Medieval Polyphony and Song

"This book is about the music composed for singers during the long period of Europe's history that we now call the Middle Ages, or 'medieval' period (from the Latin medium - 'middle', and aevum - 'age/era'). Though it by no means encompasses all vocal music from this period, the music explored in this book embraces a dazzling variety of sounds, including compositions of monumental scope and complexity, matched to the architectural splendour of the Gothic churches and cathedrals in which they were performed, as well as some of the most poignant songs of love and loss ever to have been written. This book aims to give an overview of where and when the different kinds of medieval polyphony and song emerged, who was responsible for composing them, singing them and writing them down, and the kinds of functions - in churches and monasteries, royal and aristocratic courts, universities, and other urban institutions - that they were created to serve"--