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Medieval (around 800 - 1400)

This period of musical history starts with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends with the rise of science and humanism in Italy in the late 1300s and early 1400s. It is a period where literacy was limited mainly to the clerical class so that today we know a lot about medieval religious music but much less about the secular music of the time. It is a profoundly important period for the future of European musical culture – the religious music of these centuries will embark on a new course, abandoning the monophony of the Greeks and Romans and exploring the new possibilities of polyphony.

Music History

Be sure to check out this presenter's other videos; they are both educational and entertaining!

Anonymous

Anonymous

Amours mi font / En mai / Flos filius eius (~1250-1300)

SAT / SAA

TBG / TBB

MP3 Playback: SAT with bass viol drone

MP3 Playback: TBG with bass viol drone

In the video we hear the middle and lower voices with drone the first time and all three voices with drone on the repeat.

Fulget celestis curia

AAA or TTT or BBB

MP3 Playback

AAA

TTT

BBB

The sound files use a recorder, a double reed, and a viol.

O virgo splendens

ROUND (any recorder)

MP3 Playback: Church (Slow, Vocal)

MP3 Playback: Village (Faster, Drone, Clap)

O virgo

Stella Maris Nuncuparis

A / T(S) / B

MP3 Playback

TTT (SSS)

AAA

BBB

MP3 instruments: recorder, clarinet, double reed
Transcribed for Soprano

Sumer is icumen in (round) (~1263)

ROUND

MP3 Playback: Slow

MP3 Playback

The MP3 Playback is SATBGG. The fast version plays through the round twice.

Verbum Patris humanatur (~1300)

TTT

MP3 Playback: Slow

MP3 Playback

The MP3 Playback has recorders and double reeds. Play order T1; T1+T3; T2; T1+T2; tutti.

Bingen

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

O magne pater

TT with drone

MP3 Playback

The sound file has an A/E drone and T2 is played by a flute.

de la Halle

Adam de la Halle (1240-1287)

Fines amouretes ai

SSA / TTB

AAT / BBG

MP3 Playback

TTB
(SSA)

AAT
(BBG)

MP3 instruments: oboe, recorder, and a hurdy-gurdy

Francesco Landini (1325-1397)

Landini

Si dolce non sono

TTB or STB

MP3 Playback: Slow

MP3 Playback

Due to the overlapping ranges of the parts, the middle recorder in this TTB sound file is replaced by an oboe.

Si dolce non sono

ABG

MP3 Playback: Slow

MP3 Playback

In this sound file the voices are all recorders, but spaced out in range to better hear the distinct parts.

Léonin (~1150-1201)

Léonin

Haec dies

AT or BG

MP3 Playback

AT

BG

Our piece is the introductory first minute-and-a-half of this long chant for Easter Sunday.

Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377)

Machaut

De toutes flours

SAT / TBG

MP3 Playback: SAT

MP3 Playback: TBG

Kyrie from Messe de Nostre Dame

ATBB

MP3 Playback: Slow

MP3 Playback

Please read the Notes for this piece for an explanation of the structure of this video.

Quant en moi / Amour et biauté / Amara valde

ATT (S) / BBG (T)

MP3 Playback: AAT

MP3 Playback: BBG

The AAT MP3 has an oboe. The BBG MP3 has an English horn.
Part of score in 81/8 time available.

Pérotin

Pérotin (1200-1250)

Viderunt Omnes

ATB

MP3 Playback: Slow

MP3 Playback

The normal MP3 has male voices (not in the slow MP3).

In the video our selection finishes at the 3:30 mark.

Philippe de Vitry (1291-1361)

De Vitry

O canenda/Rex quem/Rex regum

ABGC or TBGG

MP3 Playback: Slow

MP3 Playback

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