Overview
This lecture introduces the Medieval period of music (c. 500–1400), highlighting its main characteristics, key developments, and transition towards the Renaissance.
Key Features of Medieval Music
- Medieval music spans from roughly AD 500 to 1400, covering about 900 years.
- Early music was monophonic, meaning it had a single melodic line.
- Most Medieval music was vocal, sung in Latin, and associated with the church (e.g., Gregorian chant).
- Medieval melodies used modes (scales predating modern major and minor scales).
Developments in Musical Style
- The period saw a shift from monophonic to polyphonic (multiple independent melodies) textures.
- Organum is an early polyphonic technique, adding more vocal lines to the original melody.
- Parallel organum: two voices move together at a fixed interval, usually a fifth.
- Free organum: voices move in both parallel and contrary motion.
- Melismatic organum: one voice holds a note while the other moves above it.
Advances in Notation and Instruments
- Early sheet music called neumes indicated melodic direction and later included rhythmic information.
- Neumes paved the way for modern musical notation.
- Important instruments included the medieval flute (wooden, recorder-like), the lyra (early bowed string instrument), and the dulcimer (stringed, struck instrument).
Secular and New Musical Trends
- Secular (non-religious) music grew, performed by traveling musicians called troubadours (and in northern France, trouvères).
- Ars Nova ("new art") appeared in 14th-century France and Italy, introducing complex rhythms and greater independence of parts.
- Ars Nova was documented in a treatise by Philippe de Vitry around 1320.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Monophonic — music with a single melodic line.
- Polyphonic — music with multiple, independent melodic lines.
- Organum — early polyphonic music with added vocal lines.
- Neume — early pitch notation symbol for plainchant.
- Mode — type of scale used before major/minor scales.
- Gregorian chant — sacred, monophonic church music in Latin.
- Troubadour/Trouvère — medieval traveling musicians performing secular songs.
- Ars Nova — 14th-century musical style featuring complex rhythms.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review basic characteristics and terms of Medieval music.
- Listen to examples of Gregorian chant, organum, and secular songs from troubadours.
- Prepare for the next lecture on the Renaissance period.