Medieval music

The Medieval and Renaissance periods present two distinct cultures and worldviews in the human development. Unlike the Middle-Ages, several Renaissance scientists desired to learn about the earth apart from the idea of a Divine Creator, and philosophers brought in humanistic thinking. Innovations during this period like the gunpowder, telescope, microscope and the print press changed dramatically the people 's lifestyles and views of the world around them. Religion also varied greatly between these two eras. Reformation brought about turmoil during the Renaissance as opposed to the monastic life of the medieval period. One of the less obvious of these changes was that of music. In comparing Medieval and Renaissance times we can see a definite contrast in the style and content of what the music emphasized.…

The Advancement in Music What is sound? Sound as we all know is moving air. Essentially, as the eccentric human beings we are commencing the creation of music. Music is the rational organization of time, the more the vibration the higher the pitch, the less vibration the lower the pitch. More importantly, just like any other human aspiration the production of music, has evolved over time. Considering the five foremost musical eras within the time frame of about 1500 years have developed and…

anything like it is today without its past. From the medieval time period, we have received musical elements such as word painting and melismas. This was the start of melodic growth for the world. From the Renaissance time period, we have received musical elements such as harmony, improvisation, and Humanim. Without the characteristics of the Medieval time period, the Renaissance time period would not have been what it had grown to be. Each time period takes from one before and expands to a…

once said this, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Throughout history, music has widely developed and has brought its listeners to experience despair, awe, rage, or pure joy by the joining together of single notes to create complex masterpieces. Hundreds even thousands of instruments exist, each part of a family according to their sound or the way in which their sound…

Music can be traced all the way back to 500 B.C. when Pythagoras experimented with sounds and discovered tones can be formed from plucking strings. During the Middle Ages is when music began to be considered a gift from God. A common way to praise and worship our God was through music; this is how sacred music came about. Soon later, sacred music eventually was overcome by secular music, which is more along the lines of crusades, dancing, and love songs and less of the more religious and…

No matter the steps taken towards gender equality, issues always tend to reveal that true equality has not been acquired. In the early musical eras, such as the Medieval and Renaissance, societal equality among the genders is not the primary obstacle women face in music. Rather, the gender roles society expects women to fill, and women often strive to fill, restrict the advancement of women. In the case of the modern purity certificate, one of the biggest arguments is that the whole ordeal…

The features of music in the Middle Age were very different from the music that society listens to in today’s time. The main form of music in the Middle Ages was the Gregorian chant. This style of music was often listened to in churches during that era. The Gregorian chant was composed of Latin language and performed without instruments. The chants came in various genres all depending on their religious purpose. Some of them consisted of monotone with a slight change in pitch, while others…

Absalon fili mi is a Renaissance motet presumably composed by Josquin des Prez. It is a composition for four voices inspired on David’s lament over the death of his son Absalom. This motet contains religious subject because the poem is taken from the old testament of the Bible; however, it is not part of the liturgy. Departing from the tradition of the Medieval times, motets of the renaissance abandoned the use of the cantus firmus as a base of composition. Instead, all voices are…

The Man, The Myth, The Legend: Guillaume de Machaut There are many unknown things can be about Guillaume de Machaut, but one thing for sure he embodied the 14th century artistically. Guillaume de Machaut was born around 1300 somewhere near Réthel in the Champagne of France. The ordinary mass has come a long way since it was created. Guillaume de Machaut created the first polyphonic cycle by a single composer, Messe de Nostre Dame was revolutionary not only because it was the first polyphonic…

During the Medieval period learning how to sing chants, although still not entirely correct, was such a time consuming and arduous process until the medieval music scholar and teacher Guido introduced new methods. Guido’s teaching of solmization and Guidonian hand had a major impact on the way music was practiced and learned, to the point where it contributed significantly to the notation system and methods we use today. Therefore, I will discuss, in detail, the approaches that Guido came up…