mi syllables still used today. The proportional system of note values for rhythm was also developed in this period.
The most important development in music during the Medieval period was the invention of the modern system of notation for music. About the same time that polyphony was appearing, music notation was being developed. The founder of what is now considered the standard music staff was Guido d'Arezzo, an Italian Benedictine monk who lived from 995–1050. Guido D'Arezzo's achievements paved the way for the modern form of written music, music books, and the modern concept of a composer.
Guido d’Arezzo also composed a chant that became the basis for the do-re-mi syllables still used today. The proportional system of note values for rhythm was also developed in this period.
The medieval motet was a high point in terms of an intellectual approach to music. A line of music sung in Latin called the cantus firmus was a phrase of Gregorian chant, and it was the basis of the composition. Other lines were then added above the cantus firmus. These could be either religious or secular, with the secular ones originally being sung in French. Composers in the medieval period were fascinated with complex musical techniques that were often recognizable only by examining the music notation, not from listening. They might, for instance, repeat the rhythmic pattern of the notes three times while the melodic pattern was being repeated twice.
One of the earliest composers in the history of Western music for whom biographical information still exists was a German woman named Hildegard von Bingen, who lived from 1098 to 1179 AD. In addition to being a composer, von Bingen was a writer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine nun, visionary and polymath. (A polymath is someone with extraordinary ability in many fields, such as Leonardo da Vinci or Benjamin Franklin.) Von Bingen composed a large number of musical works that have been preserved and are now being performed again today.
It is ironic that one of the very earliest composers of Western music was a woman, for it would take more than 900 years until the 20th century, before women composers would emerge as important composers, as equals with their male counterparts.
Here is an example of a very elaborate form of musical notation that was created during the Medieval period called “Illuminated Manuscript.” In the early Medieval period, most Illustrated Manuscripts were produced in monasteries.
The composer Léonin flourished from approximately 1150 to 1201.AD. Leonin was the first known significant composer of polyphonic choral music. Little is known about Leonin’s life, but it is believed that Leonin was French and lived and worked in Paris at the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
His successor, Perotin, (who flourished in approximately 1200 AD)Also called Perotin the Great, was a European composer, believed to be French, who lived around the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century. Perotin expanded and improved the polyphonic choral style established by Leonin.
Unlike Gregorian chant, which was preserved in musical notation, secular, or non-religious music in the Medieval period was seldom preserved. It was sung in languages such as German, Italian, and English. This music was often performed by traveling composer-performers known as troubadours who often sang ballads about chivalry and courtly love.
Some dance music was created for instruments, although no particular instruments were specified. During most of the Medieval period, most musical instruments had not yet been invented. The instrumental music that did exist during the Medieval period was generally very simple.
Another important composer of the Medieval period whose music has been preserved and is still being performed today is the French composer Guillaume de Machaut, who lived from 1300 to 1377.
Here is an English translation of a Medieval French love song called “Dame mon couer vous remaint” by Guillaume de Machaut. Please turn to the musical examples page and listen to a recording of this music. As you do, notice how different and foreign sounding the melody and harmony are as compared with what most people today recognize as music.
