Ledger Lines, Polyphony, and Medieval Music
Ledger Lines
A ledger line, or leger line, is used in Western musical notation to notate pitches above or below the lines and spaces of the regular musical staff. A line slightly longer than the note head is drawn parallel to the staff, above or below, spaced at the same distance as the lines within the staff.
Origins of Polyphony
In the ninth century, music theorists in the Church experimented with the idea of singing two melodic lines simultaneously at parallel intervals, usually at the fourth, fifth, or octave. This kind of music was called organum and very slowly developed over the next hundred years into new forms. The original chant melody was then sung very slowly on long notes called cantus firmus, and the resulting music was named melismatic organum. By the eleventh century, these added melodic lines began to move towards the opposite direction to the original line. This was called discantus. These polyphonic forms evolved towards more complicated forms in the following centuries.
- The first period of polyphony is known as Ars Antiqua (11th-14th centuries), which means ‘old art’. The places where this style was composed were cathedrals, the most important being Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and the main composers were Léonin and Pérotin.
- The second period of the polyphonic medieval era is known as Ars Nova (14th-15th centuries), which means ‘new art’. The main composer of this style was Guillaume de Machaut.
Religious Music: Gregorian Chant and Polyphony
The first type of religious music was Gregorian Chant, which consisted of a single melodic line. The name Gregorian Chant is used because Pope Gregory I was the person who compiled the existing melodies. Instruments were forbidden inside the Church. In the beginning, Gregorian Chant was written with neumes, small signs over the text to remind singers of the direction of the melody.
The first form of polyphony is called organum and consisted of two parallel melodic lines at a certain distance. Ars Antiqua, which means old art, is the first period of medieval polyphonic music. Léonin and Pérotin were the most famous composers in the Ars Antiqua. The second period of polyphonic music is called Ars Nova, and the main composer was Guillaume de Machaut.
Secular Music in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, music was not only used for religious purposes, but it was also used for entertainment. This kind of music, the non-religious music, is also known as secular music. Secular music was performed by two kinds of musicians: troubadours and jongleurs.
Troubadours
Troubadours were noblemen, even kings, who composed and sang their own songs, usually about (courtly) love. They accompanied the song playing an instrument. The songs’ texts were in their own language. They sang for wealthy people from court to court, and they were very popular. These musicians received different names depending on their countries, but the word troubadour is used as the generic one (Troubadours are the most famous and were from the south of France; in the north of France there were Trovères; in Germany, there were Minnesingers; there were also female composers, known as Trobairitz). Some famous troubadours were William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, the English king Richard the Lionheart, and the Spanish king Alfonso X the Wise.
Jongleurs
Jongleurs were musicians from a lower social class. They went from village to village, or from castle to castle, playing, singing, and performing tricks, earning some money for entertaining the nobility. They did not compose the songs they sang, nor write the lyrics of these songs.