Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM

Morong, Rizal

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Activity No. 2 (Quiz)

ESSAY: Write the things that you’ve learned in our past lesson (History of Music) based
in every period/origin.

MEDIEVAL, MIDDLE AGES (500-1400):

 I have learned that medieval means “of the middle ages” from the word medi
means “middle” and ev means “age”. In this period, musical notation began as
well as the birth of polyphony, where notation has two motives which is “to
memory” and “to communication”. And I have learned that monophonic means
one note at a time while polyphonic two or more different notes of the same time.
Also, I have learned that Gregorian chant is a kind of plainchant, plainchant or
plain song is a form of medieval church music that involves chanting or words
that are sung, without any instrumental accompaniment. And it was believed that
music should make a listener receptive to spiritual thoughts and reflections.
Singers continued experimenting with melodies, because polyphony became
more elaborate and complex. Also, in this age they developed a musical
instrument called “lute”, a lute is a plucked string instrument with a short neck
and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or
opening in the body.
RENAISSANCE (1400-1600)

 Renaissance or “rebirth”, a period of significant changes in history, including

music. I have learned in this period that there’s a new philosophy developed in
Italy called “humanism”. It emphasized that life should be viewed as a
preparation for death. The dutch composers and musicians are arranged to teach
and perform in Italian courts. Also, the invention of printing helped spread new
ideas, where in this age people used printing to spread news or ideas.
Instrumental music began to tke shape, the lute was widely used at that time and
eventually mixed instruments were used. In this age, they developed three
musical instruments which are shawn, dulcian, and trumpet, this three are wood
wind instruments. Shawn is a conical bore and has 7 to 8 finger holes, and at the
end of the bore is a large bell and it was used in outdoor ceremonial events.
While dulcian is predecessor of the shawn, because it’s easier to carry or
transport than the shawn due to its smaller size. Dulcian produce sound that is
less piercing than the shawn. And last is trumpet, the most commonly used is the
B flat trumpet.

BAROQUE (1600-1760)

 “Baroque” comes from the Italian word “barocco” which means bizzare or very
strange. I have learned that in this period, it is a time when composers
experimented with form, styles and instruments. And the violin was considered
an important musical instrument during this time. Because it is fairly easy to start
learning, mostly suitable for children 6 years and older. And I learned that in this
period the opera was developed, a group of musicians and intellectuals came
together to discuss various subjects in 1953. This group of individuals are known
as the “Florentine Camerata”. The composer Claduio Monteverdi was an
important contributor, specifically his opera “Orfeo” the first opera to gain public
welcome. Some musical instruments that developed in this period are viola,
double bass, harp, and oboe. Viola is an important member of a string ensemble,
while double bass isn’t popular as other string instruments. And the harp, not a
 lot of people play the harp because it is difficult to learn, even finding a teacher
may be difficult but harp is one of the most sounding instruments. And last is
oboe, it’s played by musician by blowing air into thin, tapered double reed and
cover or uncover the holes.

CLASSICAL (1730-1820)

 In this period, the primary instrument is piano. Around 1709 in Florence, piano
was created by Bartolomeo Cristofori. Changes in his early invention became the
basic of the modern piano and it was very popular in the mid-18 th century. Also,
in this period it is characterized by simpler melodies such as the sonatas.

ROMANTIC (1815-1910)

20TH CENTURY (1900-2000)