Middle Ages Plainchant

After careful listening, the first piece the piece was showed traits typically found in the Middle Ages. More specifically, the piece seemed to be a mass. One of the obvious signs of the period and genre was found in the style the piece was based around. The piece utilized the conventions of plainchant. From the beginning of the piece to the very end, one vocal soloist performs the music in its entirety. Therefore, the piece was monophonic; as no accompaniment was utilized. Another aspect of Middle Age plainchant was the use of a nonrigid structure. Typically, when one thinks of music, they think about the rhythmic structure the song contains—as this serves as the basis for the skeleton of the piece. However, plainchant typically consists
Doing so allows the piece to become less rigid and have a more emotional reaction from the listener. Another reason the piece is sure to be from the Middle Ages is the topic the piece is centered on. At this point in the history, Western Art Music was not developing at a substantial rate. The reason for this was the influence and power held by the catholic church. Much like with all art and science of the time, the word of the church was thought of as the final ruling of the land. Influence of such a scale could be heard in the music very clearly, as the music was meant to reflect well on the church and show the beauty of God. The liturgy of the Middle Ages was tied to catholic mass and was reflected in all church music. Plainchant is one style of music widely known for its direct ties to liturgy. Additionally, certain keywords in the piece stick out as obvious ties to the word of God and Christian worship; such as Kyrie and Christus. Due to the Church, all music focused on and pulled directly from the Bible for its text an inspiration, as that was the only avenue of inspiration afforded to music creators. Overall, a very solid example of plainchant in the Middle
there are multiple layers of vocal performances being presented. There is no multipart unison. What the piece decided to focus on instead is layering a variety of parts, which all have different expressive focused, and complement one another. The genre was sacred music, still tied to the church. Musically, the piece utilizes a variety of the tools found in Renaissance Sacred music. One of the most obvious tools is the use of paraphrase throughout the whole piece. One vocal part would start with the main idea or line. From that point on, the other parts would branch off in a similar line, but one that is not an exact replica of the previous. The piece also utilizes homophony throughout. The main melody was laid out and branched off into varied parts. However, those parts were all based on the same line. Additionally, in those sections, harmonized hymn was present in the music, adding to the depth of the piece. These additional eccentricities were not ignored by the Catholic Church. In fact, the Catholic Church resisted musical changes such as these. During the Renaissance, the church was losing the power and influence it once held. People in this time experienced horrific experience one after another. Plagues, famine—human struggle was a commonality. Due to these ongoing, people began to question the very nature of God as a creator—going so far to call to question the very existence of God. The musical