Podcast
Questions and Answers
Who was the first woman composer from whom musical works have survived?
Who was the first woman composer from whom musical works have survived?
What did monks in monasteries begin experimenting with adding to chants between 700 and 900?
What did monks in monasteries begin experimenting with adding to chants between 700 and 900?
Who was the Italian composer who was also an ordained Priest?
Who was the Italian composer who was also an ordained Priest?
Which composer's catalog is one of the largest surviving collections from the middle ages?
Which composer's catalog is one of the largest surviving collections from the middle ages?
Signup and view all the answers
What device do composers use to reflect the text of a piece using musical elements?
What device do composers use to reflect the text of a piece using musical elements?
Signup and view all the answers
What helped create a stronger sense of tonality in Renaissance music than had previously existed?
What helped create a stronger sense of tonality in Renaissance music than had previously existed?
Signup and view all the answers
Which composer, known for his concertos, was not famous outside of Germany during his lifetime?
Which composer, known for his concertos, was not famous outside of Germany during his lifetime?
Signup and view all the answers
Who is considered the greatest English composer from the 16th to the 19th centuries?
Who is considered the greatest English composer from the 16th to the 19th centuries?
Signup and view all the answers
Which composer is known for writing the first great opera, Orfeo?
Which composer is known for writing the first great opera, Orfeo?
Signup and view all the answers
Which composer wrote music at an extraordinary rate and was a master of counterpoint and fugues?
Which composer wrote music at an extraordinary rate and was a master of counterpoint and fugues?
Signup and view all the answers
Which composer's most famous works are his oratorios, with The Messiah being the most renowned?
Which composer's most famous works are his oratorios, with The Messiah being the most renowned?
Signup and view all the answers
Which composer was a choirboy in the royal chapel and began working for the British court at 18?
Which composer was a choirboy in the royal chapel and began working for the British court at 18?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Medieval Music
- Gregorian chant was the official music of the Roman Catholic Church
- Chant schools were established to teach boys to read and perform chants for worship
Early Composers
- Hildegard of Bingen was the first woman composer whose musical works have survived
- Troubadours were a source of information and often sang their own compositions
Musical Development
- Between 700 and 900, monks began experimenting with adding harmony to chants
- Most rhythms of the late Middle Ages were divided by three, representing the Holy Trinity
- The first written harmony moved in parallel motion at the interval of a fourth or fifth
Renaissance Music
- The invention of the printing press enabled mass production of music and books
- Word painting became a widely used device in Renaissance music, reflecting the text of a piece using musical elements
- The use of harmony and counterpoint created a stronger sense of tonality in Renaissance music
Famous Composers
- Guillaume de Machaut was a French composer who wrote both secular and sacred music
- Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian composer and ordained priest, famous for his concertos, including The Four Seasons
- Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer who wrote music at an extraordinary rate, master of counterpoint, and wrote many fugues
- Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian composer from the early Baroque period, famous for writing the first great opera, Orfeo
- George Frideric Handel was a master of Italian opera and English oratorio, famous for his oratorios, including The Messiah
- Henry Purcell was considered the greatest English composer from the 16th to the 19th centuries, famous for his operas and oratorios
Musical Terms
- Oratorio: a large-scale composition for chorus, vocal soloists, and orchestra with no acting, scenery, or costumes
- Concerto: a composition for instrumental soloist/s and orchestra, usually in three movements
- Castrato: a male singer who had been castrated before puberty to keep his voice from dropping to a lower range
- Hymn: a single piece of vocal music used for congregational singing in religious services that is easy to sing and remember
- Piano: a keyboard instrument invented at the end of the Baroque era, whose original name meant "soft-loud" in Italian
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Test your knowledge of medieval music history with questions about plainchant, boys' schools training in chanting, notable female composers, and troubadours. Explore the musical developments between 700 and 900 in monasteries.
