Chapter 5
Alfonso el Sabio
Songs to the Virgin Mary
Chapter at a Glance
Listen to This First
Timbre: The Sound of Double Reeds
Form: Repetition and Contrast
Connect Your Playlist: Instrumental Timbre
Three Kinds of Texture
Performance: Reed Instruments
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
5.2 Describe the use of repetition, variation, and contrast to create a large-scale form.
monophonic, polyphonic, and heterophonic.
5.5 Describe the difference between single– and double-reed wind instruments.
5.7 Name other instruments used in the Middle Ages.
Key Concepts
medieval instruments, heterophony, form based on large-scale repetition, variation,
drone bass
Chapter Highlight: Instrumental Music
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Chapter Summary
Very little instrumental music survives from the Middle Ages, in large part because
composers did not notate music for instruments. Instrumentalists would have played
mostly by ear, and if they did read music, they adapted it for their own instruments.
Essentially the same musical language was used for vocal and instrumental music, and
and a B section, and different textures (monophony, homophony, and heterophony).
The sound of medieval instruments initially might strike some listeners as odd. It
is worth noting that although the instruments can sound very different, medieval
Listening Guide
Music with text tends to provide the students with something to hold on to. Pieces
without text can be more challenging. The Listening Guide for Chapter 5 illustrates how
the music breaks down into two rather short segments. Section A recurs several times,
MyMusicLab Resources
Animated Notation: Three Kinds of Texture: Heterophony
Animated Notation: Three Kinds of Texture: Homophony
Animated Notation: Three Kinds of Texture: Monophonic Texture
Automated Listening Guide: Alfonso el Sabio: Songs to the Virgin Mary, no. 249,
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Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
1.
2. Most instruments have undergone significant changes from their medieval roots to
their present-
Activities and Exercises
1. Have students discuss their own familiarity with instrumental music. Bring in (or
have the students bring in) examples of instrumental versions of vocal music from
more recent repertories. Discuss the things the arranger does to make instrumental
works out of vocal ones.
Journaling Prompts
When modern musicians choose to play medieval instruments, they usually choose to
play some version of a vocal piece from the Middle Ages. What aspects of the pieces do
you think that the performers have to consider?
If you had to provide music for a film set in the Middle Ages, what types of music would