Elements of Music (continued) Musical “Style”

Musical “Style” Characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone, color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form in music The distinctive or unique sound of One composer A group of composers A country A period in history

Historical Musical Style Periods Middle Ages (450-1450) Renaissance (1450-1600) Baroque (1600-1750) Classical (1750-1820) Romantic (1820-1900) 20th century

Music of the Middle Ages Medieval Music (450-1450)

Feudal Society Three main social classes Nobles (Kings, Queens, Knights, etc.) Peasants (Serfs) Clergy (Church People - priests, monks & nuns)

Knights/Nobility

Clergy

Peasants

Medieval Sacred Music (religious) Most music in churches Churches centers of learning, culture, and power Most important musicians were priests

Gregorian Chant Prayer music for voices performed in churches; melodies set to sacred Latin texts, sung without accompaniment

Gregorian Chant (continued) Gregorian Chant was the official music of the Roman Catholic church - “the” church of Medieval Europe Named for Pope Gregory (590-604) who was reputed to have assembled and standardized all basic chants required for church services of the time

ANONYMOUS - Alleluia: Vidimus Stellam (We have seen the star) Latin text Music has “otherworldly” quality Not in minor or major, but a “church mode” No beat Music has “eternal” quality No “catchy” tune; motives don’t seem to repeat as expected; seems like it will go on forever and forever Monophony Uses melismas

Melisma* (not in textbook glossary) Many notes sung to one syllable of text 7 1 3 4 4 3 4 2 2 1 3 4 5 4 71 3 2 3 Al - le- lu- ia Melismas

ANONYMOUS - Alleluia: Vidimus Stellam (We have seen the star) Beginning - Solo, then Choir Alleluia Middle (verse) - Choir We have seen his star in the east and are come with gifts to worship the Lord End - Choir sings beginning phrase

HILDEGARD OF BINGEN - O successores (You successors) Abbess of Rupertsberg in Germany Amazingly talented and influential woman Religious mystic and philosopher Diplomat Wrote poetry, music, and musical drama Scientist and healer

HILDEGARD OF BINGEN - O successores (You successors) Latin text Music has “otherworldly” quality Not in minor or major, but a “church mode” No beat Music has “eternal” quality No “catchy” tune; motives don’t seem to repeat as expected; seems like it will go on forever and forever Monophony, performed with a drone Uses melismas, but less-long that Alleluia chant Larger pitch range than older Alleluia chant

Drone Long, sustained note or notes accompanying a melody

HILDEGARD OF BINGEN - O successores (You successors) “You successors of the mightiest lion between the temple and the altar- You the masters in his household- As the the angles sound forth praises and are here to help the nations, you are among those who accomplish this, forever showing your care in the service of the lamb.”

Medieval Secular Music (Non-religious) Heard outside church in castles, taverns, and town squares JONGLEURS travelling minstrels who performed music and acrobatics for popular entertainment

ANONYMOUS - Estampie Strong, regular BEAT (dance music) Fast triple meter 3 instruments Rebec (bowed string) Pipe (wind) Psaltery (plucked string) Monophony (rebec & pipe) with drone (psaltery) Repetitive sounding; “catchy”

Important Musical Development in Middle Ages around 900 A.D. Birth of Polyphony

Organum (pl. Organa) Medieval polyphony that consists of Gregorian Chant and one or more additional melodic lines

Architectural Layers = Layers of Chant or Organum

Birth of Polyphony simple organum 700-900 900-1300 1300-1450 simple organum "School" of Notre Dame (Leonin, Perotin); simple rhythmic notation invented ARS NOVA new system of notating rhythm monks add a 2nd melody above chant chant stretched out and more lines of organum added above chant used for complex rhythms and syncopation

Notre Dame Cathedral Paris, France

GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT - (1377-1377) French composer Educated as priest Mostly worked as court official Wrote sacred and secular music

GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT - Agnus Dei from Notre Dame Mass Agnus Dei part of MASS MASS - sacred choral composition made up of five sections Kyrie (Lord have mercy) Gloria (Glory to God in the highest) Credo (I believe in one God) Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Hosts) Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)

GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT - Agnus Dei from Notre Dame Mass Written for 4 voices NON-IMITATIVE POLYPHONY 3 sections = 3 lines of text each closed by cadences “Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis” (Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us) “Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis” (Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us “Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi: dona nobis pacem” (Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace) Chant stretched out in tenor voice Upper voices have faster melodies with syncopation Regular BEAT Harmony has dissonant parts

Musical Style Elements Early and Mid - Middle Ages (Chant) Late Middle Ages (Machaut) Rhythm no regular beat, free-flowing, creates "floating," "otherworldly" sound has regular beat, more complex, has syncopations Melody uses melismas, very smooth (legato) uses melismas, more "jumpy" and less smooth Form sounds non-repetitive Dynamics no changes, all one level Texture monophonic polyphonic (non-imitative); produces heavy, dense, thick sound Harmony none mixture of consonance and dissonance; produces serious sound

BENART DA VENTADORN - La douza votz (The sweet voice) Troubadour song Monophony (voice) with improvised drone accompaniment (plucked string) “I have heard the sweet voice of the woodland nightingale and my heart springs up so that all the cares and the grievous betrayals love has given me are softened and sweetened; and I would thus be rewarded, in my ordeal, by the joys of others…”

BENART DA VENTADORN - La douza votz (The sweet voice) “In truth, every man leads a base life who does not dwell in the land of joy…” “One who is false, deceitful, of low breeding, a traitress has betrayed me, and betrayed herself…”