Medieval Music: Plainchant, Troubadours, and Polyphony

Medieval Music Essentials (400s–1400s)

Sacred Music: Plainchant

Plainchant, the music of the Church during the Medieval period, is characterized by its basis in modes, a free-flowing rhythm, and a single, unaccompanied melody line (monophony).

Modes: Building Blocks of Plainchant

A mode (from the Latin word manner) is a type of scale. Modes served as the fundamental building blocks of plainchant. There are seven distinct modes, each possessing a unique character or mood.

Neumes: Early Music Notation

Neumes were the earliest form of musical notation. These symbols, written above the Latin text, indicated basic pitch direction. They were developed as tools to support, not replace, the practice of oral tradition. Around 1029, Guido d’Arezzo significantly advanced notation by adding lines to create the 4-line staff, which became the basis for our modern 5-line staff. This innovation made music notation more precise and portable, allowing music to be shared more quickly and widely.

Secular Music: Troubadours and Courtly Love

Poetry was written by the troubadours (from Southern France) and trouvères (from Northern France). They sometimes composed the music themselves or adapted pre-existing melodies. Both the poetic and musical styles often showed Arabic influences.

Courtly Love Theme

A central theme in secular music was “Courtly Love,” a code of manners governing the relationship between knights and ladies, often involving a knight's unquestioning loyalty to a noblewoman who was typically married and thus unattainable. Unrequited love was therefore a central theme of these songs.

Characteristics of Secular Medieval Music

• Strophic: The same music is repeated for all stanzas of the poem (the words change, but the music remains the same).
• Polyphonic: Features two or more independent melody lines performed simultaneously.
• Modal: Based on modes, the characteristic scales of the era.

Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377)

Guillaume de Machaut, a French composer and poet, is considered one of the most important and innovative composers of the Medieval period. He was also a trouvère. Machaut composed both secular and sacred polyphony. His secular songs often drew from the trouvère tradition, while he notably experimented with rhythm in his liturgical compositions.

Fundamentals of Medieval Music

• The Church was a central institution for musical development.
• Music was primarily based on modes.
• Plainchant, sung in unison without harmony or accompaniment, featured a free-flowing rhythm.
• Music notation evolved from neumes to the 4-line staff, introduced by Guido d’Arezzo around 1029.
• Polyphony became established in both sacred and secular music by around 1200.
• Secular songs, particularly those about courtly love, were popularized by troubadours and trouvères.
• A wide variety of instruments were used, many showing Arabic influence.