Page 77 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

origins of the troubadours and trouvères were varied. Some were sons of bakers and drapers, others were members of the nobil- ity, many were clerics who had left the rigors of the Church, and not a few were women.
In the Middle Ages women were not allowed to sing in church,
except in convents, owing to the biblical command of St. Paul (“A
woman must be silent in the church”). But at court, women often
recited poetry, sang, and played musical instruments. A few, such
as Beatriz, Countess of Dia (Figure 4.5), were composers in their
own right. Beatriz lived in southern France in the mid-twelfth cen-
tury. She was married to Count William of Poitiers but fell in love
with a fellow troubadour, Raimbaut d’Orange (1146–1173). In her
chanson A chantar m’er (I Must Sing; see Listening Cue), Beatriz
complains of unrequited love (presumably hers toward Raimbaut)
and does so from a woman’s perspective. Like most medieval
songsters, Beatriz employs strophic form, a medieval tradition
that continues down to pop songs today. Here she constructs the single melody to serve all strophes in a clear a b a b c d b form.
Listening Cue
Countess of Dia, A chantar m’er (c. 1175)
Genre: Chanson
Texture: Monophonic
FiguRE 4.5
Beatriz, Countess of Dia, as depicted in a manuscript of troubadour and trouvère poetry.
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what to listen for: An introductory instrumental solo played by a vielle (medieval fiddle) and then the entry of the
voice, which sings the first strophe of a monophonic chanson
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Medieval Musical Instruments
In the late Middle Ages, the principal musical instrument of the monastery and cathedral was the large pipe organ. In fact, the organ was the only instrument admitted by church authorities. At court, however, a variety of instrumental sounds could be heard. Some, such as the trumpet and early trombone, were rightly identified as loud (haut). Others, such as the harp, lute (Figure 4.6), flute (recorder), fiddle (vielle), and small portable organ, were classified as soft (bas).
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