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Transcript
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.