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We have very little music of the Early Middle Ages, and what we do have is mostly unperformable because the notation used at the time was too primitive to include information on how long to hold notes, and was usually too primitive to give absolute relationships between pitches of different notes.
Nevertheless, there is music of the time that we have. Nearly all of what we have is liturgical. It is in the form of chants, the Gregorian chants being most famous. These are melodically very simple, with open rhythm. They were sung in monotone, or in simple organum, in which one group of people sang the basic chant, and another sang the same same chant at a fixed interval, for example a fifth, above it.
We have almost no record whatever of secular music of the time, though we do have some of the lyrics.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoMusic, like every other aspect of life, evolved and changed considerably during the long medieval period - just as an English peasant from a small village in 1100 would not be able to communicate with a peasant from the same village in 1500 (the English language having evolved into something still termed medieval, but very different).
In the early period, say 10th to 12th centuries, English music was generally in the form of "Plainsong", with no harmonies or countermelodies. Since music was played on simple instruments, a scale with very few or no sharps and flats was generally used.
12th century religious music was in many cases taken straight from earlier folk tunes, with new words written to fit. The early 13th century "Hymn to St Magnus" (Nobilis humilis) is one of these, based on a much older folk song. The link below takes you to a web page with details of this piece, including the original manuscript in Latin and a sound file to demonstrate the music as played and sung.
By the middle of the 13th century, French and Arabic influences on music spread across Europe, leading to harmonies and countermelodies becoming popular, with much more complex scales. This style led into the Tudor melodies such as "Greensleeves" which are almost entirely written in sharps and flats and have harmonies included.
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How did public entertainment flow out of religious tradition in the Middle Ages?
The morality play is an example of entertainment rising from a religious source. In time the plays became increasingly secular. In music, the popular music seems to have been religious in the early part of the Middle Ages. Like the stage, it became more secular with the passing of time.
What was religion like in the middle ages?
Christianity
What were two method for deciding the guilt or innocence of accused criminals in the early middle ages?
Two methods were: - trial by ordeal, in which the accused had to pass a dangerous test, like thrown into a well, and - trial by combat, in which he had to fight to prove his innocence. The two methods for deciding the guilt or innocence of accused criminals in the early middle ages were trial by combat or ordeal.
What is the village-like section of a fief in the middle ages?
manor
What did Newcastle look like in the middle ages?
Assuming you mean the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, during the early middle ages it was an Anglo Saxon village, eventually taken over by Vikings. After the Norman Invasion, it was pretty much destroyed, and a new castle was built there by Robert Curthose, a son of William the Conqueror. For a while, it was a village around a motte and bailey castle. Then a 25 foot high wall was built around it, so in the end it was a walled village with buildings of the High Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages.
How did castles change form the early Middle Ages to the late Middle Ages?
Castles in the early middle ages were motte and bailey castles- a motte was a large mound and a bailey was like a courtyard. These developed into the standard castle with strong stone walls etc.
How did public entertainment flow out of religious tradition in the Middle Ages?
The morality play is an example of entertainment rising from a religious source. In time the plays became increasingly secular. In music, the popular music seems to have been religious in the early part of the Middle Ages. Like the stage, it became more secular with the passing of time.
Types of music in the Middle Ages?
Music from the Middle Ages, like almost all musical eras, consists of both secular and sacred music. Although we can only account for the music that was written and preserved which means that the majority of music that is known from the middle ages is sacred music that was found within the churches. Most of the music from the early middle ages is some type of a chant with no instrumental accompaniments and all voices in unison. It wasn't until the later middle ages in which musicians started to experiment more that the voices started to become harmonized. Most of the music during this time also was considered melismatic, meaning there were many different pitches and rhythms in only one syllable of text.
What is the period of history called between ancient and times modern times?
"Ancient history" is usually deemed to have ended with the fall of the Roman Empire. Since then we have had successively the Early Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages, the Renaissance period, the Early Modern Era and the Napoleontic and Victorian era. That's just Western history, of course; countries like China and Japan have their own important historical periods.
What is the composer of the Medival Period?
Most of the music came out of the church in the Middle Ages. Sacred music was the most prevalent. The Psaltery was a musical instrument that was used. It was like a harp and lyre.
What life was like in the middle ages?
What was life like for children in the Late Middle Ages?
To not plagiarizer, I recommend reading through this detailed article:http://historymedren.about.com/od/medievalchildren/a/child_toc.htmIt covers from birth to teens and is very thorough. btw, late Middle Ages was the same as Early Middle Ages when it came to children. The times did not change very fast back then.
What were relationships like in the Middle Ages?
The relationships in the middle ages were hard. They had to work on the farms and cook for themselves.
What was religion like in the middle ages?
Christianity
What was the king like in the middle ages?
bubbles
What were methods for deciding the guilt or innocence of accused criminals in the Early Middle Ages.?
Two methods were: - trial by ordeal, in which the accused had to pass a dangerous test, like thrown into a well, and - trial by combat, in which he had to fight to prove his innocence. The two methods for deciding the guilt or innocence of accused criminals in the early middle ages were trial by combat or ordeal.
What were the duties of the woman in the Middle Ages?
Some duties that women had back in the middle ages where things like cooking and cleaning.Makeing weapons.
