History of Western Music
Most of the early music that we have today still in print is primarily sacred music. This music, for the most part, is in the form of sections of the Mass, such as the Gloria, Kyrie and Agnus Dei. Most people of the Middle Ages were poor peasants who worked all day for meager wages and had no idle time lounging the way the upper classes did. Therefore, there are few extant secular compositions of music from this era. The rise of a new middle class, however, gave financial freedom for some people to spend time and money on entertainment in the form of music and dance. Thus, the rise of the middle classes also gave way to the rise in composition and performance of secular music, which became the music of choice for composers of that day. Many of the songs we have today of the Middle Ages were in Latin, and are by anonymous composers. Many were written by wandering people, many of them men and churchmen without permanent residences of their own. Men who could not obtain a position in the Church and had to drop out were called goliards. These goliards wandered around the land, composing and performing for people. Their music was mostly comprised of the "'eat, drink, and be merry' type, appropriate to the wanton ki
Daum, Gary. http://www.gprep.pvt.k12.md.us/~music/musikbok/chap11.html In France there were also other wondering musicians and entertainers known as troubadours and trouveres. Many of these musicians were of the upper aristocratic classes (Annenburg). These musicians, unlike most of the minstrels, often composed their own music and performed it as well, writing and singing in the vernacular which became the modern day French language. The troubadours and trouveres also wrote their own poetry, which later became used in written and oral songs (Daum). Although many of the French songbooks contain some compositions, there are more records of the poetry. Most of the songs in the book are in one of three musical forms: ballades, rondeaus and virelais. Many of these songs were strophic and had refrains or choruses, (Stolba, 102). Stolba, K Marie. The Development of Western Music A History. McGraw Hill: Boston 1994. By the fourteenth century, production of secular music far outweighed that of sacred. The time period became known as the Ars Nova or New Art, in response to a treatise written by the famous composer of the time, Philippe de Vitry. For much of his lifetime, de Vitry worked in service to the French court. Later in 1351 he became Bishop of Meaux which he maintained until he died. In his writings, de Vitry codified the new rhythms and notation which were being developed. He also used red notes to determine pitch notes and alterations known as colorations. Together with new rhythms and these colorations, composers began to write music which had never been seen before. Composers before this had followed strict rules. De Vitry now utilized the old rules and combined them with new ideas to create genuine Ars Nova (Stolba, 116). Another great contributor to secular music of this time was Guillaume de Machaut. Machaut was also employed most of his life by the court. At this time, the primary form of music was the motet, often in multiple parts. The upper voices were named
Some common words found in the essay are:
Daum French, Carmina Burana, France Basques, Mass Ordinary, Machaut Machaut, Middle Ages, Ages Latin, Bishop Meaux, Black Death, Nova Art, secular music, de vitry, music music, modern day, troubadours trouveres, rise middle, middle ages, form music, ars nova, stolba 99,
Approximate Word count = 1364
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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