2: Music of the Middle Ages
- Demonstrate knowledge of historical and cultural contexts of the Middle Ages
- Recognize musical styles of the Middle Ages
- Identify important genres and uses of music of the Middle Ages
- Identify aurally selected compositions of the Middle Ages and critically evaluate the style
- Compare and contrast music of the Middle Ages with today’s contemporary music
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- 2.3: Music for Medieval Christian Worship
- The earliest music of Catholic Christianity was chant, that is, monophonic a cappella music, most often sung in worship. Monophony refers to music with one melodic line that may be performed by one or many individuals at the same time. Largely due to the belief of some Catholics that instruments were too closely associated with secular music, instruments were rarely used in medieval worship; therefore most chant was sung a cappella, or without instruments.
Thumbnail: A man playing the vielle. Cantigas de Santa Maria, about 1300. (Public Domain; Wikipedia)