MUL 2010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Hildegard Of Bingen, Gregorian Chant, Morality Play
4 Apr 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Plainchant consists of a single melodic line sung without accompaniment of any kind. Hildegard von bingen"s play of virtues uses plainchant to enhance the emotional impact of a morality play that pits the forces of good (the virtues) against the evil (satan) Monophonic texture- whether sung by one singer or by a group of singer in unison. Flowing melodies move primarily by step (conjunct motion) Occasional leaps (disjunct motion) provide variety and give each phrase of text a clear profile. Medieval composers had four additional modes- used to distinguish between major and minor modes. First style-one note per syllable- is called a syllabic. Second style-more than one note per syllable- is called melismatic. Melisma- is a syllable sung to many notes. Note: certain passes are sung in a very high register, or range. Performance here presents music in a relatively free rhythm free rhythm.
