Music History Study Guide 1

Question 1

How did the term “medieval” originate, and what does it mean?

Answer 1

The word “medieval” means between the ages, and it was coined by historians who saw the Middle Ages as an era of darkness between two periods of light.

Question 2

What were some of the consequences of the fall of Rome that led to the concept of the medieval era as “dark ages”?

Answer 2

The fall of Rome occurred in 476 ce. This led to:

-a decline in political stability

-commerce suffering from activity of the Arabic Army (Europe was cut off from
the Mediterranean)

• fall in population
• decay of then infrastructure
• the loss of libraries and engineering skills