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TERM 3
THE MIDDLE AGES
450 – 1450
THE DARK AGES
“MEDIEVAL”
The “dark ages” – a time of migration, upheavals, and wars – began about 450 with the
disintegration of the Roman Empire. But the later Middle Ages were a period of cultural
growth: romanesque churches and monasteries and gothic cathedrals were constructed,
towns grew, and universities were founded.
During the Middle Ages a very sharp division existed among three main social classes:
nobility, peasantry, and clergy. The nobles were sheltered within fortified castles; but the
peasant lived miserably, and many were bound to the soil and subject to feudal overlords.
This was an age of faith: all segments of society felt the powerful influence of the
Roman Catholic church. Monks in monasteries held a virtual monopoly on learning;
most people, including the nobility, were illiterate. Boys were educated in music and the
most important musicians were priests and worked for the church as liturgical singers.
Women were not allowed to sing in church but did make music in convents. The church
also frowned upon instruments. Instruments were a source of controversy between
composers, who wanted to create elaborate pieces, and the church, who only wanted
music as discreet accompaniment.
A social system that developed in
Europe during the 8th Century.
What is the feudal system?
Peasants served lords in
exchange for food, protection
and shelter.
THE CHURCH MODES
The church modes were the basic
scales of western music in the
Middle Ages and were used in
secular as well as sacred music.
They consist of seven different
tones and an eighth tone that
duplicates the first an octave
higher; but their patterns of whole
and half steps are different.
GREGORIAN CHANT
For over 1,000 years, the official
music of the Roman Catholic
church has been Gregorian chant,
which consists of melody set to
sacred Latin texts and sung
without accompaniment. It is
monophonic in texture.
Gregorian chant was meant to
create the atmosphere for specific
prayers and rituals in the church
service and has a calm,
otherworldly quality that
represents the voice of the church
rather than any individual.
Fact: Gregorian chant is named
after Pope Gregory I, who reigned
from 590 – 640.
RENAISSANCE
1450 – 1600
“REBIRTH”
The 15th and 16th centuries in Europe have come to be known as the Renaissance.
People then spoke of a “rebirth,” or “renaissance,” of creativity. It was a period
of enlightenment and creativity which saw the rise of reformation led by Martin
Luther, and produced the brilliance of Michelangelo Buonarotti and Leonardo
da Vinci.
The dominant intellectual movement, called humanism, focused on human life and
accomplishments. The humanists – though devout Christians – were captivated
by the pagan cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. Humanism strongly
influenced Renaissance art: for example, sculptors and painters depicted the
nude human body, studying and admiring its beauty.
Facts: 1. Learning was no longer monopolized. 2. Printing was invented.
MARTIN LUTHER
1483 – 1546
Born in Germany, Martin Luther (1483 –
1546) became one of the most influential
figures in Christian history when he
began the Protestant Reformation in the
16th century. He called into question
some of the basic tenets of Roman
Catholicism, and his followers soon split
from the Roman Catholic Church to
begin the Protestant tradition.
MICHELANGELO BUONAROTTI
1475 – 1564
Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475 - 1564)
was an Italian sculptor, painter,
architect, poet and engineer who exerted
an unparalleled influence on the
development of Western art.
Michelangelo was considered the
greatest living artist in his lifetime, and
ever since then he has been held to be
one of the greatest artists of all time. A
number of his works in painting,
sculpture, and architecture rank among
the most famous in existence.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too
high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and
achieving our mark.”
-Michelangelo
WORKS OF MICHELANGELO
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art
depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead
body of Jesus.
St. Peter’s Basilica
Vatican City
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance
sculpture created between 1501 and
1504. It is a 17 foot marble statue of a
standing male nude. The statue
represents the Biblical hero David.
Florence, Italy
WORKS OF MICHELANGELO
SISTINE CHAPEL
VATICAN CITY
Genesis (above) is a depiction of the
narrative in the book of Genesis in which
God breathes life into Adam, the first
man.
The Last Judgment (right) is a depiction of
the second coming of Christ and His
judgment on all humanity.
LEONARDO DA VINCI
1452 – 1519
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician,
mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. His
genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal.
Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man, a man of
"unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination". He is widely considered to be
one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to
have lived.
WORKS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI
The Mona Lisa has been acclaimed as “the best
known, the most visited, the most written about,
the most sung about, the most parodied work of
art in the world”. The ambiguity of the subject’s
facial expression and the use of illusion in the
portrait’s background have been studied
tremendously. (The Louvre – Paris, France)
The Vitruvian Man depicts a male figure in two
superimposed positions with his arms and legs
apart and simultaneously inscribed in a circle and
square. Often called the Canon of Proportions, the
drawing is based on the geometric ideal of human
proportions by the ancient Roman architect,
Vitruvius. (Venice, Italy)
WORKS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI
The Last Supper painting represents the scene of the last supper of Jesus with his disciples, as
it is told in the Gospel of John, 13: 21. Leonardo has depicted the consternation that
occurred among the Twelve Disciples when Jesus announced that one of them would betray
him. The painting covers an end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria
delle’ Grazie in Milan, Italy.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
RENAISSANCE MUSIC
Words and Music
In the Renaissance, as in the Middle Ages, vocal music was more important than instrumental
music. The humanistic interest in language influenced vocal music, creating a close relationship
between words and music; Renaissance composers (much more than medieval composers) wrote
music to enhance the meaning and emotion of the text.
Renaissance composers often used word painting, a musical representation of specific poetic
images. For example, the words descending from heaven might be set to a descending melodic line, and
running might be heard with a series of rapid notes. This type of music captured the emotion and
imagery of a text.
Texture
The texture of Renaissance music is chiefly polyphonic. Homophonic texture, with successions
of chords, is also used, especially in light music, like dances. The texture may vary within a piece
to provide contrast and bring out aspects of the text. Renaissance music sounds fuller than
medieval music.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
RENAISSANCE MUSIC
Rhythm and Melody
In Renaissance music, rhythm is more a gentle flow than a sharply defined beat. Each
melodic line has great rhythmic independence: when one singer is at the beginning of
his or her melodic phrase, the others may already be in the middle of theirs. This
technique makes singing Renaissance music both a pleasure and a challenge, for each
singer must maintain an individual rhythm. But pitch patterns in Renaissance melodies
are easy to sing. The melody usually moves along a scale with few large leaps.
Sacred Music in the Renaissance
The two main forms of sacred Renaissance music are both polyphonic choral works.
The motet is set to a sacred Latin text other than the ordinary of the mass; the mass is
made up of five sections – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. The motet
and the mass are alike in style, but the mass is longer.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
RENAISSANCE MUSIC
Secular Music
During the Renaissance, secular vocal music became increasingly popular. An
important form of vocal music was the madrigal, a piece for several solo voices set to a
short poem, usually about love. Like a motet, it has homophonic and polyphonic
textures, but it more often uses word painting and unusual harmonies.
Instrumental Music
Though still subordinate to vocal music, instrumental music did become more
important during the Renaissance. Traditionally, instruments accompanied voices or
played music intended for singing. During the sixteenth century instrumental music
became increasingly emancipated from vocal models: more music was written
specifically for instruments, composers began to exploit instruments’ particular
capacities when writing instrumental solos, and purely instrumental forms were
developed.