1. Medieval Music
600-1450
Copyright 2010

2. Introduction
• Medium Aevum – Middle Ages
• Began after the fall of the Roman Empire
• A period of stagnation and great change
• Events and ideas from the Medieval
period became the foundation of our
modern institutions (Roman Catholic
Church, universities and schools, guilds)

3. Political Situation
• Rulers
– Tribes
– Charlemagne
– Warring invaders and Royal Dynasties

4. • Feudalism
– A system of political
organization that
governed everyone’s role
in society
– Nobility, Clergy and
Peasants
– A series of contracts
between the nobles
(seigneurials)

6. • Peasants
– Free (craftsmen)
– Servile (agricultural)
– Slaves

7. • Roman Catholic Church
– Clergy were the 2nd rank in
feudalism
– Two branches: Eastern and
Western
– Roman Pope (Western) had
great influence
– System of laws, courts and
properties
– Influence spread by the
monastic system

9. • Crusades
– 7 major crusades
– Pilgrimages to the
Holy Land
- 1095 Pope Urban II
- Trade

10. • Black Death
– 14th century
– Form of bubonic plague
– Originated in China
– Average life expectancy
in the 20’s

11. • Inquisition
– Adherence to the doctrines of the Roman
Catholic Church
– Established in 1231

12. The Arts
• Literature
– England
• Beowulf
• Chaucer – Canterbury Tales
• Sir Thomas Malory – La Mort d’Arthur
– France Chaucer Canterbury Tales
• Troubadours
• Trouvères
– Germany
• Nibelungenlied
– Italy
• Dante – Divine Comedy
• Petrarch - Canzoniere
Dante
Divine Comedy

13. • Theatre
– Liturgical Drama
– Miracle and Mystery Plays
– Morality Play

14. • Architecture
– Romanesque (1000 to
1250)
• Stone vaulted buildings
• Domes
• Castles: moat,
drawbridge, keep

15. Gothic (1140 to 1400)
• Ribbed Vault
• Flying buttresses

16.  Visual Arts
 Stain Glass
 Frescoes
 Illuminated Manuscripts
 Metalwork
 Tapestries
 Painting
 Sculpture

21. Music in the Medieval Period
• Sacred Tradition
– Plainchant
Monophonic vocal music of the church
Pope Gregory
About 3,000 extant
Sung as solo, unison or antiphonal
Non-metric, modal, in Latin
Based on modes: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian

22. Pope Gregory

23. – Mass
• Ite, missa est
• Latin Texts: Proper and Ordinary
• Ordinary
– Kyrie
– Kyrie eleison Lord have mercy upon us
– Christe eleison Christ have mercy upon us
– Kyrie eleison Lord have mercy upon us

24. – Gloria
Gloria in excelsis deo, Glory to God in the highest,
et in terra pax hominibus bonae and on earth peace to people of
voluntatis good will.
We praise you.
Laudamus te.
We bless you.
Benedicimus te. We adore you.
Adoramus te. We glorify you.
Glorificamus te. We give thanks to you for your great
Gratias agimus tibi propter glory.
magnam gloriam tuam. Lord God, Heavenly King, God
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Almighty Father.
Deus Pater omnipotens. Lord Only-begotten Son, Jesus
Domine fili unigenite, Jesu Christ.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
Christe.
Father.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius
You who take away the sins of the
patris. world have mercy on us.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, You who take away the sins of the
miserere nobis. world hear our prayer.
Qui tollis peccata mundi suscipe You who sit at the Father's right
deprecationem nostram. hand, have mercy on us.
Qui sedes ad dexteram patris For you alone are holy.
miserere nobis. You alone, Lord.
Quoniam tu solus sanctus. You alone the Most High, Jesus
Christ.
Tu solus Dominus.
With the Holy Spirit in the glory of
Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu
Christe.
Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei
Patris. Amen.
God the Father. Amen .

25. – Credo
Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, I believe in one God, The Father Almighty,
factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things
invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus
Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God. Born of
natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen the Father before all ages. God of God, Light of
de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum, Light, true God of true God. Begotten, not made,
not factum, consubstantialem Patri: per quem of one substance with the Father. By whom all
omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines, et things were made. Who for us men and for our
propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis. Et salvation came down from heaven. (here all
incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria present kneel) And became incarnate by the
Virgine: ET HOMO FACTUS EST. Crucifixus Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary: AND WAS MADE
etiam pro nobis; sub Pontio Pilato passus, et MAN. (here all arise) He was also crucified for
sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was
Scripturas. Et ascendit in coelum: sedet ad buried. And on the third day He rose again
desteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est com according to the Scriptures. He ascended into
gloria judicare vivos et mortuos. cujus regni non heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.
erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et He will come again in glory to judge the living
vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui and the dead and His kingdom will have no end.
cum Patre, et Filio simul adoratur et And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life,
conglorificatur: qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Who together with the Father and the Son is
Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in adored and glorified, and who spoke through the
remissionem peccatorum. Et exspecto prophets. And one holy, Catholic and Apostolic
resurrectionem mortuorum. Et vitam ventura Church. I confess one baptism for the
saeculi. Amen. forgiveness of sins and I await the resurrection of
the dead and the life + of the world to come.
Amen.

26. – Sanctus
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God of Hosts.
Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Heaven and earth are filled
Pleni sunt coeli et terra with your glory.
gloria tua. Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in excelsis. Blessed is He Who comes
Benedictus qui venit in in the Name of the Lord.
nomine Domini. Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in excelsis.

27. - Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui tolis Lamb of God, Who take
peccata mundi, away the sins of the world,
misere nobis. have mercy on us.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis Lamb of God, Who take
peccata mundi, misere away the sins of the world,
nobis. have mercy on us.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis Lamb of God, Who take
peccata mundi, away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.
dona nobis pacem.

28. – Polyphony
• Evolved from 10th to
11th century
• Organum
• Cantus firmus

29. – Notation
• Oral tradition
• As amounts of chants grew, notation needed
• Neumes

31. • Two lines: one red for F, one yellow for C
• 11th century – Guido of Arezzo
Ut queant laxis
Resonare fileris
Mira gestorum
Famuli tuorum
Solve polutte
Labi reaturm

32. • 12th century – four lines
• 13th century – mensural
• 16th century

33. – Composers
• Anonymous
• Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
– O frondens virga

34. • Notre Dame School
Leonin (c. 1135-1201)
– Introduced definite rhythm patterns to
chants
Perotin (c. 1160-1240)
– Student of Leonin
– First to compose music based on
chants with more than two voices

35. • Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300-1377)
– Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei, qui Lamb of God,
tolis peccata Who take away
mundi, the sins of the
misere nobis. world, have
Agnus Dei, qui mercy on us.
tollis peccata Lamb of God,
mundi, misere Who take away
nobis. the sins of the
Agnus Dei, qui world, have
tollis peccata mercy on us.
mundi, Lamb of God,
dona nobis Who take away
pacem. the sins of the
world, grant us
peace.

36. • Secular Tradition
– Court Music
• Struggle with the church for power in influence
• Musicians hired to entertain
• Instrumental music most prominent
– Estampie
– Instrumental
• Musician/poets: Troubadours, Trouvères
• Minstrels and Jongleurs

37. Medieval Instruments
• String, Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, Keyboard
• Soft (bas) or loud (haut) – Inside or outside
• Families:
String:
Plucked: Lute, harp, psaltery
Bowed: Viele, rebec
Woodwind:
Bagpipe, shawm, crumhorn
Brass:
Slide trumpet, sackbut
Percussion:
Drums (tabors, nakers), cymbals, bells
Keyboard:
Portative organ, organ, hurdy-gurdy

38. String
Hurdy-gurdy
Viele
Lute
Psaltery

39. Woodwind
Bagpipe
Recorders
Pipe
Krummhorn Gemshorn

40. Brass and Percussion
Sackbut Bell Tree
Drum

41. Keyboard
Portative Organ
Organ 11 century France
th
Hurdy-gurdy

42. – Composers of Secular Music
• Ars Antiqua
– Troubadour: Guillaume de Poitiers, Duke of Aquitaine
– Trouvères: Richard the Lion Heart
• Ars Nova
– Philippe de Vitry (1291-1361)