Medieval Era: Important Composers, Theorists, and Performers

Hildegard von Bingen, a twelfth century nun from Germany, was the most widely acknowledged composer of the Medieval era. She wrote sacred music and was considered a visionary. Not only is she credited with being one of the earliest known composers, but she was also a woman working in a field where traditionally women did not work. Do a web search about her and discover how amazing this woman really was.

Outside of the church, secular (non-religious) music was performed throughout Europe by troubadours (southern France and northern Italy), minnesingers (Germany), or trouvères as they were known in central and northern France. Many of the troubadours were uneducated. The secular music, as a result, was less complicated than the sacred music. This also provided a clear distinction between the educated and uneducated—the rich and the poor.

That same division still exists today. Although it is no longer a division between religion, but the division between trained musicians and untrained musicians. Trained musicians usually attend universities and are trained in classical music, whereas the commoners of today perform and enjoy music in other genres such as country, folk, rock, and other similar styles.

Due to their lack of education, the troubadours did not write down their music, so very little of it has survived. Most folk music of other eras tended to fall into this trap as well. Additionally, secular musicians in medieval times did not have to deal with copyright issues nor were there CDs to be sold, so much of their music did not have the author’s name attached to it. As a result, most secular music from this era has the name "anonymous" attached to it.

One great musician/composer came from the secular realm. Guillaume de Machaut, a Frenchman, could be considered one of the most important composers of the fourteenth century. Not only did he compose more music than anyone else of this era, his music encompasses a wide variety of musical styles and forms.

It was also during the Medieval era that a system for notating music was developed. An eleventh century monk named Guido of Arezzo invented a system of syllables used to indicate pitches and developed a basic version of the musical staff we use today.