-
Course begins June 1, 2025
-
Weekly live sessions from 1:00 to 3:00pm Eastern U.S. time
Week 1
Music and the Medieval Church, Part 1
The first session will look at how the church was fundamental to the earliest and most important developments in medieval music. Topics covered will include how Ancient Greek music informed the creation of music for the medieval church, the different types of chant, and the development of the earliest types of medieval music notation.
Week 2
Music and the Medieval Church, Part 2
We will continue learning about musical developments in the medieval church including music for the medieval mass.
Week 3
Cathedral Schools, Medieval Music Education, Notation and Textures
This week we cover the important role that cathedral schools played in medieval music education as well as the musical advancements that were made in these institutions. Topics covered will include the Notre Dame School of Polyphony, the composers Léonin and Pérotin, and the development of more complex musical textures.
Week 4
Secular Vocal and Instrumental Music
We explore the different types of secular vocal and instrumental music in the Middle Ages, including learning about the various instruments, forms (including dance music), and poet-composers such as the troubadours.
Week 5
Music in Daily Life
Our focus shifts to the role music played in the daily lives of people in the Middle Ages, from those who were living in poverty to the wealthiest.
Week 6
Music During the Fourteenth Century
Our final session focuses on musical developments in both sacred and secular music during the fourteenth century with an emphasis on the music of Italy and France.
Meet Your Instructor
Sonja Maurer-Dass
Sonja Maurer-Dass is a Canadian musicologist and harpsichordist. She is a PhD candidate in Musicology at The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada) where she will complete her doctorate in the summer of 2025. Additionally, she holds a master’s degree in Musicology specializing in late medieval English choral music from York University (Toronto, Canada). Sonja has taught Baroque music history at McMaster University (Hamilton, ON, Canada) and undergraduate tutorials on different topics in musicology and music theory at The University of Western Ontario. Her work has been published in The Medieval Magazine, Ancient History magazine, and on Medievalists.net.
“Prof Maurer-Dass was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about music. Her energy and confidence created an atmosphere in which I felt like I could ask questions, and enjoyed learning a topic that I initially would not be very interested in. I never felt judged in her class, and I loved her positivity, and that she always has a smile on her face. I can tell that she worked really hard to prep materials for us and I am extremely grateful.”
