Music, "Back in the Day"

Music is the universal language of Mankind." stated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a quote generally heard by many. Longfellow meant by this quote is that people in this world all live differently; everyone has their own language that not all may understand, but music is where the world or mankind has one common bond. Music can have different instruments or even have lyrics in a different language and one who lives in New York and one who lives in the tribes of Africa will be able to understand that type of music. Both will understand what the composer is conveying through the music and types of instruments being used and both can feel the emotion that it is portraying. This is how music has been since the first type of music in the earlier centuries, specifically speaking during the 1600s -1800s. Music has evolved throughout the years and it comes in many different sounds, shapes, and even size.
In music there are a variety of pieces, instruments, style vocal, and structure. The reading from Musical Architecture, “The Need for Structure” compares a great musical experience as a vacation; the feeling of excitement and getting the plans ready for the trip, experiencing and learning about new things and places and then there is that relief and joy returning back to reality. There are large forms in a composed musical piece and is broken up into many smaller sections which are called movements. Out of the many forms in a piece the most familiar and basic fundamental are the theme and variation and the fugue. Throughout the history of music singing has been around for ages and there are many styles that can be sung: opera like, or one as a choir. One particular style in this lesson that has been studied and observed is Gregorian chant. Gregorian chant originated from the 12th and 13th century named after Pope Gregory I (Megill 107). This chant is mainly heard in churches during religious services and has said that it inspires the Holy Spirit. Gregorian chant is sung in a single line or a single melody with Latin text. The single melody is unaccompanied and is without harmony, which is known as monophony. This style is not the most popular type of singing in our time, but this style is very interesting. In the music piece entitled, “Alleluia: Vidimus Stellam” by an unknown composer, the chant in this piece starts off with a solo and then unison of male singers and the style of this chant is that the phrasing is longer and they hold the syllables longer, which makes it more dynamic and adds emphasis.
The monophonic single lined music of chants is the oldest style of music known, which then developed polyphonic music. Polyphonic music changes the monophonic (mono meaning one) to a polyphonic (poly meaning many) multi-line style of music. Polyphonic is a little more modern and heard more today for example polyphonic tones on cellular devices. It started unknowingly since women were not allowed to sing in church back then, the older males who had deeper voices would sing with the young boys, who’s voices were not developed through hormones yet, would sing at a much higher pitch than the men. So the boys would sing at a higher octave as the men in parallel melodies. The notes are very close together but you can hear the distinction of the voices (Megill 108). And it could be possible for a radical monk to come up with this idea and if it were a radical monk then polyphonic music has great importance because it has revolutionized the music we hear today.
The renaissance period was from the years 1450-1600. Many people in society have their own interpretation of what the renaissance period may have looked like or have some knowledge of the lifestyle of people in those times. The word renaissance means in French, “rebirth” and is the period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages, conventionally held to have been characterized by a surge of interest in classical learning and values (Guisepi). During this period the growth of art and literature grew far more than expected. It was said in the reading Music Appreciation, that this period was the time of sacred and secular ambience. To capture this ambience of this time period there were two music styles that took place: motet and madrigal.
The motet started in the 13th century but improved by the time of the renaissance in the 14th century. Motets are in the Latin language and the text and form of motets are sacred, usually heard during worship services (Megill 149). Latin is probably used for this style because the language has holiness to it to be used during religious gatherings. For example in “Ave Maria, gratia plena” by Josquin des Prez this is an example of a motet. The structure of the piece is very restricted from adding “word paintings” because that would take away from the sacredness of the piece and its purpose for the worship services. The flow of this style is very solemn and doesn’t have that “word painting” to paint the music and emphasis of the piece like madrigals.
Madrigals are very similar to motets when it comes to the polyphonic and homophonic textures, also the imitation techniques are similar. The language that is used for madrigals are the common dialects of French, Italian and English. This style is not used for worship service because this style is more upbeat and they are secular topics with love, humor, scenery, etc. It can be heard during social activities and gatherings as well as those in their own home. Madrigals use “word painting” because when u hear that style when they emphasize certain words and put dynamics to the piece you can imagine what the voices are singing. For example in “Song of the Birds” by Clement Janequin is staccato; it is detached and is intense with the fast tempo and imitations/ repetitiveness. That kind of style would not be appropriate for a worship service.
During the time period of the 1600s through the 1750s music had continued to develop and reached its musical peak at that time. Over time we have been educated and taught that music started as a monophonic sound and then transitioned to polyphonic sound and text. As an example monophonic and polyphonic sounds were either heard in sacred places like during worship services or they were used for entertainment and emphasized the emotion through word paintings.
From a portion of the reading it had stated that the Renaissance polyphony had opened many options and different sounds to a musical piece, which gave vocal music more clear and speech like. This was the birth of opera.
One music style that led to opera was called Baroque oratorio. This style focused and gave emphasis on detailed, just like the details in the cathedrals. This style expressed emption and love of contrasts. The musical pieces were made from the dynamics and emotion. This then led to opera. Opera began in Italy in 1637 at the opera house in Venice. The style of opera took that emotion which then developed into arias. An Aria is a songlike, emotional, and often demanding vocal work used in opera, oratorios, and cantatas (Megill 161).
One type of music that has evolved over the years and is still heard today is opera. Opera began in Italy in 1637 at the opera house in Venice. The style of opera took that emotion which then developed into arias. An Aria is a songlike, emotional, and often demanding vocal work used in opera, oratorios, and cantatas (Megill 199). The baroque period, opera has evolved into the periods of Viennese and the Romantic period.
The Viennese period was the period of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and also Gluck. The two periods evolved from the baroque period and many of the music pieces follow the styles and traditions of that period, but they also have their differences. In the opera pieces of Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini (Megill 183) they all possess and express that emotion and dynamic style that the baroque period conveyed. The differences of these later and more modern musical pieces are the structure of each piece; they contain more instrument accompaniment, which developed the symphony. In the middle of the 1700s, composers realized the organization and regularity of the baroque pieces too intense and domineering (Megill). So another difference from the past opera compositions are the thin texture of each piece. Also, the Viennese period developed and started the multi-movement works that gave richness and new refreshing structural ideas (Megill).
The Romantic operas are considered as the Golden Age of Opera because of how pure and rich romantic opera pieces are. The pieces in this period are very dramatic and filled with so much passion, dynamics, and emotion and feelings about love. Romantic opera brings an interesting entertainment filled with emotions and feelings in every piece performed and that’s why it is considered music drama.
These classic pieces are still played and featured today, comes to show that music has definitely evolved over time.


Works Cited

"A Society That Values Music Must Pay For It.(OPINION: EDITORIALS / COMMENTARY / LETTERS)." Billboard 117.26 (June 25, 2005): 6(1). Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. CCL Diablo Valley College. 20 Mar. 2009
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Megill, Donald. Music Appreciation Online. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt, 2007.

"The Need for Structure." Musical Architecture.

Colonial Medicine 1600s-1877

Colonial Medicine was scares during the 16th and 17th century. The three main professions of a doctor were a surgeon, physician, and an apothecary. Also, midwives and clergymen doubled as doctors (Written in Bone - Colonial Medicine). During these times with very little knowledge about diseases and illnesses, and more importantly cures for these diseases and illnesses were limited that many people did not survive. Medicine now in our time has journeyed a long way with new medical technology and advances. It is the art and science of healing people. In the 17th century the remedies to cure patients were from herbal and bloodletting (Written in Bone - Colonial Medicine). Bloodletting is now known as giving blood. Since treatment was very expensive during these times that the cures were much worse than the illness and disease itself.

Martha Moore Ballard was a midwife during the 1700s. A midwife is one who assists in giving birth of a child. They are usually self-trained women who help family and friends in their homes to deliver a child. It is said that no more than a dozen babies were delivered in a year by a midwife. Martha Ballard practice midwifery in her time and delivered over nine hundred babies in her 35 years of practice (Boyer). Ballard started a diary when she was at the age of fifty years old and wrote down her day-to-day activities. This diary was produced on January 1, 1785(Martha Ballard's Diary). Ballard’s diary was based on her daily routines that first started with the weather and her writing style was not in the best English grammar, with choppy sentences, but it gradually grew day after day into long and detailed entries of her works of healing and midwifery. She would write everyday and night of her experiences throughout the day. "It is now 11h Evn, my famely have been in bed 2 hours". This entry was written on May 11, 1979. Here is an entry from her diary about birth, “At 4 & 20 in morn, mrs Edson was Deliverd of a Son which waid 7 1/2 lb and at 6 & 5 minnits of another Son which wd 8 3/4 lb. Left her at about 10, mr Ballard Coming there at that time. Enformd of ye Death of our Grand Son John Town, who Last thursday morn Drank So much spirit that Causd his Death which hapend yester Day at 8 in the morn. On my return from mr Edsons, mrs Weston Cald me in, Nathan Being Sick. I tarried with her this night. Left ye Child much Better” (Martha Ballard's Diary). From this entry, although Martha Ballard was always at home, she was always “on call” for deliveries.

As years past, the diary was handed down to Martha Ballard’s daughter and remained with her for years, until a great great-granddaughter of Martha, graduated from medical school in New York City 1884. This diary can be found the Maine State Library. The document that was written by Martha Ballard shows that even education was scares for women during those times; Martha Ballard was interested in educating young women through her diary.

Another colonial medical discovery was the first autopsy performed in the year 1604 in North America by French settlers on St. Croix Island (Written in Bone - Colonial Medicine). During those times settlers were faced with diseases, casualties, and were malnourish, that many had died from them. The expedition led by the fur trader Pierre Du Gua de Monts to Acadia. Samuel de Champlain also joined and acted as historian and cartographer for de Monts (Pierre du Gua, sieur de Monts). The skull in question was discovered during excavations by the National Park Service in June 2003. The top of the skull had been removed to expose the brain; the skull cap was replaced before the body was buried (Sharp). The cuts were examined and they were just like how physicians would perform autopsies today.

Even though they are not many documented discoveries during the 1600s through the 1800s on medicine, it shows that through the years it has developed and expanded since those times. As a future physician, history sure does tell us a lot about the future.



Works Cited

Boyer, Paul. "Midwifery" 13 Feb. 2009 http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-Midwifery.html.

"Martha Ballard's Diary, Apr. 9-16, 1785 (T)." DoHistory Home. 13 Feb. 2009
http://dohistory.org/diary/1785/04/17850409_txt.html?d=17850411.

"Pierre du Gua, sieur de Monts." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 13 Feb. 2009 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/391122/Pierre-du- Gua-sieur-de-Monts.

Sharp, David. "Skull Reveals North America's Earliest Autopsy, LiveScience." LiveScience, Science, Technology, Health & Environmental News. 13 Feb. 2009 http://www.livescience.com/history/061101_ap_earliest_autopsy.html.

"Written in Bone - Colonial Medicine." SI NMNH Department of Anthropology Home Page. 13 Feb. 2009 http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/chesapeake_medicine.html.