Journey Through Medieval and Renaissance Music
Secular Music
The Chivalric Love
The birth of secular music around 800 AD stemmed from the human need to express feelings of joy, love, and sorrow in their own vernacular language.
The Troubadour Music
Troubadours were poet-musicians who sang in honor of their beloved. They performed in castles, courts, plazas, and pathways, using both the Occitan (OC) and the Oil (Oïl) languages.
Qualities of Secular Music
Secular music distinguished itself from Gregorian chant with a measured pace, humanized expression, and varied rhythms derived from poetic meter.
Cantigas de Alfonso X the Wise
This collection of 417 medieval melodies in Castilian and Galician-Portuguese, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, holds a prominent place in the history of music.
Instrumental Music of the Middle Ages
Initially banned by the Church for its association with pagan cults, instruments eventually gained acceptance. They were categorized into three main groups: strings (viola, harp, lute, rebec), winds (oboe, trumpet, horns), and percussion.
Polyphony
Polyphony, the simultaneous singing of multiple voices, marked a departure from linear, monophonic chant. Two distinct periods emerged: Ars Antiqua (until the 13th century) and Ars Nova (13th-14th centuries). The Church eventually embraced polyphonic music.
Important Polyphonic Works
Key polyphonic forms included organum (adding a second voice to a Gregorian melody) and motet (multiple voices with several melodic lines).
Renaissance Music
Renaissance music (roughly 1400-1600) was characterized by polyphony, both vocal and instrumental, and irregular measured pace. Counterpoint and imitative polyphony were prominent features.
Forms of Religious Polyphony
The motet (same text, more than three voices) and the mass (built upon a cantus firmus) were important religious forms.
Protestant Germany and the Chorale
Martin Luther’s chorales, sung in German with an AAB scheme, became a cornerstone of Protestant church music.
Golden Age of Spanish Renaissance Music
Composers like Cristóbal de Morales, Francisco Guerrero, and Tomás Luis de Victoria led the flourishing of Spanish Renaissance religious music, sung in Latin.
Secular Polyphonic Singing
The madrigal, combining music and lyrics to express human feelings, often featured four, five, or more voices. Notable composers included Luca Marenzio, Claudio Monteverdi, and Carlo Gesualdo.
Forms of Secular Song
- Romance: A popular form with four lines per stanza (ABCD).
- Carol: A three-part secular form with verse and chorus (ABA). Juan del Encina was a key composer.
- Ensalada: A polyphonic form mixing different styles, exemplified by Mateo Flecha’s work.
Instrumental Music of the Renaissance
Treatises described instruments and their independent use. New forms emerged, and instruments were grouped into families.
Forms of Instrumental Music
- Compositions derived from vocal music.
- Improvised pieces like fantasias and toccatas.
Baroque Music (1600-1750)
The Baroque era saw a shift from modal to tonal music. Instrumental music gained equal importance with vocal music. Counterpoint remained significant.
Opera
Opera, a musical theater form, emerged during the Baroque. It combined acting, singing, and orchestral accompaniment.
Types of Opera
- Opera Seria: Aristocratic and geared towards high society.
- Opera Buffa: More popular, featuring middle-class protagonists.
Zarzuela
A Spanish form of musical theater, zarzuela alternated sung and spoken scenes in Castilian.
Oratorio
A religious, narrative form without stage performance, often based on biblical stories.
Cantata
A secular or religious narrative form without staging.
Baroque Instrumental Music
Dynamic contrasts and the interplay between the full orchestra (tutti) and the concertmaster were characteristic features.
Suite
A multi-movement work featuring dances of distinct character and rhythm.
Concerto
Typically a two-movement work for orchestra and soloist.