Expert: Marbeth - 1/30/2007

Question
I have searched the Internet by google all afternoon and websites I have printed off are World Music Central, Medieval Music by Wikipedia, Talk: Medieval Music by Wikipedia, Dirty Linen Hesperus 8 Centuries and 4 Continents of Music, AMONCO.org/spring 2002 and The Culture of Medieval Music Calligraphy. These sights do not pin point the question exactly that I asked you so that is why I needed more information. I cannot find any answers other than our current folk music is similar to the medieval music and that our chamber music of today was began in the renaissance era. Should I be comparing secular music, ceremonies, coronations, concerts, festivals, political satire etc. I guess that is what I need to know if those are similarities. I can give general examples but nothing specifics. The mass is still sung sometimes as it was in the early ages of music.  Thank you
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

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Can you please tell me some similarities by example in the use of music in religion, society and everyday activities during the Medieval,Renaissance and today's periods?

Thank you for your input and time.
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This is a homework question.  Please see my bio for help in how to find out the answer yourself.  mb

Answer
There are folk songs, of course; and songs sung to folk dances (that's what caroles are).  Every culture has folk music.

Every culture has spiritual/worship music, as you've noted.  And ceremonial music.

1.  Today's folk music is not at all like medieval music.  In what context was it that you read this?

2.  Chamber music, as such, is a Baroque idiom.  There have always been ensembles, of course, even as far back as pre-history when two folks were banging rocks together simultaneously; ok, ok; it was probably drums.  

3.  Medieval ensemble music was sacred.  Discounting folk songs/dances done by groups of people.  Med. ensemble music was also almost exclusively vocal.  That which used instrument was almost exclusively a folk idiom.  The popes frowned on anything that would draw the worshipers' attention from the text (in this context, the text of the Mass).  For a long while, singing was not allowed!  The musical notes deflected attention -- even minutely -- from the text.

Aside:  In settings of the Mass, in the Credo section, the words "and was made flesh" are nearly always (96%) set off in a very thin texture - - as a solo, done without instruments, etc.  This is bcs the composer (ok, the pope) wanted those words to really stand out and not be missed.

There are some very tantalizing wisps of information that seem to hint at instruments' being used for sacred music.  We think the organ played very few pitches and rather than have a melody or part of its own, instead held one note for a long, long time, as a "foundation" for the singing that went on above it.  The medieval "church organ" appear to have been very blatty in tone quality.  One reason, perhaps, why the pope didn't want instrumental music during Mass!

4.  Chamber music is defined as "art" music meant for other people to listen to.  "Chamber" refers to the fact that it is "inside", "in a room."  As differntiated from the Great Outdoors.  There really wasn't any chamber music in the middle ages. Heck!  Some people didn't even HAVE chambers!

In the Renaissance, the "chamber music" was music-making in the home.  "Artemis brought his new alto recorder. I'll get my drum, and you guys get the soprano and bass recorders.  Oh!  And here's Hermione.  She can play the viol."  That kind of thing. "Pick up" music, if you will.  I guess one could stretch it to say that was chamber music.

It was with the onset of more time among the leisure classes and rise in [even more] wealth of the church and the ruling classes that chamber music was truly born.  

Informal concerts ("musicales"): Lady Hushbottom's niece, newly arrived from Austsria, will be presenting some piano compositions by Mr. Mozart.  She will be playing Lady H's newly-refurbished green salon, and it's said that the Earl of Bowlingball and his new countess will be in attendance!  It's bound to be a crush.

Then came more formal concerts:  Lady Hushbottom is having the Belles Chanteuses, straight from Paris!, to sing some new operatic arias.  

Then the good lady arranged for new operatic arias to be sung once every three months and charged admission to hear same ("subscription concerts"), proceeds of which to be used to pay the soloists.  Soon the musicales grew too large for her ballroom, even, and had to be moved to another venue.

In answer to what you should be comparing, I think you state it very well: secular music, ceremonies, coronations, concerts, festivals, political satire.

Are we on the same wavelength yet?
mb