500-1100

1. Early Medieval Music and Art Romanesque Period 500-1100

2. Influences • Rise of Christianity • Church was sole patron of the arts • Medieval Christianity emphasized salvation while life was full of suffering • Poverty and labor were virtues—reduced temptation for pleasurable pursuits • Monasteries were centers of scholarly activity • Greek culture was condemned because it was pagan; works of Plato and Aristotle were banned • Feudalism • Provided protection and economic stability for lower classes • Enabled nobility to exploit lower class for economic and military purposes • Feudal lords were often bishops or archbishops • Nobles provided wealth while monks directed construction and decoration of churches • Church and feudalism together were a fortress of economic and political power based on agrarian and spiritual control • Church became the supreme power in Medieval Europe

3. Medieval Castle

4. Romanesque Architecture

5. Characteristics of Romanesque Architecture • Stone arches • Adapted from Romans • Solid and strong; capable of bearing tremendous weight • Dark vast spaces • Massive walls • Little light • Not concerned with proportion or balance • Arches often in threes to reflect trinity • Lack of precision • Functional • Intended for large group meetings • Quiet, dark spaces to contemplate God

6. Cloisters Cloisters

7. Structure of Churches Nave-Large central area Aisle-Space on either side of nave Crossing-Area where Transept meets Nave Choir-Area for choir to sit Transept-Perpendicular to Nave, separates congregation from altar Chancel-Area for altar and rituals Apse-semicircular part of church, often capped with a dome Ambulatory-Passageway around Apse Radiating Chapel-Areas where relics were stored

8. Manuscripts • Covers Gilded (decorated with gold) • Books were either in rotulus (scroll) or codex (stacked and bound pages) • Parchment was thick and vellum was softer and thinner; both made of calf skin • Until the invention of the printing press, all books were called manuscripts

10. Illuminations From Pope Gregory’s “Moralia on Job” (France) “Christ in Majesty” from Stavelot Bible (Belgium) Winchester Bible (England) Manuscript illustrations featured biblical figures, used saturated colors

11. Early Medieval Sacred Music • Plainchant • Single, simple melodic line • Sacred text • Notation used neumes • Hildegard Von Bingen • Antiphons (poetic text set to chant) • OrdoVirtutum • Allegorical morality play • Portrays struggle for the human soul (Anima) between the Devil and the Virtues • Virtues include Humility, Chastity, Hope, Innocence, Modesty, Mercy, Patience, Obedience, Faith, Knowledge of God, Fear of God • Gregorian Chant • Single melodic line, more complex than plainchant • Sacred text • Pope Gregory often credited with the development of Gregorian chant, but this is debated by scholars • Used church modes • Improvisation was common • Performed by monks and nuns

12. Parts of the Mass • Introit* • Kyrie^ • Gloria^ • Gradual* • Alleluia* • Offertory* • Sanctus^ • Agnus Dei^ • Commuion* • Ite, missaest^ • ^Ordinary—sections of the mass that were always present • *Proper—sections of the mass that were sometimes present, depending on the church clalendar

13. Guido of Arezzo • Benedictine Monk from Arezzo, Italy • Music theorist, credited with inventing modern musical notation • Devised the Guidonian Hand to assist with the teaching of music reading • Developed system of solmization (use of syllables as mnemonic device) to teach singing

14. Guidonian Hand Developed in the 11th century, the Guidonian Hand is a mnemonic system in which musical “steps” are arranged in a spiral across twenty joints on the left hand. Like the alphabet, it was a basis for understanding relationships between different characters – in this case, musical notes (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, and la). It’s not certain whether medieval singers used the Hand during performance, but we can be sure their musical thinking was informed by it.

15. Late Medieval Art and MusicGothic Period

16. Influences • Year 1000 passed without the end of the world; people began worrying less about salvation and pursued a more pleasurable life • Scholasticism • Product of Medieval universities • Argued that while religious dogma was infallible, it could be explained and clarified by logic and reason • Curriculum included quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music under the heading “Mathematics”) and trivium(rhetoric, grammar, and logic) • Weakening of Church • Corruption was well-known • High positions were obtained by trade and barter • Popes were ex-communicating each other • Crusades • Cultural influences from the East spread around Europe • Crusaders returned more intellectually and economically independent • Development of towns and systems of roads

17. Gothic Cathedrals • Built as expressions of faith, as well as magnificent structures to compete with neighboring towns • Located in public squares surrounded by the homes of its builders, paid for by public subscription • Functioned as church, art gallery, concert hall, theatre, library, and school

18. Symbolism • St. Matthew (man), St. Mark (lion), St. Luke (ox), St. John (eagle) • Numerical references: 1=God, 2=dual nature of Christ, 3=Holy Trinity, 4=Gospels, 5=wounds of Christ, 6=days of creation, 7=deadly sins • Light symbolized Jesus as the “light of the world”

19. Architecture • Pointed arch • Flying buttresses—half arches that transferred outward thrust to piers outside the walls • More light than Romanesque architecture • Attention to vertical space • Stained glass—often in the form of rose windows • Gargoyles—diverted water and symbolized protection

20. Rose Windows

21. Flying Buttress

22. Cathedral of St. John the Divine

23. West Entrance Detail

24. Gargoyle

25. Giotto • Most well-known painter of the period • Famous for his fresco, Life of Christ • Fresco is a technique of painting on wet plaster

26. Organum • Characteristics • A plainchant melody with at least one added voice • Organumduplum—2 voices, Organumtriplum—3 voices, Organumquadruplum—4 voices • Added voices may include a supporting bass line or may follow the melody in parallel motion • Originally, the second voice was improvised; later composers began writing down more complex parts, creating polyphony • Leonin(1150-1201) • First known composer of organum • French • Works preserved in Magnus Liber—book of organum • Perotin(1200-?) • Also French, known for organum • Works preserved in Magnus Liber • Known for taking a well-known melody and stretching it out so that it becomes a drone, over which more rhythmically complex parts are woven

27. Secular Music • Troubadors/Trouveres • Composers/performers of lyric poetry • Themes of chivalry and courtly love • Many humorous or vulgar satires • Bernart de Ventadorn • Beatriz de Diahttp://youtu.be/4NACeUqS2D4 • Wizlau von Rugen • Musical Plays • Adam de la Halle—Jeu de Robin et de Marion • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCIx07t14jw

28. Rhythmic Modes • Based on poetic rhythmic patterns • Long-short (trochee) • Short-long (iamb) • Long-short-short (dactyl) • Short-short-long (anapaest) • Long-long (spondee) • Short-short-short (tribrach or choree)

29. Clausula • A clausula is a self-contained bit of organum ending with a cadence. • It contained a polyphonic section for two or more voices sung in discant style (note against note) over a “cantus firmus” (chant melody) • Composers composed many "substitute" clausulae that were designed to fit within the organum as a subsitute for the original.

30. Motet • Eventually words were added to the clausulae and the first motets were born • Rhythm strayed from earlier rhythmic modes and instead was driven by the text • Sacred and secular motets were written • Some motets incorporated more than one language • Phillipe de Vitry and GulliameMachaut were two significant composers of Medieval motets

31. Instruments • Lute • Pipe and Tabor • Sacbut • Bladder Pipe • Organetto • Rebec • Hurdy-Gurdy