Music terms
What does the term allegro mean?
(Fast)
Who is Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377)
A French poet and composer who was a key figure in the Ars Nova style, famous for his Messe de Nostre Dame.
What did Medieval music rely on rather than modern modes?
Medieval music relied on early modes rather than modern scales and often featured drone sounds accompanying melodies.
What language was the primary langue for sacred music?
Latin
Who was the leading figure of the of the Ars Nova style.
Guillaume de Machaut:
What does the term Fortissimo (ff) mean?
Very loud
Who is Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179)
A German Benedictine abbess known for composing monophonic chants, hymns, and the morality play Ordo Virtutum.
During the Medieval period what was Organum?
The very first form of harmony, created by adding a second voice to a chant.
What instruments did they use for secular music?
lute, vielle (fiddle), harp, psaltery, bagpipes, recorder, shawm, and the hurdy-gurdy
Who was known for unique, monophonic chant plays.
Hildegard of Bingen:
What does the term dynamics mean in music?
The volume
Who is Pérotin (fl. c. 1200)?
Developed the polyphonic style further, composing works like Viderunt omnes.
When did Medieval style music come to be?
It began after the fall of Rome in 476AD
What is the main difference between secular and sacred?
Sacred is meant to be holy as secular refers to be wordily
Who was Philippe de Vitry?
A French composer and music theorist who was crucial to the development of the Ars Nova style.
What does the term Polyphony mean?
Multiple, independent melodic lines performed simultaneously.
Who is Francesco Landini (c. 1325–1397)?
A blind Italian composer and organist who dominated 14th-century Italian Trecento music.
What is Ordo Virtutum?
is a 12th-century Latin liturgical music drama. Which was "morality play"
How did sacred music start?
Early Christian worship directly adopted the Jewish tradition of singing psalms and scriptural readings.
Who was notable secular composers included Adam de la Halle, Bernart de Ventadorn, and Walter von der Vogelweide.
Troubadours/Trouvères
What is a Monophony
A single, unaccompanied melodic line.
Who is Philippe de Vitry (1291–1361)?
A French composer and theorist credited with the Ars Nova treatise.
Musical invention that allows us to read music today?
The musical notation
How did secular music start?
Secular music began in the Middle Ages as non religious music.
A Benedictine monk who revolutionized music theory and notation, introducing the staff notation system.
Guido d'Arezzo