...ART AND CULTURE THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES AND BEYOND Art and Culture through the Middle Ages and Beyond IWT1 Abstract In this essay I compare the art of Middle Ages period to the art of the Pop Art period. I begin by explaining each period and the social and cultural factors contributing to art during the era. I then give examples of musical works from each time, a liturgical piece from Guillaume de Machaut, and a rock and roll song from Pop Art icon Elvis Presley. A summary includes a compare and contrast of the styles in whole and of the specific pieces, noting the impact of rock and roll on modern day music and society. Art and Culture through the Middle Ages and Beyond The subject of art throughout history is one that is widely debated and highly subject to interpretation. One thing that isn’t debatable is that cultural influences from centuries ago are as relevant as ever, from theming box office movies to manipulating the way we see the world around us. Of course, art forms are available in a wide variety, but I find music to be perhaps the most influential. To further elaborate, I will give an explanation of two separate periods of music through history in the following essay. The Middle Ages The Middle Ages, also referred to as the Medieval period, was a time when science and technology were being pursued perhaps more than ever, yet humanism wasn’t quite in the lead. “We are inclined today to romanticize the Middle Ages as a time when things were simpler...
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...Music and Its Effect on the Learning Experience of Children from Early Childhood To Adulthood Abstract Research proves that music has a major impact on the brain of individuals of all ages. This work focuses on how the use of music, melody, and song can play a positive role in the learning experiences of children throughout all grade levels if implement by teachers and instructors. With the assistance of three children, one from each age group (early childhood, middle to late childhood, and adolescence) it is proven that music does have an effect on the learning experience. It is also proven that ideas can be drawn from the developmental theories of Jean Piaget, Lev Vgotsky, and Sigmund Freud to correlate with the responses of the three children about how music effects their learning. Introduction If you were told that two groups of students in a case study were found to improve at significantly different rates in learning subjects such as reading and math in an elementary school what would you think was the independent variable used in the case study? Would you suspect that the independent variable was a difference curriculum? Maybe you would suggest that it could have been a difference in teachers? Or perhaps the groups were in different schools, private or public, urban or suburban. But how likely would you think it that the significant difference in progress could be attributed...
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...THE HISTORY OF MUSIC The Middle Ages 450-1450 Characteristics of Music Music comes from the Ancient Greek muses, who were the nine goddesses of art and science. Music actually began around 500 B.C. when Pythagoras experimented with acoustics and how math related to tones formed from plucking strings. The main form of music during the Middle Ages was the Gregorian chant, named for Pope Gregory I. This music was used in the Catholic Churches to enhance the services. It consisted of a sacred Latin text sung by monks without instrumentation. The chant is sung in a monophonic texture, which means there is only one line of music. It has a free-flowing rhythm with little or no set beat. The chants were originally all passed through oral tradition, but the chants became so numerous that the monks began to notate them. Music in Society Towards the end of the Middle Ages, about the 12th and 13th centuries, music began to move outside of the church. French nobles called troubadours and trouveres were among the first to have written secular songs. Music of this time was contained among the nobility, with court minstrels performing for them. There were also wandering minstrels who would perform music and acrobatics in castles, taverns, and town squares. These people were among the lowest social class, along with prostitutes and slaves, but they were important because they passed along information, since there were no newspapers. Links to Composers...
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...The Middle Ages After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, Western Europe entered a time known as "The Dark Ages" — a period when invading hordes of Vandals, Huns, and Visigoths overran Europe. These years were marked by constant warfare, the absence of a Holy Roman Emperor, and the virtual disappearance of urban life. Over the next next nine centuries, the newly emerging Christian Church came to dominate Europe, administering justice, instigating "Holy" Crusades against the East, establishing Universities, and generally dictating the destiny of music, art, and literature. It was during this time that Pope Gregory I is generally believed to have collected and codified the music known as Gregorian Chant, which was the approved music of the Church. Much later, the University at Notre Dame in Paris saw the creation of a new kind of music called organum. Secular music was performed throughout Europe by the troubadours and trouvères of France. And it was during these "Middle Ages" that Western culture saw the appearance of the first great name in music, Guillaume de Machaut. The Last Supper by Tintoretto The Renaissance Generally considered to be from ca.1420 to 1600, the Renaissance (which literally means "rebirth") was a time of great cultural awakening and a flowering of the arts, letters, and sciences throughout Europe. With the rise of humanism, sacred music began for the first time to break free of the confines of the Church, and a school of...
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...Throughout the 1920’s jazz music was a defining aspect of American culture; it also had a huge effect on society.. People of the time saw either playing or listening to jazz as a way to feel free or even escape from their daily lives. With the social changes going on in the 20’s, like the parties and the way people behaved, jazz fit right in with the changing times. Many jazz enthusiasts will argue that you are born with a love of jazz (Jazz History: The Standards). Like Louis Armstrong once said, "if you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know" (Music with Ease > Jazz Quotes). In conjunction with the roaring twenties, jazz made it to the top and became widely known across the United States, and even some parts of Britain, making it a worldwide movement. It came very popular with people who wanted to get away from their normal lives and escape into the swing of jazz. Novelist F Scott...
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...The Brand Change of “The Beatles” Summary This topic is written on the brand change of The Beatles. A brand encompasses the bands genre, image, music, public perception and many other aspects which will be explored in this paper. It begins with the early days of The Beatles starting out as a new pop/rock band and the promising career of four young musicians. It then moves on to their more serious music approach and international branding. The band then transfers to their drug and hallucinogens brand. Shortly after it focuses on the public perception of the brand as they broke up and started their separate careers. Finally it will explain how the brand is known in the present age. Then the paper will move into some of the concepts discussed in the readings which include the genres and subgenres the band created. The end of the paper will move into a critical argument about how the brand of The Beatles has drastically changed over the years. Throughout The Beatles life their image, public persona and genre have all changed from their early pop/rock brand to one of the most influential rock bands in the world. Introduction The Beatles were an English rock band that consisted of four musicians. The first musician John Lennon was the main singer/song writer of the band. The second musician Paul McCartney was also a singer/song writer and played many different instruments. The next musician, George Harrison was the lead guitarist. The final musician Ringo Starr was the drummer...
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...The Glazounov Saxophone Concerto Alexander Konstantinovich Glazounov was a Russian composer, music teacher and conductor. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1865 to his book-publisher father and pianist mother, from the start it would seem that his life was already in motion to being a musical one. Glazounov met Rimsky-Korsakov (famous for orchestral works such as Scheherazade), at a young age and was inspired to begin study at the piano at the age of nine and began composing works at the young age of 11. By the age of 16 Glazounov had composed the first of nine symphonies all under the direction of Mily Balakirev, who at the time was a famous Russian Empire pianist (naxos) it was premiered on March 29th, 1882. Throughout his life he ran into several famous composers that further influenced his compositions, from Franz Liszt to Wagner (Oxford) Alexander was able to even show his gratitude by showing their influence in his works. Glazounov was an internationally known composer whose reverberations were felt throughout the world and more specifically Russian Romantic period. Alexander Glazounov received honorary Doctor of Music degrees from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge Later in life, Glazounov found himself in Paris. During his stay he was inspired by the sounds of the French Guard, or Garde Républicaine, which was filled with saxophones at the time, the rich sounds of the ensemble sparked his creativity and the end result was his Saxophone Concerto. Glazounov’s Concerto...
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...Time has the ability to change many things. Susan Jacoby’s book, An Age of American Unreason, highlights the numerous changes that have occurred throughout the history of the United States. Specifically, Jacoby focuses on the changes from the sixties on. Therefore, nostalgia plays a large part in the arguments Jacoby articulates against the world today. For this reason, her reliance on nostalgia makes her arguments weak as they rely heavily on an emotional appeal while simultaneously advocating for the use of more intellectual thought through evidence and reasoning. However, Jacoby presents strong arguments for limiting screen time and a thorough analysis of the impacts of America’s heavily religious population, but lacks a strong argument...
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...Music is mentioned throughout “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” multiple times. The narrator describes the city during “the Festival of Summer,” where it seems that music plays loudly 24/7. The type of music described is very a cheerful style, which is the opposite of what is going on underneath the city where the little malnourished boy lives in a tool closet for the wellness of the city. The people of the city who all know of the boy, dance to the music and use it to forget about the child suffering for them. The music that plays throughout the story, is a way of distraction for the people; they dance and run around enjoying the perfection of Omelas while the child suffers. Music is a big part of Omelas. Within the first few sentences describing Omelas, the narrator says, “In other streets the music beat faster, a shimmering gong and tambourine, and the people went dancing, the procession was a dance” (531). Everything about that description sounds cheerful and joyous. It is mentioned by the narrator, that the only thing Omelas does not have is guilt. This is partly because everyone who feels guilt leave, the other reason is because of how perfect the city is. How could one feel guilty when they just get to enjoy music and dance around to forget about...
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...spread of it and how it impacted the different cultures within the medieval age. From the rise of the Christian Churches to the time of courtly love, troubadours and the romantic love era vernacular languages impacted the people of France throughout Western Europe and the rest of the world. Though the people of the general population where not able to interpret and understand the Latin language known as the language of the elite (the educated or the people of higher and political authority) until mid to late middle ages, they began to write and speak through the common languages within their countries to make it easier to communicate and understand laws, romantic love and to also spread the words of god within the Christian churches. The Catholic Church was established in 325 CE (Sayre,2013), approximately 300 years after the death of Jesus Christ. By 476 BE, the Germans had taken over the Roman Empire under the rule of Constantine as he started to build his empire known as the Byzantine Empire . Constantine, the first Christian ruler, a believer of Jesus Christ, moved the Roman Empire to Instanbul, formerly known as modern day, Turkey. Upon establishing his empire and the Christian church Constantine named that city after himself, Constantinople. After the Christian Church was established came the Medieval Ages which took place in Britain. The Medieval Age was also known as the dark or the middle ages. Not many things changed or were created during this time, as the people...
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...American Jazz Music Jazz music came about in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is considered to be “America’s Music.” People call it this because of the way it was developed. In the mid 1800’s, during the times of slavery and segregation, the art of jazz music swept over the south. Particularly Louisiana. Blacks, whites, men and women of all ages and backgrounds came together and created a new, more artsy form of music that is known as jazz. What makes jazz music so special is that it is one of a kind and that it is unpredictable. People would just get together and play their instruments, usually the bass, trumpet or piano, and make beats and play any sporadic melody that came to them. The music was enjoyed by many, and was a sort of doorway for many other kinds of music to be developed from. These other kinds of music include the blues and ragtime. During the time period that jazz was developed, it was a way for both the musicians and the listeners to forget their problems and just enjoy what they were hearing. Jazz spread quickly and was soon spread throughout the south and became popular with all kinds of people. Slaves would sing and doo-wop on their plantations to help pass time. Many believe that this was also partly responsible for the birth of Jazz music. Throughout the jazz era, slavery was in full gear in the south. Within a few years, the civil war broke out. Jazz was not only played for listening pleasure, jazz was played as a way to express...
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...The Jazz Age: Prevailing Opportunities for African Americans Thesis and Outline Thesis: The increased popularity of jazz music led to a growing acceptance of African American culture and presented African Americans the opportunity to gain social status. Introduction During the Jazz Age, jazz music, primarily dominated by African Americans before 1920, began to gain popularity among whites and transformed into an important aspect of American culture. The increased popularity of jazz music led to a growing acceptance of African American culture and presented African Americans the opportunity to gain social status. The Beginnings of Jazz music and Prevailing Opportunities for African Americans Music has always played an essential part in African...
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...several of them. His German background influenced many of his works as he lived in different cities throughout Germany in his lifetime. Although, he composed so many cantatas and other types of work, only fewer than a dozen were published in his lifetime as his music was regarded as old-fashioned. Many have noticed that “the dramatic and emotional force of his music, as evidenced in the Passions, was remarkable in its day and has spoken to succeeding generations with increasing power…. Bach’s music is supreme—to quote Wagner: ‘the most stupendous miracle in all music’.” Bach was born in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany on March 31, 1685. Coming from a family of musicians definitely aided him to become who he was. He studied religion, Latin, and other subjects in school starting at the young age of seven. Most of his pieces will reflect his strong North German Protestant religion, which was very...
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...Seeing that Wynton Marsalis was born and raised in the birth place of Jazz music; it is no surprise that he was inspired by some of the greats of the Jazz genre and himself turned out to be a great musician in the world of Jazz. Wynton was born October 18, 1961 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was born into a musical family. Although his mother Deloris was not a musician, his father Ellis was a pianist and also a teacher of music. His older brother Bradford was a musician as well. As a child he would always hang around at different gigs his father would play at or listen in at rehearsals. He was not really into the type of music they were playing but he liked the players as people and what music meant for them. At that time in history, it took a great deal of character and integrity for southern musicians. Playing music was like a stab and segregation and he really admired all of them for that. (Wyntonmarsalis.org, December2012) At the age of six, Wynton received his first instrument; a trumpet from his father’s member Al Hirt. He was amazing from the moment he played his trumpet. He practiced every single day. By the time he was eight years old he played classical jazz in his church band with Danny Barker the banjo player. Jazz came very natural to Wynton; living in New Orleans which was oozing with jazz had a lot to do with that. From that point on Wynton played in every youth orchestra and community band that he could find to fit into his schedule. He had a passion...
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...What is Jazz? Some people will tell you that jazz is a style of music that originated from African-Americans here in America and was adopted by white people over the years. Other people will tell you that jazz is the heart and soul of Blues music and a spinoff of Ragtime and a way of loosely expressing yourself through music. Both of these interpretations are correct, but by dictionary definition, jazz is music originating from New Orleans around the beginning of the 20th century and subsequently developing through the various increasingly complex styles, generally marked by intricate, propulsive rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, improvisatory, virtuosic solos, melodic freedom, and a harmonic idiom ranging from simple diatonicism through chromaticism to atonality. Jazz music is all of this and yet so much more. In order to play jazz, you have to take something and tweak it to make it your own. The biggest difference between jazz piano and regular classic piano is simply the style in which you play it. With classic piano, you stick to the rhythms and notes that are written on the pages. The music goes almost perfectly with the score and there is no room for relaxation between notes. With jazz piano however, you move with the music. Within the rhythms, you get to swing to your own style. Jazz piano is much more lose and free. Also with jazz, a lot of the times, you improvise the music meaning that it’s not written down and the player comes up with the notes and...
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