The Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, leading to a loss of knowledge and the rise of oral tradition in medieval music. Notation systems evolved from un-heightened neumes to square notation to capture melodies. Early medieval music was mostly monophonic and focused on beautiful, sacred melodies. Hildegrad von Bingen was a German nun who composed non-traditional melodies mimicking the inflected voice. Leonin and Perotin were French composers who invented the first polyphonic music through organum, writing multi-part chants in Ars Antiqua style in The Great Book of Organum.

1. B Y S A G E H A R R I S O N
INTRO TO MEDIEVAL MUSIC

2. HISTORY
• Roman Empire fell in 476 AD-
knowledge lost
• Oral tradition
• New system of notation

3. UN-HEIGHTENED NEUMES

4. HEIGHTENED NEUMES

5. SQUARE NOTATION

6. TEXTURES
• Monophonic
• Single line + drone
• Focus: beautiful, lyrical melodies
• Sacred in topic

7. HILDEGARD VON BINGEN
• Lived from 1098-1179
• She was a German nun known for her prophecies
• Prophecies set to music
• Her melodies were non-traditional
• Mimicked inflection in the voice
• Ordo Virturum

8. LEONIN AND PEROTIN
• French composers
• Perotin was Leonin’s student
• First polyphonic music
• Ars Antiqua
• Invented multi-part chant: organum
• Wrote the first annual cycle of organum
• Book called Magnus Liber Organi or “The Great
Book of Organum”