Musical Analysis of the Middle Ages and Renaissance

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The Middle Ages, also known as Medieval Era, was a period in history dating back to 476 CE through the early fifteenth century. During this period the church was viewed as a dominating force that led intellectual and cultural life. As emphasis on the church and religion grew, many aspects of everyday life were influenced and shaped towards a more spiritual ideal. Therefore, music began to reflect the practices and teachings of the church in attempt to inspire worshippers and encourage praise; singing the church texts did this. Although music provided other entertainment and secular values, its main purpose was a sacred and religious one. Mass was seen as the most important church service of the day with intentions of teaching the difference between good and evil. In order to maintain this sense of morality, music incorporated the church teachings into its text as a way to keep religious practices lively and increase worship participation during church.
One song that was written during this Medieval Era that utilized religion was
Hildegard von Bingen’s Play of Virtues. This musical piece uses plainchant, also known as Gregorian chant, to convey the church teachings as well as portray the importance of virtues such as humility and victory. The song begins with the devil speaking in mezzo forte and a low tone. This vocal timbre creates an isolated and dark tone that depicts the evil within the devil and contrasts the singing that follows in the next section. The song continues on to a monophonic texture as a female soloist sings a capella in a respectful tone. The relationship between the music and words is utilized here as a melisma is sung during the word regina after (0:56). This piece follows mainly conjunct motion throughout...

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...nt ideas were practiced. These differences in faith are shown through the music because in Play of Virtues the message is teaching about good and evil and is very god fearing. In “Sing Joyfully” the music is more about praising and being alive which reflects that period of individualism and a sense of redefining oneself and letting go of the harsh rules they used to follow. The differences in these pieces of music allow us to look back on society and see how far it has grown and changed since then. The transition from the strict and limited views of the Middle Ages to the open and thriving society during the renaissance has led to more transitions into societies that value creativity, expression, and a mixture of cultures. The influences from these previous eras and their cultural contributions helped to create the vast and amazing music we are able to have today.

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