LESSON 2:

SECULAR MUSIC OF MEDIEVAL PERIOD

 SECULAR MUSIC

Secular means being separated or not associated

with the church or religion, Secular music in the Middle
Ages was influenced by swaying authority that focused
more on the law or legal system of the society. Secular
music included love songs that used musical instruments
such as the harp, drums and bagpipes.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF SECULAR SONGS

Secular songs have the following distinguishing traits and some comparisons
with the Gregorian chants:
• Secular songs are written in monophonic texture with only one melodic line
notation just like chants.
• Secular songs employ more topics or themes than plainsong.
• Usually, secular songs use traditional church modes, but there are
instances when Ionian mode (major mode) and Aeolian mode (minor mode)
are employed.
• Native languages are applied in creating secular songs unlike the Latin of
Gregorian chants.
• Generally secular song are syllabic.
• Unlike the free-flowing rhythm of Gregorian chants, secular songs are
mostly in triple meter.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF SECULAR SONGS

The performers of secular songs during the Middle Ages are the
travelling minstrels. In France, they are called jongleurs; In Germany,
gaukler; and in England, gleemen. These minstrels are low of social
order, along with the prostitutes and slaves, who have no civil rights.
They usually sing songs composed by others. They entertain feudal
courts with their acrobatic shows, jugglery, and trained animals.
 SECULAR SONGS IN FRANCE

In France, the Medieval secular songs are written by poet-musicians

troubadours and trouveres. They were educated and cultured men from the
nobility class residing in the feudal courts. Poetry made by these poet-musicians is
divided into the following categories:
• Planh is lament on the death of a distinguished person.
• Chanson de toile is spinning song.
• Pastourelle is a song in dialogue form between a knight and a shepherdess.
• Chanson de geste is a narrative poetry with extraordinary characters.
• Chanso is a poem of love.
• Tenso is a poem in the form of dialogue.
• Sirventes and Enueg are poems that uses sarcasm in exposing follies
• Aube is a song of a friend watching over lovers.
 SECULAR SONGS IN FRANCE

Some of these poet-musicians were:

Troubadours Trouveres
• Marcabru of Gascony • Conon de Bethune
• Guiraut Riquier • King Thibaut IV of Navarre
• Giraut de Bornelh • Blondel de Nesle
• Bernart de Ventadorn • Adam de la Halle
• Bertran de Born
 ADAM DE LA HALLE (1220-1288)

Adam de la Halle was also

known as the Adam the Hunchback.
The nickname “the Hunchback” was
not a description that he had a hunch
in his back but perhaps a family name.
A trouvere, Adam de la Halle was born
in France probably in 1237. His other
nickname, Adam of arras, suggests
that he came from Arras, France.
Cistercian abbey of Vaucelles is where
he studied theology, grammar, and
music. He composed the most famous
of his works: Le Jeu de Robin et
Marion, and Le Jeu de la Feuillee.
 SECULAR SONGS IN GERMANY

The songs of French poet-musicians are the standards followed poet

composers in Germany. Minnesang was a tradition of lyric and song writing
in Germany that flourised in the twelfth century. These German poet-
composers are minnesingers and meistersingers.
Minnesingers literally means “singers of love song.’’ They produce
minnelied, literature of German poetry and song. The main minnesingers
were Wislav von Rugen, Heinrich von Meisse, Walther von der Vogelweide,
Heinrich von Morungen, and Neidart von Reuental.
The meistersingers or master singers are the successors to the
minnesingers. They create their musical called meistergesang. Some of the
meistersingers were Adam Puschmann, Kondrad Nachtigall, and Hans
Sacs.
 LATIN SECULAR SONGS

Latin secular songs called conductus are created by wandering

students of the Medieval period. Different topics such as drinking,
love, political satire, and the vulgar topics that deal with sex
humorously are used in creating such secular songs. An example of
this conductus is The Song of the Sibyl.The song was declared as a
Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by
UNESCO in November 2010.