Question

worksheet 3.1 music in history: the middle ages

1. what years were the middle ages?
2. why dont we know what greek and roman music sounded like?
3. what does notate mean?
4. name the three social classes of people in the middle ages.
5. what was the official music of the roman catholic church?
6. use musical terms to describe what gregorian chant is like
7. how does notated music in the middle ages look different from todays notated music? how does it look the same?

Explanation:

1. The Middle Ages spanned approximately from 500 - 1500 AD. This was a period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance.
2. We don't know what Greek and Roman music sounded like because there are no surviving audio - recordings, and their musical notation systems were complex and not fully understood. Also, the materials on which the music was written (such as papyrus) have not survived well over time.
3. To "notate" means to write down music using a system of symbols. This allows musicians to read and perform music that they may not have heard before.
4. The three social classes in the Middle Ages were the clergy (church officials), the nobility (lords and ladies), and the peasants (serfs and free peasants).
5. The official music of the Roman Catholic Church was Gregorian Chant. It was monophonic, unaccompanied vocal music used in religious services.
6. Gregorian Chant is monophonic (single - line melody), has a free rhythm, and is usually sung in Latin. It is often solemn and meditative.
7. Differences: Medieval notated music used neumes, which were symbols above the text indicating the general shape of the melody, rather than the precise note - values and rhythms we use today. Similarities: Both medieval and modern notated music use symbols to represent musical sounds, and both are used to communicate music from one person to another.

Answer:

1. Approximately 500 - 1500 AD
2. No surviving audio - recordings, complex and not fully understood notation systems, and poor survival of written materials.
3. To write down music using a system of symbols.
4. Clergy, nobility, peasants.
5. Gregorian Chant
6. Monophonic, free rhythm, usually sung in Latin, solemn and meditative.
7. Differences: Used neumes instead of precise note - values and rhythms. Similarities: Use symbols to represent musical sounds and communicate music.