Medieval Era 600-1450

Copyright 2010

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 – Credo – Sanctus – Agnus Dei Glory to God in the highest I believe in God Holy, Holy, Holy 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)

• Realism, especially of the human form • Movement • Michelangelo • Donatello

Sculpture

Michelangelo – Pieta Sculpture

Raphael

Painting

• Realism • Depth • Perspective • Raphael • Michelangelo • da Vinci

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 Era

1600-1750

Baroque Culture

• Definitions Portuguese for “irregularly shaped” pearl • Geographical Centers England France Germany

• Science

The Times

Sir Isaac Newton Galileo Galilei Ren é 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 Phillip IV of Spain Louis XIV of France

• 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 Bernini Self-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

Wood Flute Recorder Family

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 Orfeo, 1607 Tu se’ morta Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

• 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) Messiah, 1741 Recitative: The Voice of Him Aria: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted George Frideric Handel (1685-1789)

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 Bour ée 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 Trio Sonata in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 10 (1689) First Movement Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)

• 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 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 birds Return to their enchanting song.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

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 Fugue in g minor, BWV 578 J.S. Bach

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)