My Trip to York Minister

Even at sunset its massive walls captured my breath, as I stood outside. Its grandeur was captivating. 

It wasn’t till the following day I ventured back to its massive presence, York Minster (Cathedral). After seeing it the night before with my cousin, I now know why so many speak so highly of it. The outside alone was just amazing beyond words.  Standing out front of the doors just made the hair on the back of my neck tingle with a familiarity I cannot describe.

A bit of history, York Minster is one of Northern Europe’s largest Cathedrals. Its presence has been noted since the time of Bede. Its beginnings began as a wooden church in 627 as a place of baptism for Edwin King of Northumbria, that year.  In 637, it was converted to a stone structure under Oswald of Northumbria and dedicated to St. Peter. Later in the 8^th century and school and a library were attached to the structure. Various ups and down of the church happened afterwards, burned by the Danes, fires, the church was rebuilt a number of times. In 1215, Walter de Grey was made archbishop and ordered the church to be rebuilt to the likeness of Canterbury. In 1220 building began and in 1420 the building was considered finished and consecrated.

Now, on to my little tour.  Of course, I had to pay a bit to go in. Student discount YAY! One thing I learned on this trip was to never leave home without that ID, I probably saved around 100 British Sterling total. Overall, I was more than happy to pay the small sum of sterling they asked and made a small donation, especially since it went to the buildings upkeep. How did they maintain York Minister?  I asked a nice friendly church volunteer and got a very well informed answer. Well, it was being worked on while I was there. One of the facades to the west I believe was draped in a green cover and intricate scaffolding.  Stonemasons are rare these days I was told, so when the church gets wind of some in the area, work or maintenance is the first order of business to be done on the old stonework of the building.

Then it was time to explore the inside. By just walking in to the doors; I cannot tell you all, how massive the sight was and how it captivated my tired eyes and head. The organ was being warmed up for later in the day (At times, I believe the organ was made for angels.), visitors were meandering around at their own pace, and I saw a tour here and there. It was quite peaceful actually.  Various stain-glassed windows were filtering the sun below making it splatter on to the floor, illuminating various corners and isles of the minister. One could get lost in there for sure just taking all the sights and sounds in. Like any student or historian, I went straight to the catacombs and exhibits that I found and learned what I could in the short amount of time I had.  I had to run and catch the train in a matter of a few hours. 

Burial of Prince William of Hatfield, Infant son of Edward III

The catacombs were underneath the main priory screen in the center of the minister. It was dark, and had that musty old castle smell, but very impressive. They had a few exhibits and you could see and the old stones of the original cathedral were left over, as columns before they were moved the building outwards and larger. There was some pretty gorgeous wooden furniture, specifically a trunk.

I went back up stairs and out, and wandered around to see who had funeral vaults, saw some I knew and some I was not so familiar with. All quite impressive.

My gaze then shifted upwards. It was a sight I probably will never forget. The latticework and intricate design and stonework of the celling were astounding. 

Overall York Minister did far more than impress. It blew my mind away. I know now why Richard III had his son instilled Prince of Wales in its massive and captivating walls. It was built for a prince, and for a king.  A well-loved king of the north.

A little video I made of the inside:)

"Sing me a song of castles and kings" Music of the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages saw an awakening and birth of many new things from the building of the cathedral, introduction to spices and some medicines from eastern trade, to the expansion and travel of music through out the various empires. Music was popular in many households and held various significances in medieval life, as well as the belief system of medieval man.

Popular instruments included the lute, flute, harp, hurdy gurdy, viola (Seen below in one of the scenes from the Starz "The White Queen" were both popular instruments), bagpipes, and other instruments.  Gregorian Chants were and are perhaps most popular in describing early medieval music.  This form of music was primarily, “monophony,” which in its simplest definition is of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_music) Gregorian Chants were highly used and popular in liturgical services and in the church.  But this does not mean that the peasants at home or nobles at court did not have some form of music, it just was not as elaborate as what was being developed in the church during mass and liturgical services. 

A drum and viola as seen in "The White Queen"

Music primarily before 1150 was primarily liturgical or sacred based.

After 1150, Europe saw the birth of the Troubadour, who held his importance and began in the courts of France, telling his tales of chivalry and love with song, in the courts of Aquitaine, with Marie de France and other noble French families.  The Troubadour is discussed below, but its popularity took music and song away from the church liturgy and developed a whole secular side of the art form. Music at this time and until the Renaissance became, “polyphony” which is a texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony). (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphony)

The introduction of polyphony perhaps is what launched the music of the Middle Ages to what we know today. It perhaps is one of the largest advances of medieval music itself. Along with this, the discovery and development of pitches, understanding tones and arrangement also help grow the art form. Notably, Notre Dame in 1150-1250 became a center for developing the western idea of rhythmic notation in music notation. From the creative and talented minds at Notre Dame came the motet. The motet, which was developed by Léonin and Pérotin who taught at the school, is a highly varied form of choral musical composition. The motet was one of the pre-eminent forms of later Renaissance music.  There were others who also used this and composed many of this important musical art:

• Adam de la Halle (1237?–1288? or after 1306)
• Johannes Ciconia (c. 1370–1412)
• John Dunstaple (c. 1390–1453)
• Franco of Cologne (fl. mid-13th century)
• Jacopo da Bologna (fl. 1340–1385)
• Marchetto da Padova (fl. 1305–1319)
• Petrus de Cruce (fl. second half of the 13th century)
• Willelmus de Winchecumbe (fl. 1270s)

As time went by, medieval music progressed and grew.  By the 14th and 15th centuries, motets became isorhythmic meaning they employed repeated rhythmic patterns in all voices.  Notably, Philippe de Vitry was one of the earliest composers to use this technique, and his work influenced Guillaume de Machaut, who one of the most famous named composers of late medieval motets. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motet)

In addition to composition and development of medieval music, an important part of the secular music world in the Middle Ages was the “Troubadour,” the traveling court musicians of the 13^th century.  It is interesting though to know that this musician was not always named this as well. The earliest mention we hear of the so-called traveling musician is in the tenth century and through the thirteenth century, where musicians called “goliards” or poet-musicians. Their backgrounds mainly came from being scholars or even ecclesiastical, in which many sung their songs in Latin. May of their songs survived with subjects of religious nature, and in contrast some telling tales of debachaury, and other moral disregard.

These musicians or trouvères were well versed in a vernacular and secular song. Most of their music compositions were accompanied by instruments, yet also sung by a professional who was a skilled poet who also was skilled in singing. The Troubadours also had their own language called Occitan, which is the Old French of the trovres. The high of their popularity saw a flowering or booming in cultural life in Provence France, which spread through out the continent. Subjects of their songs included war, chivalry, and courtly love.  After the Albigensian Crusade, which was brought on by Pope Innocent III, the movement died down.  Remaining Troubadours traveled to Portugal, Spain and northern Italy or northern France. There their skills remained and their popularity lived on. Their contributions added developments to secular music and culture in those places. The music that the trouvères introduced seemed to not be as effected by the crusade and also continued to flourish in secular life.