Medieval Period – Cheat Sheet
Medieval Period 450 - 1450
Music of the Medieval Period was categorized into sacred and secular music.
 Sacred music was music that was used by the Roman Catholic Church
 Secular music was music that had no relation to the Church.
Sacred Music
Gregorian Chant
Sacred music evolved from a form called the Gregorian chant. Gregorian chants were named after Pope Gregory I
and they are the official pieces of the Catholic Church.
Characteristics of Gregorian chants
 Melody - The melody of a Gregorian chant is very free-flowing. The chant moves up and down by steps
and small leaps within a narrow range. Melodies are often melismatic- syllables are held out over multiple
notes.
 Harmony - Gregorian chants are monophonic in texture, so have no harmony.
 Rhythm - There is no precise rhythm for a Gregorian chant. Notes may be held for a duration of “short” or
“long,” but no complex rhythms are used.
 Form - Some Gregorian chants tend to be in ternary (ABA) form. A cantor begins the piece with an
introductory solo, called an incipit. The choir then sings the piece and at the end the cantor concludes with
his solo, which was often in a reduced dynamic level and featured a narrower range of pitches.
 Texture - Gregorian chants are one of the few pieces of music that are entirely monophonic. There is only
one melodic line in a Gregorian chant.
 Medium - Gregorian chants are traditionally sung by all-male choirs. Some Gregorian chants, however,
were written for women choirs.
 Context - Gregorian chants were used by the Church to aid prayers. Monks (and occasionally nuns in
convents) would sing them.
Significant Composers
Hildegard of Bingen - The first woman composer with a significant output of works.
Most other composers are unknown since works were given to the Church.
Organum
The Gregorian chant began to evolve around 700. From 700 - 900, composers would write a line in parallel motion
to the chant at a fixed interval of a fifth or a fourth above the original line.
A Gregorian chant to which additional lines were added is called organum. The original Gregorian chant on which
the upper lines are based is called the cantus firmus.
Significant Composers
Two composers, Leonin and Perotin, were instrumental to the development of organum. Leonin was the director of
music at the Notre Dame Cathedral and Perotin, his pupil, succeeded him. These two composers and their students
are thus appropriately referred to as the School of Notre Dame.
 Leonin- He is the first known composer to use measured rhythm in his compositions.
 Perotin- He is the first known composer to write three simultaneous, distinct lines.
Sacred music was primarily vocal. This was mostly due to the connection of instruments to pagan rituals.
Nevertheless, instruments did become more important over the span of the Medieval Period. The most important
instrument of sacred music in the Medieval Period is the organ.
Early Medieval Motet
Toward the end of the 13th century, musicians began writing new texts for the upper voices of organum – resulting
in the Motet
The motet is a polytextual (more than one text) vocal composition, either sacred and/or secular, which sometimes
had instrumental accompaniment.
Secular Music
Secular music had a more clearly defined beat
Its texture was closer to homophony. (It was not true homophony since chords were only implied).
Primarily vocal, though it didn’t regard instruments with as much suspicion as the Church.
Troubadours & Troubavères
Much secular music during the Medieval Period was written by troubadours and troubavères. These were French
nobles and they often wrote music to gain prestige.
Jongleurs
Jongleurs also composed and performed secular music. Jongleurs were wandering minstrels that would entertain
towns with music, juggling, and drama. They had no civil rights but were important parts of society since they
spread news from town to town. One form of music they played is the estampie. An estampie is a fast dance in triple
meter.
Ars Nova
Around 1350, a new style of music called Ars Nova (New Art) emerged. Ars Nova includes both sacred and secular
music, though secular music gained importance during this period.
Important characteristics of Ars Nova are:
 Development of polyphony
 Use of duple meter
 Syncopation
Sacred Music
Ars Nova saw the appearance of a grand form for sacred music- the mass ordinary. The mass ordinary consists of
five prayers set to music as five different movements. The prayers are:
 Kyrie
 Gloria
 Credo
 Sanctos
 Agnus Dei
Secular Music
Because of diminishing influence of the Church, secular music became more prominent in the Ars Nova Period.
Instruments were used more often, though the music was still primarily vocal. A new secular form of the Ars Nova
period is the ballata.
The ballata is a dance in the form of A BB AA.
Instruments of the Period
 Organ
 Hurdy-Gurdy
 Rummelpost
 Gamba
 Organetto
 Drum
 Dulcimer
 Bagpipe
 Finger Cymbal
 Lute
 Lizard
 Harpsichord
 Bladder Pipe