The music of the Middle Ages revolved around the life of the Catholic Church. The sacred melodies were designed for vocal performance during liturgy. They had free flowing rhythm, tended to move within a narrow range of pitches, and were based on the "church modes" or unfamiliar to the modern listener scales. In a way, sacred music was restricted to monotonic tunes, where the emphasis lays on the meaning of the words, frequent recitations on a single note, and the monophonic texture of the chant. On the contrary, the secular music in the Middle Ages, performed by the troubadours, widely utilized available musical instruments for accompaniment and had clearly defined rhythm. …show more content…
The melodies had mainly polyphonic texture, and were calm, well-balanced, without extreme contrasts of dynamics, tone color, or rhythm. A cappella or unaccompanied music was prevalent, with each melodic line having its rhythmic independence, moving along a scale with a few large leaps. The sacred music from the Renaissance era conveys serenity, calmness, and otherworldly quality. On the other hand, secular music of the time favors homophonic textures, and the instrumental music gains more popularity, with the lute becoming one of the favorite instruments for the