Sacred Music in the Middle Ages PDF - Hildegard of Bingen, Gregorian Chant

# MUS 153: Music Appreciation ## Sacred Music in the Middle Ages Dr. Lisa Clark ## Style and Function of Music in Society ### Musical Styles in History - Historical periods: distinct stylistic characteristics - style of a period: total language of all its artists - political, economic, religious...

# MUS 153: Music Appreciation ## Sacred Music in the Middle Ages Dr. Lisa Clark ## Style and Function of Music in Society ### Musical Styles in History - Historical periods: distinct stylistic characteristics - style of a period: total language of all its artists - political, economic, religious, and philosophical forces ### Generally accepted style periods: - Middle Ages (476-1450) - Renaissance (1450-1600) - Baroque (1600-1750) - Classical (1750-1825) - Romantic (1820-1900) - Post-Romantic and Impressionist (1890-1915) - Twentieth century and beyond ## Voice and Worship: Tradition and Individuality in Medieval Chant ### Plainchant: Music of the Church - Pope Gregory the Great (r. 590–604) - codified church music; liturgy - a. liturgy: set order of church services - b. music at core of Christian prayer - more than 3,000 Gregorian melodies - a. composed anonymously - b. belief in divine composition - c. Greek, Hebrew and Syrian influences ### Plainchant, Gregorian chant - single-line melody: monophonic texture - follows inflections of Latin text; free-flowing, non-metric - avoids wide leaps; gentle contours - text settings: syllabic, neumatic, melismatic - early chant: oral tradition - early notation: neumes suggest melodic contour - modal: modes predecessors of major and minor scales ## Life and Music in the Medieval Monastery - Monasteries, other religious communities - religious seclusion, available to men and women - devoted to prayer, scholarship, preaching, charity, healing the sick - arduous discipline - daily Offices, singing of psalms - preserved, transmitted ancient learnings The image shows a page with the title "**Plainchant Notation**", presenting a sample of musical notation with Latin text in black ink on a white background. The excerpt begins with "Intr. V" and continues with musical symbols accompanied by the text "I-ri Ga-li-laei...". ## A Song for Worship by Hildegard ### Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) - renowned poet and prophet - daughter of a noble German couple - founded monastery in Rupertsberg, Germany - famous throughout Europe; advice sought after sainthood 2012, canonized by Pope Benedict XVI - highly original musical style: - i. resembles Gregorian chant - ii. expressive leaps - iii. melismas: convey meaning of the words - iv. poetry: brilliant imagery, creative language - Alleluia, $O$ virga mediatrix (Alleluia $O$ mediating branch, Late 12th century) - prayer to the Virgin Mary, specific occasion: feast day - text by Hildegard: not "Gregorian" - three-part structure - a capella choir and soloist - verse: solo voice-expressive leaps, melisma (“death”) - responsorial: group repetition of leader's text-music phrase The image is of a page titled "**Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) Alleluia, $O$ Virga Mediatrix**". It includes an image of the person and the lyrics: Alleluia! $O$ branch and mediatrix, your sacred flesh has conquered death, your womb all creatures illumened in beauty's bloom from that exquisite purity of your enclosed modesty spring forth! ## MUS 153: Music Appreciation ### Organum (ca. 900) - Organum is the earliest form of polyphonic chant - additional melodies added to chants - early organum was note-against-note, improvised - BBC Howard Goodall-Early Organum - c.1100 the melodic line grew more independent - stronger rhythmic pulses emerged - oldest examples of organa found in the **Musica Enchiriadis** The image is of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. ## Layering Lines: Polyphony at Notre Dame - Early Polyphony - Single most important feature in development of Western music - Organum - Notre Dame composers at forefront - Léonin (fl. 1150–c. 1201) - i. first composer of polyphonic music whose name we know - ii. compiled Great **Book of Organum** (Magnus liber organi) - Pérotin (fl. c. 1200) - i. Léonin's successor - ii. expanded organum to 3 and 4 voices - polyphonic music increasingly sought after - required specialized singers - enhanced important feast days - became mark of distinction - Ex. Perotin, **Viderunt Omnes**, organum - Ex. **Gaude Maria virgo**