Listening Journal
The Assignment: Describe music and culture from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Objective: To better understand how musical expressions are organized musically, and how they function in society. Requirements:
* Read these short web articles:
“Medieval & Renaissance Music: A Brief Survey”
http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/beginlst/nocds.html
“Hildegard of Bingen: Symphony of the Harmony of Heaven” https://www.scribd.com/document/100175930/Hildegard-Von-Bingen
“Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377)” read the short Biography section at the beginning http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/composers/machaut.html
* Watch and listen to these Youtube videos:
1. “Ordo Virtutam [Play of Virtues]” Hildegard of Bingen (Germany, 1098-1179)
2. “Machaut: Dreams In The Pleasure Garden – Chansons – Je puis trop bien” Guillaume de Machaut (France, 1300-1377) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7Lt-s2kWxE
3. “El Grillo [The Cricket]” Josquin Desprez (France, 1455-1521)
4. “Since Robin Hood” Thomas Weelkes (England, 1575-1623)
* Write a short paragraph (about 125-175 words) about each of four pieces of music from this unit, for a total of two pages (double-spaced) for the entire assignment. In each listening response, answer all three of these questions:
1. Briefly describe some key cultural, environmental, acoustic, social, historical, economic and/or political characteristics of this place.
2. Briefly explain some important musical characteristics of music in this recording, and/or of this era and place.
3. Briefly describe the sounds. Listen to the recording and write about it in your own words, including your reaction to it, how it makes you feel.
Notes on writing style and format:
* It should be about 2 pages in length. * Use 1 1/2 or double line spacing (do not use single line spacing). * Use a standard 10-12 point plain font such as Verdana, Arial, or Times New Roman. * Use standard margins. * Proofread your work, and use a spell checker. * In your document, be sure to include your name, the date, the course and section numbers, and the name of this assignment.
