General Music Distance e-learning Lesson 1

Here's part 1 of a 2-lesson series on the history of serious western art music. All of this music is sometimes referred to as "classical" music. Hopefully after the second lesson you will have a better understanding of why all of this music might not be considered "classical".

Medieval- 1200’s-1300’s: “Sederunt Principes” by Perotin

Picture royalty in your mind (Kings & Queens in castles), knighthood (knights in armor protecting their royals), etc. This was the way many european countries were organized in the Medieval era. Paris, France was a center for culture (art, music, dance) as far back as this era. In Paris at this time, Leonin & Perotin were music student & music teacher and Magisters at the Notre Dame cathedral, a very large, beautiful and important Roman Catholic church in Paris. The Roman Catholic church was very influential as a music education institution, spreading uniformity in music communication/ notation across national borders. Leonin & Perotin’s experimentation with harmony in their music for the church sparked controversy, as plainchant (all singing in unison, no harmony) was the prior norm. The following sample was written by Perotin in the Medieval era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnj7EjVGO10

Renaissance- 1400’s-1500’s: “Kyrie” from the “Pope Marcellus Mass” by Palestrina

Think of the year 1492. Columbus sailed the ocean blue. European colonization of the western hemisphere and around the world was in full swing. In Rome, at the Vatican (which is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church), a court composer named Palestrina played an important role in saving harmony in the RC church (& by extension, beyond the church to our music today). Thanks to Palestrina's influence on Pope Marcellus, the Pope and the Vatican council decided to allow harmony to continue in the music of the RC church. The term Renaissance means rebirth or renewal and this era served as an important time in the development and appreciation of the Arts in Europe.

The following sample is from Palestrina of the Renaissance era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXKKjDgUIGI

Baroque- 1600’s- early 1700’s: “2-Part Invention No. 1 in C” by Bach

In the previous two eras we learned how the Roman Catholic church was influential in the development of music in Europe. In the 1600's to early 1700's many Catholics broke away from the RC church to form new types of Christian religions, known collectively as Protestants. This Protestant Reformation weakens the influence of the RC Church in many ways, including its influence on music. The Protestant Reformation, combined w/ improved technology yielded an increase in secular (non-religious) music & instrumental music in the Baroque era. The following sample is by J. S. Bach of the Baroque era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZkeMy7stGk

After reading the paragraphs above and listening to the linked recordings please answer the following questions.

    1. What are the names of the three eras of serious western art music you learned about in this lesson? (Extra credit if your answer is in order from the oldest era to the newest era.)
    2. Which one of these three recordings sounds "darker" to you?
    3. How is the third recording different than the first two recordings?
    4. Which sample recording did you like best?
    5. Why did you like that one best?

With your parent/ guardian's permission, search on youtube for more music from the era or composer you preferred (see question 4).