Dance Music Flashcards
What is Dance Music?
Dance music is a genre of instrumental music that was originally meant to be danced to. However, as time passed stylized dance music was created to be listened to instead of danced to.
What is Dance Music based on?
The tradition of instrumental improvisation
When did Dance music first emerge?
13th century
What was early Dance Music like?
Monophonic with modal melodies
What was the formal structure of Dance Music and why?
Sectional to allow for flexibility in the length of the music
Why was Dance music not documented very often?
Dance music was secular and was passed down by ear instead of being written down by the church
What was the role of instruments in Medieval society?
To provide accompaniment and to create dance music
What were some examples of instruments in Medieval society?
Sackbut: A brass instrument with a slide that is an ancestor of the trombone
Shawm: A reed instrument with a piercing tone that is the ancestor of the oboe
Dulcimer: A string instrument struck with small hammers contained in a wood sound box
Vielle: Bowed string instrument that was the ancestor of the violin
Lute: A plucked string instrument that had a gentle sound
Psaltery: A trapezoidal wood sound box containing plucked strings
What were Haut instruments?
Haut is French for high and refers to loud instruments such as the sackbut and shawm (outdoor)
What were Bas instruments?
Bas is French for low and refers to the quiet instruments such as the Dulcimer, Vielle, Lute and Psaltery (indoor)
What is Heterophony?
A style of music playing where one instrument plays the melody while another plays an improvised version of the melody at the same time
What are some types of Medieval dances?
Estampie: A dance with elaborate body movement danced by couples
Saltarello: A dance where participants take wide leaps
Ronde: A dance where participants move in a circular pattern
Basse Danse: A dance where partners glide gracefully and slowly
What is the Chansonnier du Roy, what does it mean and how does it relate to Dance Music?
It is a songbook with music from the trouveres and troubadours, is one of the first examples of notated dance music, means songbook of the king, and it has 8 monophonic dances in it
ALL CHARACTERISTICS OF ROYAL ESTAMPIE NO.4
Genre: Estampie/dance music
Composer: Anonymous
Larger work: Chansonnier du Roy
Composition date: Late 13th century
Texture: Monophonic
Mode: Dorian
Structure: Sectional with open + closed endings
Performing Forces: Variable instruments, but lute and oud in recording
Melodic range: Narrow
