Empires of Land and Mind (1250-1350) - The Elasticity and Rigidity of Europe - Harmony and Dissonance in Writing, Music, and Art

3 important questions on Empires of Land and Mind (1250-1350) - The Elasticity and Rigidity of Europe - Harmony and Dissonance in Writing, Music, and Art

What did writers, musicians and artists explore?

  • Writers explored the relations between this world and the next
  • Musicians found ways to bridge sacred and secular genres of music
  • Artists used fleshy, natural forms to evoke the divine

What chant became popular in the twelfth century?

Already by the tenth century, the traditional plain chant of the monasteries had been joined by a chant of many voices: polyphony. In the twelfth century polyphony was increasingly composed as well.

How was the motet composed?

  • Two to four voices joined together in a motet. The lowest voice, singing a chant taken from church liturgy, generally consisted of one or two words.  The other voices had different texts and melodies, sung simultaneously.
  • The form allowed for the mingling of religious and secular motives.
  • Complementing the motet's complexity was the development of new schemes to indicate rhythm. The most important was created by Franco of Cologne in his Art of Measurable Song (c.1260). It used different shapes to mark the number of beats for which each not should be held.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo