Music In The Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, the church served as an important patron to the arts and music was an integral part of Christian worship. Daily liturgy
provided innumerable texts, all set to music in the style we call Gregorian chant and many composers were associated with the church. By the 12th century, the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris performed what is called
organum; which is a polyphonic music that sacred music slowly developed into. Polyphonic music also began around this time with earlier examples through improvisation and singing and is a distinctive feature of Western music. Musical notation also had it's start in the 9th century and only in the cathedrals and monasteries on a regular basis due to the time consuming and and difficult process involved. Because of this,nearly all the music
preserved was written for the church until the 12th
century. One of the features of Western musical
culture was the advent of musical notation which produced a markedly stable body of music.

Secular music also saw the birth of the polyphonic style in the 14th century as well as the rise of Courtly culture. An elaborate society that centered on the court started with the nobility of southern France. This society became widespread over Europe and music was an important activity among it's people. Compositions of secular works and the
performances of these works were done by the aristocracy. Music of the troubadours and trouvères from the 12th century on are surviving examples of this secular music.

The two styles of music that were found in Midieval music include the Monophonic and the Polyphonic Styles. In monophonic music, the melodies were often long and flowing while the texts were sung with several notes sung to one syllable per passage;such as in Gregorian Chant. Rhythm was not often notated and therefore it was assumed that instrumental music was tied to dance and the structure was based on repeating sections while vocal was tied to text in which the form came from as well. The monophonic texture in it's simplicity, may be enriched by the use of drones and percussion(in the case of secular music). In the polyphonic style, the melodies were long and asymetrical while the harmony was based on intervals of fifths and octaves. While rythmns were restless and active and dissonances are often sharp and unexpected. Polyphony also has what is called nonimitative counterpoint, with voices moving at
different rhythmic speeds being the primary texture; voices mixed with instruments are also found.

A lot of music that was written in the Midieval Period were written by people who remained anonymous. A lot of the Gregorian Chants were handed down in an oral tradition and was probably the result of
improvisation not of composition. By the time it was written down, this music was different from it's original. As a whole the anonymous composers were
both men and women, rich and poor, and they were different people at different times that reflected society and it's feelings on creation and authorship. Anonymity was a reflection of the society in which the music was created instead of an accident. However, some of the known composers at that time include Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Moniot d'Arras (fl.1213-1239) and Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377).