A Musical Introduction to the (600 – 1450)

Summary:

o Introduction to the Middle Ages o Ars Antiqua and periods o Early musical performers and composers o Musical characteristics of the Middle Ages o Modes o Popular musical genres – vocal (Mass, and , , ) - instrumental (background, instruments, genres)

I. Introduction

The period of music history known as the “Middle Ages” spans almost a thousand years. Music historians generally divide this time into four periods: early Christian, Romanesque, Gothic, and Ars Nova. Musically, the two most important periods were the Ars Antiqua period (ca.1250-1320) and the Ars Nova period (ca. 1320-1400).

The term “Middle Ages” came from writers in the 16th century who classified this time span between ancient times and the Renaissance. The term “Medieval” also applies to the Middle Ages, meaning of or from the Middle Ages.

DID YOU KNOW? The word “circa” (often abbreviated to “ca.”) means “approximate” and is used in instances where the exact date is not known.

Throughout the Medieval period, the monastery was the most important centre for scholarship and learning. The monks were by far the best educated members of society; indeed, they were often the only educated members of society. The addition of extra music during church services meant that music developed within a religious context during Medieval times. The most important musical development was the use of during Mass.

MUSICAL MONKS - Monks were expected to sing, pray, and read the scripture eight times during the day. These times were known as the “Hours of the Divine Office”.

Pope Gregory I, or Gregory the Great, (ca. 540-604) was Pope of the Roman Catholic church from 590 until his death. is important to music history because he preserved chants from the church (though he did not write any himself). He codified and catalogued many chants, which lead historians to give this style of music his name -

______© Longbow Publishing Ltd. 2004 Middle Ages introduction Page 1 of 14 the . But in recent studies, music historians have found that there are many different styles of chant throughout the world and Pope Gregory only catalogued one of those styles. Today this genre of music has been renamed plainchant, or plainsong.

MUSICAL FACT: When the composer of a work is not known, which was common in , the abbreviation “anon.” is used, meaning “anonymous”.

When secular (non-religious) music eventually developed, musicians and poets idealized the image of the knight who went on a quest to fulfilment a vow, either for religion or love. The two topics - religion and love - were the most popular in secular music. The “Age of Chivalry” was a period in the Middle Ages in which the ideal of the heroic character was developed. A chivalrous man was expected to possess and embody invincible strength and valour, justice, modesty, loyalty to superiors, courtesy to equals, compassion to weakness, and devotedness to the Church. The word “chivalry” is derived from the French cheval, or horse.

¾ For background on the Middle Ages, go to: www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/endmiddle/music.html

II. Ars Nova (ca. 1320-1400) emerging from Ars antiqua

Ars antiqua (pronounced “Arz An-TEE-kwah”), meaning “ancient art”, was a term developed in the 14th century to describe French sacred polyphonic musical style of the 13th century (ca. 1160 - 1320). The term therefore refers to the style of music closely associated with Paris and the Notre Dame Cathedral school. [For more detail, see the section “Léonin, Pérotin and the Notre Dame Period”]

The composers of the Ars nova differentiated themselves from their predecessors. Ars Nova means “new art” and refers to musical changes in the 14th century. Two treatises appearing in France around 1320 provided a name for this age in music; ’s Ars Nova, and Ars novae musicae (“The Art of New Music”) by Jean de Muris. Ars Nova was indeed a new art with the creation of polyphonic music. This music abandoned the contrapuntal texture of a slow moving countertenor line, around which other vocal parts had moved in faster note values. Instead, composers in the new style sought a sound that was more complex and therefore richer than that of earlier works which had been borrowed from plainchant or folk tunes. Composers achieved this richness through the use of a musical texture that included four or more independent voices. The voices were relatively equal in melodic importance, with the lowest voice acting as a harmonic support to those above it. The music of the period also moved away from its foundation in the worship service and was used for many more secular occasions than in the past. ______© Longbow Publishing Ltd. 2004 Middle Ages introduction Page 2 of 14