The Middle Ages: Chanson Notes and Vocabulary

Question 1

Chansons were mostly composed by aristocratic poet-musicians known as

Answer 1

trouveres and troubadors

Question 2

Langue d’oc was used in

Answer 2

southern France

Question 3

Langue d’oil was used in

Answer 3

northern France

Question 4

Chanson texture is monophonic and their melodies are modal, and they usually used

Answer 4

strophic form

Question 5

Instrumental accompaniments were

Answer 5

improvised

Question 6

Chanson

Answer 6

French for “song”, a secular song with French text. Monophonic chansons were composed in the 12th and 13th centuries and often performed with improvised accompaniment. From the 14th century on, polyphonic settings were generally preferred based on the formes fixes (ballade, rondem, and vilerai)

Question 7

Trouvere

Answer 7

French for “finder” or “inventor”, aristocratic poet-musicians who composed and performed original poems and songs, often on the subject of courtly love. They lived and worked in northern France.

Question 8

Troubador

Answer 8

Aristocratic poet-musicians that lived and worked in southern France. They composed and performed original poems and songs, often on the subject of courtly love.

Question 9

Strophic Form

Answer 9

A song structure in which the same music is performed for each verse of the poem; as a result, little connection can be achieved between the words and music