Music During The Middle Ages

Today’s modern instruments and traditions of music have evolved from as far back as the Middle Ages, 500 - 1400 A.D. Most of the music during the Medieval Times was religious due to the influence of the Catholic Church, such as the Gregorian Chant. However, some music was secular, mainly composed by French Troubadours and Trouveres, Minstrels, Jongleurs, and Waits. The instruments played by these musicians were mostly the harp and cittern but the one with the highest respect was the lute. Medieval Music played a key role in society and daily life.
Religious music was most prevalent, mainly used for rituals of the Church. This music, however, had no musical accompaniment because the Church associated it with pagan ceremonies. As a result, most music used in the Catholic Church tended to be vocal and unaccompanied. The Gregorian Chant, a monophonic chant without any instrumental accompaniment, was made due to this belief by Pope Gregory I. Although
The ability to play an instrument was a huge accomplishment, rewarded, and acknowledged. Some instruments that were common among secular composers like the Troubadours and Trouveres were the harp, cittern, and flute. Although these instruments were prominent, the lute was possibly the most popular and held the highest respect. The lute has a pear-shaped body and up to 26 strings. Because of the amount of strings, the lute went out of tune easily. It is 44-90 centimeters long and uses a quill or plectrum as a pick. In addition, the lute belonged to the category of Bas instrument. This means that the lute, along with other bowed instruments, vielle, and rebec, was a bas instrument. Bas instruments were low in volume, but not pitch. They were used in the chamber. The other category during the Medieval Times were the Haut instruments, high in volume but not in pitch. These included the pipe and tabor, which were suited for outdoor