Lana Beniko (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
unusual_sith) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2024-02-21 09:35 am
unusual_sith) wrote in fandomhigh2024-02-21 09:35 am
Entry tags:
Music, Wednesday
“Now, we’re hitting the medieval era beyond all the droning church stuff, and that’s where your historical record actually starts getting interesting,” Atton said. (He was wearing a Panopticon t-shirt for the occasion.) “While the monks were humming in tune inside their churches, outside, secular music was deeply popular. Musicians would travel from town to town, playing drums, flutes, harps and early string instruments that looked a little like boxy versions of the violins you have today.”
He leaned back against the wall. “Oh, and bagpipes,” he added. “We’re not giving you bagpipes.” That way lay insanity. “Though, to be fair, the secular and the divine didn’t always sit so far apart. The whole ‘traveling musician’ thing might have started with a bunch of young, bored priestly types, traveling around singing snarky takes on the Bible, which is an attitude I can respect.” It was something like that, anyway. “Most famously, they left behind the Carmina Burana, a collection of pretty bawdy poems and songs about religion.” He tapped the speaker to play a segment. “Now the Carmina Burana’s been set to fancy music by modern composers, so you might know the name. Remember the background next time you hear that dramatic orchestral stuff, though: this sounds awe-inspiring, but actually it’s just some medieval religious nerd complaining about fate.”
Again, he could respect that.
“These Goliards were followed by the troubadours and Minnesängers, wandering musicians who sang songs about being a very good, very heroic knight fighting battles and falling in love with princesses they never slept with.” He shrugged. “Everyone’s got a kink.”
Lana gave him an amused look. "A lot of the older Earth legends that we know were preserved through music. Chanted poetry and songs about heroes and gods, some of which eventually got written down.
"Actually, written tunes in the current Western notation style also started at about this time - the system of actually writing down notes in a way that anyone could understand began with the church wanting to standardize tunes and reuse them. So from this point forward, we have a much better idea of what music actually sounded like. Or what it was 'supposed' to, anyway. Though much transmission of music still happened person-to-person rather than via writing." Paper was expensive and fragile.
"Don't worry," she assured the class, "we won't make you try to pass a tune along like that. Although it could be interesting." Musical telephone! "Or dance, even though dance music was very popular." Between that and the bagpipes, all the fun things were out. "We have created a few of the older instruments, though, if you want to try your hand at them."
“Hell, we could probably let you make your own if we wanted to,” Atton said, amused. “Make a big wooden box, attach some strings to it...” He shrugged. “Anyway, have some troubadour music to lead us out. Then you get to mess around.”
He leaned back against the wall. “Oh, and bagpipes,” he added. “We’re not giving you bagpipes.” That way lay insanity. “Though, to be fair, the secular and the divine didn’t always sit so far apart. The whole ‘traveling musician’ thing might have started with a bunch of young, bored priestly types, traveling around singing snarky takes on the Bible, which is an attitude I can respect.” It was something like that, anyway. “Most famously, they left behind the Carmina Burana, a collection of pretty bawdy poems and songs about religion.” He tapped the speaker to play a segment. “Now the Carmina Burana’s been set to fancy music by modern composers, so you might know the name. Remember the background next time you hear that dramatic orchestral stuff, though: this sounds awe-inspiring, but actually it’s just some medieval religious nerd complaining about fate.”
Again, he could respect that.
“These Goliards were followed by the troubadours and Minnesängers, wandering musicians who sang songs about being a very good, very heroic knight fighting battles and falling in love with princesses they never slept with.” He shrugged. “Everyone’s got a kink.”
Lana gave him an amused look. "A lot of the older Earth legends that we know were preserved through music. Chanted poetry and songs about heroes and gods, some of which eventually got written down.
"Actually, written tunes in the current Western notation style also started at about this time - the system of actually writing down notes in a way that anyone could understand began with the church wanting to standardize tunes and reuse them. So from this point forward, we have a much better idea of what music actually sounded like. Or what it was 'supposed' to, anyway. Though much transmission of music still happened person-to-person rather than via writing." Paper was expensive and fragile.
"Don't worry," she assured the class, "we won't make you try to pass a tune along like that. Although it could be interesting." Musical telephone! "Or dance, even though dance music was very popular." Between that and the bagpipes, all the fun things were out. "We have created a few of the older instruments, though, if you want to try your hand at them."
“Hell, we could probably let you make your own if we wanted to,” Atton said, amused. “Make a big wooden box, attach some strings to it...” He shrugged. “Anyway, have some troubadour music to lead us out. Then you get to mess around.”
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