Gregorian chant

Question 3 Essay Response Music was originally crafted for religious and sacred use. These pieces were performed in churches, and used to enhance church services. The main type of music performed during the Middle Ages was the Gregorian chant. This music was written with sacred Latin text, and sung without instrumental accompaniment. There was no set beat for these songs, and they contained a free-flowing rhythm. This means that composers of that time worked for the churches, composing music for…

When I was first presented this task I questioned my ability to describe, and fully understand music. I have had a love for music since I was born, and have been playing it consistently since the age of five. I played alto/soprano saxophone in band for over eight years, and was drum major my senior year of high school. Not once in any of my experiences of living through music have I ever questioned my understanding of it, until that is, I was asked to describe and analyze pieces in the form of a…

windows that filled the Gothic cathedrals with color and light, a less than subtle nod to the French crown. However, the stain glass wasn’t the only beautiful thing to fill the soaring halls of the chapel. Music evolved from the single tone of the Gregorian chant to the choir of voices singing intertwining melodies. Raising up into the heavens, filled shimming light and enchanting voices, the Gothic cathedral was Heaven on Earth. The distant between the common man and God was diminished by the…

Lingua. In Kyrie, C-D-F-E accompanies “Christe eleison” as it is repeated as a fugue in each of the four voices. In Mozart’s time, this theme is probably best known as the beginning of the hymn Lucis creator. The theme can date back as early as a Gregorian chant melody that can be found in Liber Usualis. Mozart clearly had this in mind when he composed this movement as the theme is in whole notes, giving it a very solemn and sacred quality. The slow rhythm also makes the motive maneuverable and…

Musical Development through the Ages Music has been utilized for much longer than many have thought. Research has found musical instruments dating all the way back to the Paleolithic era (ca. 50.000 to 10.000 BC). Although anything performed at this time was lost to time. Upon the creation of writing methods were devised for the recording of musical pieces. The Greek civilization invented all of the major instruments families, including strings, flutes, reeds, brass, and drums.(1) Greeks…

theatre were kept alive due to the support given by the church. Time periods such as the middle ages, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, and present all influenced the way music was composed and prepared. Different styles such as the Gregorian chant, carols, hymns, and the mass were all used to give worshippers an acceptable way to worship dependent upon the time period. Throughout time, visual arts used specific visual elements that were approved of such as color and brightness.…

This power included the ability to collect taxes, exert political influences, as well as greatly influence music. The medieval church had specific rules about the music performed. Plainchants, also known as the Gregorian Chants was the main form of singing. It was monophonic, with no harmonies or instruments, sung in unison by the monks of the church. Slowly, church music started adding a simple harmony, usually another line sung in a different pitch or a low drone…

fugue, representing the Witches’ Round Dance, which was often used in the Baroque era. Berlioz seems to incorporate triples often in this piece, perhaps since they sound the most chaotic and unnerving. Interestingly, Berlioz includes Dies Irae Gregorian chant to set another layer of creepiness. There is an extreme build up to the Witches’ Round Dance, where Dies Irae continues to be played…

was different because there was no centralized government. The Roman Catholic Church had financial gains. The monarchy, kingdoms, and the Roman Catholic Church had power. The main form of music during the Middle Ages was the Gregorian chant named after Pope Gregory. The chant is sung in a monophonic texture that only has one line of music. Sacred music is written for the church and secular music is non-church music. In 742-814, Charlemagne was an emperor. In addition, the music text was all in…

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…” (Newton) What comes to mind when you read these words? One may recall a specific Sunday morning singing this song in church, while others may have memories of their grandparents humming the tune while grocery shopping. Hymns such as Amazing Grace are sung daily by millions of people across the world. These special songs have the power to bring people together, no matter their differences. In the Christian faith, hymns enhance…