During the castle era (roughly the 6th to 15th centuries), the music you would hear depended on where you were in the castle. Most surviving music from this period is either sacred (church-related) or secular (non-religious), ranging from haunting vocal chants to lively instrumental dances.
Secular Court Music (The Great Hall)
In the social heart of the castle, music was central to feasts, tournaments, and courtly life.
- Troubadour & Trouvère Songs: Noble poet-musicians in France composed songs about courtly love, chivalry, and war. These were typically solo vocal melodies, sometimes with improvised instrumental accompaniment.
- Chansons: Popular lyric-driven songs, often performed in aristocratic courts.
- Estampies: One of the most common forms of instrumental dance music. These were lively, rhythmic pieces with a repeated melody used for dancing at court.
- Madrigals: Later in the era (14th century), these secular vocal pieces with multiple independent voices (polyphony) became popular in Italy and England.
Sacred Music (The Chapel)
Castles often had their own chapels where daily religious services were held.
- Gregorian Chant: Monophonic, unaccompanied vocal music sung in Latin.
- Organum: An early form of harmony where one or more vocal parts were added to a plainchant melody. [2, 7, 9]
Common Instruments
Medieval music relied on instruments that sounded quite different from their modern descendants:
- Strings: The lute (a pear-shaped ancestor of the guitar), vielle (medieval fiddle), harp, psaltery, and hurdy-gurdy.
- Winds: Recorders, flutes (made of wood), shawms (a loud, buzzy ancestor of the oboe), and bagpipes.
- Percussion: Tabors (small drums often played with a pipe), nakers (small kettledrums), and chime bells.
Music for Different “Volumes”
Medieval musicians often categorized instruments by volume:
- Bas (Soft): Lutes, harps, and recorders used for intimate indoor settings like chambers.
- Haut (Loud): Shawms, trumpets, and drums used for outdoor ceremonies, dancing, or signaling from the castle towers.
Would you like to find some modern recordings or performances of these specific medieval musical styles?
[3] https://wisconsin.pressbooks.pub
[5] https://earlymusicmuse.com
[8] https://earlymusicmuse.com
[10] https://www.shockwave-sound.com
[12] https://www.classical-music.com
[13] https://www.benningviolins.com
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