A History of
Early Sacred Music
from the Temple through the Middle Ages

Content: This course focuses on the history of sacred music from Old Testament times, early Christianity in Greece and Rome, Gregorian chant, and the development of medieval polyphonic music. As a cultural history, emphasis is given to how the music was used and the economic, political, artistic, and religious forces that influenced the music.

Recommended for

• Grades 8+
• College Prep
• Lifelong Learners

Time requirements: The course is recommended for one semester. Each of the twelve chapters includes an instructional video (average 45 minutes) plus approximately 2500 words of text. Musical performances are contained in the video. Students can select from multiple assignments in each chapter to fit their academic level and desire to do further study on specific topics. Each chapter contains a short quiz.

Materials:

Course content is the same for Online and Hard-Copy Editions
	Online Edition	Hard-Copy Edition
Video (8.9 hours)	Streaming video	6 DVDs
Text	Web pages	Coil-bound textbook
Assignments and Quizzes	Web pages	Coil-bound assignment and quiz book
Musical Performances	Included in video	Included in video
Glossary and Historical Figures	Mouse-over definitions in text plus printable glossary	Included in textbook

 

Unit Outline:

1. “Credo.” We begin with the Credo because it points out some important features of Gregorian chant, and chant is one of the main focal points of early sacred music. It also provides a broad overview of some of the important historical developments that will mark our study. Music: Ne timeas, Maria (antiphon)

2. “Jerusalem.” We focus on biblical accounts of music in the Temple along with synagogue worship and earlier records from the Sumerians and Egyptians in the Third Millennium B.C. to understand the soundscape of Jesus’ time.

3. “Into What World?” Early Christians encountered Diaspora Jews living in a Hellenistic culture. We trace how Christian liturgy incorporated well-established Jewish practices and added specifically Christian elements to them. Performances of ancient music by Synaulia.

4. “The Roman Empire.” Rome had political control of all the territory surrounding the Mediterranean, but it adopted Greek culture. We examine how the Roman Empire would shape the map of Europe throughout the Middle Ages and how the Church gained legitimacy and authority. Performances of ancient music by Synaulia.

5. “Pray Without Ceasing.” With the fall of Rome, monks formed communities that became the primary places of learning and preservers of knowledge. The monks’ daily prayer cycle, with an emphasis on the Psalms, would establish a musical legacy felt in Western music to this day. Music: Rorate caeli (chant)

6. “Word and Sacrament.” We explore the content and cycles of Christian worship through the Liturgical Year and characteristics of the music within specific parts of the Mass. Specific chants were assigned to all of these liturgical texts. We also begin our study of manuscripts containing early music notation. Music: Kyrie (chant)

7. “From Barbarians to Charlemagne.” Charlemagne’s Holy Roman Empire marked the beginning of a cultural restoration in Europe, spreading unified standards of education, knowledge, and commerce through hand-copied manuscripts. With it came a standardized form of sacred music known as Gregorian chant. Music: Ecce Ancilla Domini (antiphon)

8. “Elaboration.” The human desire to ornament and elaborate on the simple monophonic chant began to produce music with multiple voices sounding simultaneously for use in worship. We also look at the technology of producing highly decorated and colorful manuscripts. Music: Ut quaent laxis (chant); Gloria (Pérotin/organum)

9. “Eastern Orthodoxy.” The eastern half of the Roman Empire (Byzantium) charted a different course from that of the West. We follow Eastern chant, particularly in Greece and Russia, to see how Orthodox Christianity has retained more of the original character of its chant. Music: Otche nash (Znamenny chant); Bogoroditse Devo (Rachmaninov)

10. “Polyphony, Pilgrimage, and Crusade.” The faithful made pilgrimages to Canterbury, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela, and knights were sent on a series of Crusades to secure the most important pilgrimage site of all: Jerusalem. It established important musical and literary models for centuries to come. Music: Karitas abundat (Hildegard von Bingen/organum); Quien a omagen (Cantigas de Santa Maria); Stella splendens (Llibre Vermell de Montserrat)

11. “The Innovative 13th Century.” A rediscovery of classical writings, the rise of universities as the new centers of learning, and the frenzied building of Gothic Cathedrals came in a time of prosperity. Music notation gave greater control to composers whose names we know, like Léonin and Pérotin at Notre Dame in Paris. Music: Alle psallite cum luya (Codice Montpellier); Beata viscera (conductus motet)

12. “The Turbulent 14th Century.” Famine, war, and pestilence devastated Europe. Music became ever more complex, and composers turned much of their focus to secular music. Great literary works appeared in the vernacular rather than Latin. The stage was set for new styles to emerge in what was believed to be a return to the forms of classical Greece—what would be called a “Renaissance.” Kyrie from Messe de Notre Dame (Machaut); Ut quaent laxis (Dufay)