Terms in the Middle Ages
What's That Instrument?
Let's Sing and Dance
Who's That?
Name that Medieval Tune
100

This musical technique is when voices rapidly alternate, each resting while the other sings

What is a hocket?

100

This Middle Ages double reed instrument is similar to an oboe

What is a shawm?

100

Most medieval songs are in this form, with several stanzas that are sung to the same melody

What is strophic?
100

In the Middle Ages, this referred to an organization of professional artisans, craftspeople, or tradespeople

What is a guild?

100

This type of music made Medieval folks want to move their feet

What is estampie? (instrumental dance music)

200

This term refers to a Middle Ages text or song that is in the local language, and not in Latin

What is vernacular?

200

This instrument is a three-stringed fiddle with a rotating wheel turned by a crank

What is a hurdy-gurdy?

200

Although troubadour songs were written as unaccompanied melodies, pictures and other sources suggest that they were at least sometimes accompanied by these types of instruments

What are string instruments? (plucked or bowed string instruments)

200

Besides the Clergy and the Nobility, this class of people made up the largest group in the Middle Ages

Who are Commoners? 

200

This form of English Polyphony goes round and round

What is a rota?

(Sumer is icumen in)

300

This term refers to an existing melody, often taken from a Gregorian chant, on which a new polyphonic work is based

What is cantus firmus?

300

This is a Medieval bowed string instrument, and a predecessor of the violin

What is a vielle?

300

This is the most common medieval instrument dance - it has several sections, each played twice with two different endings

What is the estampie?

300

In the Middle Ages, these folks were poet-composers of southern France who wrote monophonic songs in Occitan in the 12th or 13th century

Who are troubadours?

300

This piece of music from the Middle Ages includes isorhythm, which is repetition in a voice part (usually tenor) of an extended pattern of durations throughout a section or entire composition

What is Messe de Nostre Dame? 

400

This term refers to the technique of voices trading phrases

What is voice exchange?

400

This Medieval instrument is played by plucking strings attached to a frame over a wooden sounding board

What is a psaltery?

400

This is a 14th century Italian poetic form and its musical setting, in which all the voices sing the same text, usually an idyllic, pastoral, satirical, or love poem

What is a madrigal?

400

This Medieval poet-composer (trouvere) wrote Jeu de Robin et Marion (The Play of Robin and Marion), in which the opening song, Robins m'aime, features Marion singing about Robin's love for her 

Who is Adam de la Halle?

400

This example of Notre Dame Polyphony uses this style of text setting

What is melismatic?

(Viderunt Omnes by Leoninus and Colleagues)

500

In the Middle Ages, this term refers to a technique of substituting new words to an existing melody 

What is contrafactum?

500

This Medieval instrument is a two-in-one combo: a high whistle played with one hand and a small drum played with the other hand

What is the pipe and tabor?

500

This term refers to a form of Medieval English polyphony in which two or more voices sing in a canon form

What is a rota?

500

This composer wrote Messe de Nostre Dame, which was the first polyphonic setting of the Mass Ordinary by a single composer

Who is Guillaume de Machaut?

500

This Medieval dance song in rondeau form features singers accompanied by these types of instruments

What is string instruments? [plucked and bowed string instrument]

(Robins m'aime)

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