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Early Music
Medieval and
Renaissance
Some basic concepts
• Sacred vs. secular
– Sacred – music written for religious purposes
or with religious themes
– Secular – music of a more worldly nature
• Vocal vs. instrumental
– Vocal – uses one or more voices; with or
without accompanying instruments
– Instrumental – uses only instruments; no
voices
Medieval
• Also called the Dark Ages
– Dark Ages philosophy
– People are sinful
– Deserve to lead miserable lives
Medieval culture and society
• Feudal system was prominent
– Rich land owners (powerful lords & land owners)
– Poor peasants (no power)
• Church (Catholic) was dominant
Sacred Medieval Music
• Mass was main form of music
– Both worship and composed in general
– Sung in Latin
• Divided into two parts
– Proper – lyrics changed with the theme
– Ordinary – lyrics remained the same
• 5 parts of the ordinary mass
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Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Kyrie
Agnus dei
– The lyrics of these sections have been lifted
and used in more secular settings
• Gregorian chant
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Named after Pope Gregory
Vocal only – no instruments
Sung in Latin
Monophonic texture
• Everyone plays or sings the same single melody
line with no accompaniment
– No set meter – follow rhythm of
the text
• Text painting
• Internet Extra Credit
Secular Medieval Music
• Mostly vocal – little instrumental
• Minstrels / troubadors – love songs
• Motets
– More complicated
– Polyphonic texture
• Different parts sung at the
same time
• Early experiments
• Beginnings of harmony
• Medieval music summary
– More sacred than secular
– More vocal than instrumental
Renaissance
• 1450 – 1600 (approximately)
• Great discovery, rebirth, & rethinking
• Began shift to secular outlook on life
– Focus on life on earth, rather than the afterlife
• Culture and society
– England and Italy were centers of
culture
– Humanism
• New philosophy (we’re not so bad)
– Arts and sciences flourished
• Leonardo di Vinci
– Artist and scientist
• Michelangelo
• Explorations
pushed the envelope of
thinking and discovery
– Christopher Columbus
– Vasco de Gamma
– Magellan
• Middle class emerges
– Merchants
– Trade from far off lands (explorers)
• Printing press invented
– First music published in 1501 in Venice
– Made music more available to middle class
• Reformation
– Martin Luther
– Broke away from Catholic church
• Start of Protestant denominations
– Services in native language
– Simple congregational hymn or chorale
• Sung in native language
– Set off Counter-Reformation
• Reactions of Catholic church
• Allowed instruments in worship
Sacred Renaissance Music
• Reformation brought simple hymns
– Chorale
• Counter-Reformation allowed instruments
– Gabrielli – brass
– Antiphony – early “stereo”
• Mass was still important
– Palestrina important composer
Renaissance Secular Music
• New forms for songs / compositions
• Vocal madrigal
– Lively, often bawdy
– Monteverdi, Morely (3 M’s)
• Ballett
– English composition
– “fa-la-la-la-la”
• Important part of everyday life
• Middle class entertained with music
– Competed for largest group of musicians
– Printed music now available
– Guests and host would sing or play
after meals (consorts)
• Beginnings of patronage system
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System by which musicians could earn a living
Composers, singers, instrumentalists
Could not work independently
Employed by the church, royalty, or wealthy
family
(this will last for many, many years to come)
• Instrumental music began to grow
– Consorts – groups of instruments built in
different sizes but were really the same
instrument
– Viols and recorders
– Dance music
Galliard – lively, quick
Pavane – slow and stately
Music Summary
• Wide use of 4-part polyphony
– Polyphonic texture
Different melodies at the same time
• Increase in secular – still more sacred
• Increase in instrumental – still more vocal
– Compared to Medieval