Music During The Middle Ages

Even though the Middle Ages was a dark time there was still brightness that was brought in, due to music. The Middle Ages was a time when music started to boom due to the influence from the Muslims due to the the crusades. It was inspired by Muslims, music was both secular and religious music, they had instruments use and they would also change it. During the Middle Ages, Islam was a major influence on Western European music, as a result Europeans were able to make their own types of music, create unique instruments, and make significant changes to the format of music.
Paragraph 1 Western Europe adopted ideas from the east to further their musical knowledge. As a result of trade and travel ideas spreader faster, "these instruments appeared
In cities and towns across Europe, music arrived with the celebration of holidays, the striking of the daily hours, public assemblies, the news of military victories or the crowning of a new king."(Streissguth), Secular music was created to make music to that was non Religious that people could enjoy. Despite how many people would despised secular music since it was not Religious it still survived and we would be able to Hear war songs caravan songs and love songs("Music") secular music was a new idea in the Middle Ages. It was hated by the Religious people because it had nothing to do with religion. The other type of music was religious,"But chanting and hymn singing were also an integral part of the Christian religious service. The earliest Christian music was plainsong, in which performers joined in a single line of melody, with the words taken from the Psalms, from prayers, and from the text of the mass."(Streissguth). Religious music was the basic music that was known by everyone. It was mostly chants from the prayer book and they were singled line. Music was also considered to be a social symbol. "Music was a key feature of ceremonies, such as processions, banquets, and tournaments. Members of the nobility competed with one another to hire the best musicians. Many aristocrats played the harp or the lute to accompany themselves as they sang."("Music") Many nobles wanted to show their wealth by getting people to play music which created entertainment for the upper class. There was also specific types of people that would perform. "MINSTRELS were higher-ranking entertainers who only sang and played instruments. Their songs tended to deal with poetic subjects rather than current events. Some minstrels wandered from place to place; others were hired by wealthy or noble families as live-in musicians. The most favored musicians obtained positions