Terms
Music that only has one part. Used in sacred music during the middle ages.
Monophonic
- Medieval abbess, mystic, poet, and composer.
- wrote music for the nuns in her community to sing.
- She stretched many of the musical norms of the time and got away with it because nobody was checking to make sure she was following the rules.
Hildegard of Bingen
Describe the characteristics of Gregorian Chant.
-Soft and slow
-Melodies are simple
-Always in Latin
-Only men could sing
Music written for non-religious purposes. (worldly)
Secular Music
- Polyphonic choir music in Latin.
- Often based on Gregorian chants.
- Only men and boys could sing in church
Catholic
Music that has two or more independent voice parts. Renaissance composers liked writing in this texture.
Polyphonic
- Flemish composer who primarily wrote polyphonic church music (but he did write some secular music as well – remember “The Cricket”).
-Josquin was the boundary guy between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Josquin des Prez
Music written for religious purposes.
Sacred Music
What are some characteristics of secular vocal music from the Renaissance?
List at least 3
- Congregational hymns in German.
- Anyone could sing in church.
- Hymns were often original compositions but were sometimes based on
old Gregorian chants or popular songs.
Lutheran
Term that describes most church music from the middle ages.
Gregorian Chant/Plainchant
- Italian composer.
- Palestrina is usually regarded as the greatest, best, and most important composer of the Renaissance.
- Palestrina worked for the Pope in Rome, so he mostly wrote sacred music.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
- A religious song sung by a congregation during worship. German churches that followed Martin Luther typically included in their worship. These were usually monophonic and not accompanied by instruments. They were sung in German.
Hymns
What were some differences between sacred and secular music of the Middle Ages?
List 3 examples
- Psalms in French.
- The Calvinists believed that the only things that should be sung in
church were things taken directly from the Bible. So, most of what
they sang in church came from the Book of Psalms in the Bible.
- Gregorian chant was not allowed.
- Hymns were not allowed.
- Instruments were not allowed.
Calvinist
A string instrument that is the ancestor of the classical guitar.
Lute
- German monk, priest, and professor.
- Luther started the Protestant Reformation in 1517, which eventually caused him and his followers to break away from the Catholic Church.
- Luther believed that music was an important part of church, and he thought that everyone should be able to sing church music in their own language.
Martin Luther
What did music in Renaissance Catholic churches sound like?
- Polyphonic choir music in Latin.
- Often based on Gregorian chants.
- Only men and boys could sing in church.
Reflects the literal meaning of a song's lyrics. (the music does what the words say)
Word Painting
- During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, composers started writing polyphonic choir music in English.
- Hymns were not allowed.
Church of England
Keyboard instrument that looks like a piano but is plucked instead of hammered.
Harpsichord
Who is the Pope and what is his role?
The role of pope is the head of the Catholic Church and the Bishop of Rome. The pope is also the head of the sovereign city-state, Vatican City.
What did music in Renaissance Lutheran churches sound like?
- Congregational hymns in German.
- Anyone could sing in church.
- Hymns were often original compositions but were sometimes based on old Gregorian chants or popular songs.
What is a madrigal?
A secular vocal music composition of the Renaissance. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight.
Who started the Church of England and why?
King Henry VIII of England