Periods of Classical Music

1. Periods of Classical Music Classical Music is art music rooted in the traditions of Western Music. Medieval and Renaissance

2. The Medieval Period Time: Approximately 500 – 1450 A.D

3. The Medieval Period • Most of the music at this time was sacred music (church music); this music was called plainsong or chant and represented the earliest known music of the Christian church. • Plainsong is monophonic, which means that is consisted of a single vocal part. • Around 1011 AD the Roman Catholic Church wanted to standardize the Mass and chant, the resulting music is what is called Gregorian Chant. • Most composers are not known.

4. Troubadours and Minstrels • During the High Middle Ages (late Medieval period) the troubadour came into existence. A troubadour is a composer and performer of poetry who made a living as an entertainer, hired by wealthy nobles. • Most were not simply wandering entertainers, though some did travel extensively from one court to another. • A troubadour is similar to a minstrel, but minstrels generally told stories of distant places and events and did not always create their own poetry. • Most troubadours and minstrels also played instruments or sang their stories.

5. Instruments • Many of the instruments we use today existed in the Medieval Era, but in a different form. At that time the flute was made of wood instead of metal. • Early versions of the organ, fiddle, and trombone (called the sackbut) existed. • Other instruments used include: The Pan Flute, Recorder, Lute, Psaltery, Zither, Hurdy-gurdy and hammered dulcimer. Jaw Harp/Jew’s Harp. • Bowed psaltery is not a true psaltry, came into use in 1900s.

6. Instruments Zither Jaw Harp Pan Pipes Psaltery Hurdy Gurdy Lute

7. Hammered Dulcimer

8. Music Notation • Music in the early part of the Medieval period was generally passed on orally. Eventually music began to be notated, though without a staff, and this is where our modern music notation originated.

9. The Renaissance Period Approximately 1450-1600

10. Early Staff Notation

11. The Renaissance • The Renaissance time period was a period of intellectual rebirth, when the arts flourished, and ideas and intellectual pursuits were highly valued. • Music was still dominated by the church but with more sophisticated melodies and harmonies; different styles begin to emerge. • Polyphony, having more than one note (having harmony) came into common usage. • The development of printing made distribution of music possible on a wide scale, and demand for music as entertainment and as an activity for educated amateurs increased.

12. Renaissance Instruments • Brass: Slide trumpet, cornetto (like recorder but blown like brass, largest was called serpent), trumpet, sackbut (early trombone). • String: viol, lyre, Irish harp, hurdy-gurdy, harpsichord. • Percussion: jaw harp and tambourine. • Woodwind: shawm, reed pipe, bag pipe, transverse flute, recorder, panpipe.

13. Renaissance Instruments Slide Trumpet Viol Irish Harp Shawm Cornetto Serpent (largest Cornetto)

14. Notable Composers • William Byrd (c. 1540–1623) Giovanni Pierluigida Palestrina, c. 1525–1594 • Giovanni Gabrieli • (c. 1554/1557 – 1612). • Claudio Monteverdi, 1567–1643

15. Need to Know • Approximate time periods for Medieval (500-1450) and Renaissance (1450-1600) • Sacred vs. Secular – religious music vs. non-religious music • Some instruments for extra credit • What a Troubadour is • What polyphony and monophony mean (more than 1 part, one part) • What period printing began (Renaissance)