Chants and secular songs in the middle ages Flashcards
middle ages
between 800-1450)
Sacred music
plainchant or Gregorian chant
created for ceremonial and communal liturgy
NON sacred
Secular monody
type:
elite or courtly
created for entertainment, feelings
types of music
monophonic: one melody, single line
homophonic: melody supported by chords
Polyphonic: two or more melodic lines at the same time
Troubadours
poet composers during the 12th and 13th century
among the most artful and refined
wrote their own lyrics in either of the two french dialects at the time
Liturgy
worship service
made up of texts and rites
yearly cycle of readings from the bible and weekly of the psalms
purpose: glorify god and saints, teach the gospel,
two readings that make up the liturgy
the office and the mass
the mass
Also known as the Eucharist
readings and prayers
focal point of religious life
proper and ordinary
explain proper and ordinary
proper: change week to week
introit, gradual, sequence, alleluia, offertory, communion
Ordinary: do not change, always present
kyrie, Sanctus, credo, Agnus Dei, Gloria,
explain the office
series of eight prayer services
group of monks and nuns praying
liturgy includes psalms each with
an antiphon: sung before and after a psalm
rule of Saint Benedict
Saint Benedict giving the rule to a group of monks,
it contains the office
the structure of the mass
intro prayers
liturgy of the word
the liturgy of the Eucharist
notation of chant
Invented to standardize (uniform) the performance of chant melodies
This helped the Frankish empires:
mission to promote a uniform liturgy and music in order to influence more worshippers across their lands
Alcuin of York
English monk during 8th and 9th
helped emperor Charlemagne in his mission to revive education in the Frankish empire
RESULT: development of musical centers, including saint gall switzrlnd
Frankish empire influence on plainchant
more leaps
in thirds
new melodies
new forms of chant such as tropes, sequences, liturgical drama
musical style
syllabic
(one note per syllable)
melismatic:
many notes per syllable
manner of performance:
Antiphonal (alternating choir)
Responsorial (choir responding to soloist)
Direct: (sung by one choir)
neumatic (chant)
prolonged melodic gestures of two to seven notes each.
Antiphone (office )
a melody with its own text before and after a psalm
early times: the whole antiphone song before the psalms
eventually: only the opening verses sung, entire thing after the psalm.
originated to be sung by a group
psalm tones (office)
formulas for chanting the psalms,
designed to fit the words of any psalms
A Psalm tone consists of five melodic elements:
1 intonation
2 reciting tone
3 bends at midpoint
4 reciting tone
5 descending to a final cadence or termination
the final verse usually leads into the lesser doxology (praise to the Trinity)
proper mass antiphonal
introit and communion
introit: originally a psalm with antiphone
(shortened today, only the antiphone)
the communion: near the end of the mass
short chant, one scriptural verse
church modes
1 dorian
2 hypodorian
3 phrygian
4 hypophyrigian
5 lydian
6 hypolydian
7 mixolydian
8 hypomixolydian
about church modes
are defined by the sequence of whole tones and semitones in a diatonic octave built on a fnalis
authentic modes rose above the final
plagal modes: circled around or went farther below the final
Guido arrezzo
his followers developed a pedagogical visual aid
proposed a set of syllables to help singers remember the notes
early musical notation
notes were places above texts
eventually: idea of scratching a horizontal line in the parchment corresponding to a particular note
this was not for the sound but for telling the difference between notes
three forms of chant repertory
two balanced phrases
strophic: several stanzas sung to a melody
free form: original in its content
gradual and alleluia
the most developed chants of the mass
responsorial chants, intended for choir and soloist in alternation.
came to the frankish (france) churches from rome
melodies are florid and structured.
melismatic formulas occur such as intonation, internal cadance, terminations
a trope
can add:
*new words and music before the chant
and often between phrases
*extending melisma or adding new ones
*text set to existing melismas
the first meothd is commin and used with introits.
flurished around the 10-11th
sequence (10-13th)
notker babulus : frankish monk as saint gall
imitated and adapted for secular songs.
banned by the council of trent.
text syllables under long melismas
liturgical drama
a type of play that grew out of ritual and was performed on imp holiday days
originated in troping
hildegard (1098-1179, germany)
wrote a nun liturgical yet sacred music drama
a play called ordo virtutum that has 82 songs
allegorical characters, the devil does not speak as he is distant with the go
said her music is divinely inspired
having a connection with god meant being heard
solmanization
doing the syllables of music in 6 steps
cdefga
solfage
chansons the geste
praise song that celebrated the deeps of warriors and rulers
secular songs
jongleurs
people who sang secular songs
traveled in small groups
troubadours
male of female
poet composers who flourished in 12th in france
political, moral, love songs
strophic and sung to the same melody
bernart de ventadorn who wrote can vei la lauzeta nawm
