Copyright 2010

Medieval Era600-1450

Timeframe and Geographical

Centers

• 600 – 1450

• France

• Italy

Cultural Background

• Feudalism

• Roman Catholic Church

• People

• Events

Feudalism

• Political and military system

• King, Lords, Clerics, Peasants

Roman Catholic Church

• Pope, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests

• Served the King

• Owned land

People

• Gregory the Great– (540 – 604)– Pope– Organized the Roman

Catholic Church including choosing a body of canonized chants

• Charlemagne– (742 – 814)– Holy Roman Emperor– Unified Western and Central

Europe

• William the Conqueror– (1028 – 1087)– King of Normandy– King of England

• Joan of Arc– (1412 – 1431)– Led the French army

during the Hundred Years War

– Martyred

Events

• Black Plague

• Hundred Years’ War

• Crusades

• Magna Carta

The Arts

• Architecture– Cathedrals

• Arches• Flying butresses

– Castles

• Frescos and Painting

• Sculpture and Illuminated Manuscripts

Literature and Writing

• Religous Writing– St. Thomas of Aquinas– Francis of Assisi

• Secular Writing– Beowulf (Old English)– Nibelungenlied (Germany)– Chanson de Roland (France)– Arthurian Cycles

Geoffrey Chaucer(1343 – 1400)

• Father of English literature

• Canterbury Tales

Alighieri Dante(1265 – 1321)

• Italian Poet

• Divine Comedy

Vocal Music

• Sacred chant– Texture: Monophonic– Rhythm: Unmetered– Harmony: Modal– Melody: Small range and mostly stepwise movements– Form: Could have utitlized a three-part form ( Holy

Trinity)– Dynamics: Blocked or Terraced– Timbre: Vocal (male)– Sung in Latin

• Purpose: to serve in liturgy during the Mass

Mass

• Ordinary Texts: sung or spoken at every Mass– Kyrie Lord Have Mercy, Christ have

Mercy, Lord Have Mercy– Gloria Glory to God in the highest– Credo I believe in God– Sanctus Holy, Holy, Holy– Agnus Dei Lamb of God

• Proper Texts– Differed according to the Christian Year

Hildegard von Bingen (1098 – 1179)

• Christian mystic

• German Benedictine Abbess

“O Successores”

Perotin (c. 1160 – 1240)

• Associated with Notre Dame in Paris

• “Alleluya”

Instrumental Music

• Associated with Dance• Improvised, not written down• Melody: Longer melodic

ranges• Rhythm: Metered rhythms• Harmony: Modal• Texture: Essentially

monophonic• Dynamics: Blocked or terraced• Timbres: string, percussion,

woodwind, brass• Anonymous, “Estampie”

Renaissance(1450 – 1600)

• Meaning: Rebirth

• Timeframe: 1450-1600

• Geographic Center: Italy

• Cultural Background

Humanism

• Dominant philosophy

• Human dignity and humane values are foremost

Age of Discovery

• Christopher Columbus

• Magellan

• Sir Francis Drake

• Sir Walter Raleigh

Heliocentric Universe

• Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543)

• Galileo Galilei

(1564 – 1642)

Printing Press

• Bore witness to humanism

• Germany, around 1440

• Johannes Gutenberg (1398 -1468)

Protestant Reformation

• Wittenberg, Germany (1517 -1648)

• Martin Luther

(1483 – 1586)

Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation

• A period of Catholic revival following the Protestant Reformation (1545 – 1648)

• Begins with the Council of Trent (1545 – 1563)

• Reforms include: church structure, religious orders and political dimensions

Visual Arts in the Renaissance

Architecture Sculpture Painting

Architecture

• Return to Greek and Roman models– Round arch– Column– Dome

• Moved away from Gothic Style of Medieval

• Filipo Brunelleschi (Cathedral of Florence)

• Donato Bramante (St. Peter’s Basilica)

Sculpture

• Realism, especially of the human form

• Movement

• Michelangelo

• DonatelloMichelangelo – Pieta Sculpture

Painting

• Realism

• Depth

• Perspective

• Raphael

• Michelangelo

• da VinciRaphael

Literature

• William Shakespeare

• 1564 – 1616

• Poet and playwright

• Plays

• Sonnets

Music in the Renaissance

Patronage System Instrumental/Vocal Genres

Musical Elements

Melody Harmony Rhythm Texture Timbre Dynamics Form

Composers

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)

Kyrie from Pope Marcellus Mass

Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623)

As Vesta Was From Latmos Hill Descending

Giovanni Gabrieli (1554/57-1612)

Ricercare

The Baroque Era1600-1750

Baroque Culture

• DefinitionsPortuguese for “irregularly-shaped” pearl

• Geographical Centers

England France Germany

The Times

• Science

Sir Isaac Newton Galileo Galilei René Descartes

William Gilbert (1544-1603)• Properties of electricity

Sir William Harvey (1578-1657)• Circulation of the blood

Robert Boyle (1627-1691)• Chemistry

• Politics – Age of Absolute Monarchs

Charles II of England

Frederick II of Prussia

Louis XIV of France

Phillip IV of Spain

• Religion– Roman Catholic– Protestant– New Religions

• Deism– Influenced by the advances in scientific knowledge– Operated on reason alone without supernatural

manifestations– Ethan Allen, Thomas Payne, Thomas Jefferson,

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, James Madison

Visual Arts

• Architecture– In the Renaissance:

simple, straight lines and detail

Bramante – St. Peter’s Cathedral Brunelleschi – Florence Cathedral

– In the Baroque: ornate, extravagant, showy

St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican

Palace of Versailles, Paris

• Painting

– Emotionally charged– Dramatic subjects– Contrast; play

between light and shadow

• Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

• Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

• Sculpture– Strong light and dark

contrasts– Dramatic tension– Subjects are never still but

moving, struggling, twisted

Gian Lorenzo BerniniSelf-Portrait Louis XIV

Age of Paradox/Contrasts

• Church ↔ State• Monarchy ↔ Bourgeoisie• Aristocracy ↔ Affluent Middle Class• Importance of Religions ↔ Rise of Secular• Scientific Research ↔ Superstition, Witchcraft• Importance of humanity ↔ Religious

Persecution

Music’s Response to Paradox/Contrast

• Vocal ↔ Instrumental

• 8 Church Modes ↔ Tonality (Major, minor)

• Sacred Music ↔ Secular Music

• Polyphonic Texture ↔ Homophonic Texture

The Composer’s Life

• Patronage System

• Church ↔ Court

Music of the Baroque

• Doctrine of Affections

• Elements of Music– Melody

• Long, instrumental in conception• Use of sequences• Monothematic• Use of ornamentation

– Harmony• Tonal• Use of Major and minor scales

– Rhythm• Metric• Motoric

– Texture• Homophony and Polyphony equal in importance (Late

Baroque)• Thorough Bass or Basso Continuo

– Form• Binary• Ternary• Fugue• Ritornello

– Dynamics• Terraced• Not written into the score

– Timbre• Vocal• Instrumental

Keyboard Instruments

Pipe Organ

Harpsichord

String Instruments

Viol Family Lute

Woodwind Instruments

Recorder Family

Wood Flute

Brass Instruments

Long Trumpet

Trombones

Percussion Instruments

Kettledrums

Vocal Genres• Opera

– Began as court entertainments in Italy– Includes a story (libretto), solo singing, choral singing, dancing,

costumes and sets– Forms: recitative, aria , chorus

Claudio Monteverdi(1567-1643)

Orfeo, 1607

Tu se’ morta

• Cantata– Short, unstaged operas (secular and sacred)– Used operatic forms (recitative, aria, chorus)– Sacred cantatas often based on a chorale

Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)

Cantata 140: Wachet Auf, 1731

Awake, A Voice is Calling Us

First Movement: Chorus and Orchestra

• Oratorio– A sacred, large-scale opera

– Always based on a biblical story

– No staging or costumes

– Larger role for the chorus

– Uses opera forms (recitative, aria, chorus)

George Frideric Handel(1685-1789)

Messiah, 1741

Recitative: The Voice of Him

Aria: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted

Instrumental Genres

• Dance Suite– Originally a series of dances played for dancing– By the Baroque, suites became independent instrumental pieces no longer

intended for dancing– Usually contained four dances– Often unified by key– Differed by tempo and international background– Used binary form

J.S. Bach

Suite No. 3 in D Major, 1729-1731

Air

Bourée

Gigue

• Sonata– Originally a “sound piece” for one instrument – Became a chamber music genre in the Baroque (from 2 to 6

players)– Four movements: fast, fast, slow, fast– Trio sonatas were popular

Arcangelo Corelli(1653-1713)

Trio Sonata in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 10 (1689)

First Movement

• Concerto Grosso– “friendly contention”

– Contrasts a larger ensemble (ripieno or tutti) with a solo group (concertino)

– Three movements: fast, slow, fast

– Often uses ritornello form

Antonio Vivaldi(1678-1741)

Spring Concerto The Four Seasons, 1725

First Movement: Allegro

Spring has come, and joyfully,The birds greet it with happy song.

And the streams, fanned by gentle breezes,Flow along with a sweet murmur.

Covering the sky with a black cloak,Thunder and lightning come to announce the season.

When these have quieted down, the little birdsReturn to their enchanting song.

Ritornello Form

• Keyboard Music– Organ and harpsichord

– Often paired a “free” piece with a contrapuntal fugue [Prelude and Fugue]

– Toccata: added elements of virtuosic “touch” keyboard technique

J.S. Bach

Fugue in g minor, BWV 578

J.S. Bach – Fugue in g minor, BWV 578

Composers

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

• George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

• Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

• Henry Purcell (1659-1695)