Gregory I The Great Synthesis

The Middle Ages were filled with actual knights in shining armor mounted on beautiful horses, monks and nuns, wars filled with brutality and casualties, a deadly plague, and soaring cathedrals in the midst of nationwide poverty. Religion was all powerful—in fact, the majority of important musicians were priests. At the time, women were disallowed to sing in church and monks were in control of learning and knowledge. Catholicism was the reigning religion, and the music coming from the Catholic church in The Middle Ages was quite plain. All sacred music was monophonic, composed of unaccompanied male voices, with no harmony. The melodies were based on church modes with no regular rhythm or meter. In that day and age, that was about as exciting

Set to sacred Latin texts, the chant incorporated various elements of Jewish synagogue worship music. This chant was named after Pope Gregory I the Great, although he is not believed to have direct ties to its origination. Pope Gregory I the Great was known for the reorganization of Catholic liturgy. Plainchant could be composed in one of 3 ways: Syllabic—A singular note per syllable, Neumatic—2-4 notes per syllable, or Melismatic—4 or more notes for each syllable.

Hildegard von Bingen was a German composer, writer, and visionary. At age 8, he promised himself to God, when he turned 14 he was sheltered in a stone cell, by 38 he had been elected abbess of the monastery, at 49 he moved to a new religious community, and passed 32 years later at age 81. In the time he was alive, he claimed to receive visions from God and it was known that he often corresponded with important religious people with power.

At the time, in the Christian church, Mass was considered the most solemn service; it was a commemoration of Christ’s Last Supper, and it was celebrated in Latin until 1962. In this service, there are two differing components: Ordinary and Proper. In Ordinary, the texts do not change: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. In Proper, however, the texts vary: Introit, Gradual, Alleluia/Tract, Offertory, and

Most composers were poets of noble birth. The songs were about emotion or adventure, such as love, heroism, or pastoral life. The players of this type of music were characterized by their origins; musicians from southern France were known as Troubadours, the northern French were known as Trouveres, and the Germans were known as Minnesingers. While sacred music was unaccompanied, secular music incorporated different instruments depending on the setting. For instance, if the music was being played inside, the incorporated instruments would be of a quieter nature, such as: the Recorder, Lute, Harp, Psaltery, Hammered Dulcimer, Rebec, and Vielle. However, if the music was being played outdoors, so they could be heard more widely, louder instruments such as the Shawm (an oboe) and the Sackbut (trombone) would be