Music in Medieval England - Detailseite

This course will introduce and focus upon the development of both sacred and secular vernacular songs in medieval England: from the earliest surviving relics of Old English song lyrics as seen in Cædmon's Hymn to the songs of St. Godric in Middle English to songs composed in various vocal musical forms, such as the sequence, planctus, lai, motet, and carol, as well as the rota, a form unique to English music. Other themes and topics relating to some of the songs will include the practice of creating contrafacta, as well as addressing the subject of oral transmission and the challenge of reconstructing lost melodies (e.g. the Cambridge Songs and Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy). Furthermore, this course will also present a short history of the rise of latin church music in medieval England (including the Sarum rite and early polyphonic repertoire, the later polyphonic votive antiphon, as well as other late medieval English polyphonic compositions, including the cantilena, motet, and mass ordinary cycles) and its interrelationships with music from continental Europe. Finally, a brief look at the instrumental music tradition and the English medieval minstrel will round out the course. In order to make this music more tangible, we will often use a hands-on approach through the use of select musical examples representing different genres and styles: through analyzing, listening to, and even singing these age-old songs, we shall consider aspects of performance practice and context then and now.