The thirteenth century falls within the period of classical music generally labelled “medieval music” a period that covered the earliest expressions of Western classical music between, roughly, 1000 AD and 1400 AD.  This period encompasses the Danish settlement, the Norman Conquest, the Crusades, Magna Carta, the Baronial Revolt, the early wars with Scotland, the Welsh Wars, the Black Death and the first half of the Hundred Years War – dramatic times.  During that time England was ruled by Danes, English, Normans, Plantagenet’s, and the house of Lancaster.  So England, Scotland and Wales were busy fighting each other and themselves, and all comers outside, but that did not stop great advances in music coming about, mostly brought about by the Church but with some interesting Saracen and Moorish influences.  However, the main developments in music came from outside the British Isles.

Ambrose, bishop of Milan (bishop 374 to 397) and Pope Gregory I (pope 590  to 604) are generally credited with establishing the form and conventions of plainsong, the unaccompanied singing performed, usually by the monastic community, as part of church services.  Ambrose was involved in developing antiphonal plainsong where two parts of a choir sing alternately, with the second part answering the first.  Pope Gregory is the better known of the two for providing a radical shake up of this form of music, giving his name to the result: Gregorian Chant.

At one end of our period we find Hildegard(e) of Bingen who was born into a noble family in 1098 and died in 1179.  An influential diplomat she also had a gift for writing poetry and composing music.  Famed as a mystic Hildegarde wrote down the details of 26 visions that she had experienced and set them to music.   This style of composing music regained it popularity in the 1960s …

At the other end of our period was Guillame de Machaut (born around 1300, died 1377) who was altogether a more self-conscious composer.  Mauchat was one of the “Arts Nova” composers who made many changes to French and Italian music during the 1300s.  Mauchat, in particular, is remembered for developing new ways of using rhythms.  Although he was a priest he composed extensively on the theme of unrequited passion (the troubadour theme) but he is best remembered for his mass in four parts; he was the first composer to write four separate tunes for singers with different voices, a style now known as polyphony.

Between these two we find Léonin (Leoninus) who died around 1201.  Although none of his music is known to survive he is credited with creating the Magnus Liber, the “Great Book”  of chants used at Notre-Dame in Paris in the late 1100s, which laid the foundations for the idea of harmony and of written-down composition. 

Philippe de Vitry (1291-1361) was one of the early “renaissance men”, a poet, philosopher, singer, composer, author, critic, scholar and, ultimately, bishop.  The book of his teachings, the “Ars Nova” established the use of minims and other short notes. 

Pérotin (Perotinus Magnus) was the first known composer of music in more than two independent parts.  Other than that he was active around 1200 he is a difficult figure to pin down.  Late 13^th century documents credit him with editing and improving the Magnus Liber and he was an innovator in setting Latin texts.