The medieval musicians improvise, which means adding and changing musical materials as he or she performed a piece. The kind of instrument or voice to be used, the pitches in the melody, the kind of accompaniment might vary from one time to the next and so do the tempo, the volume, and the rhythm. The music ranges from the sacred to the wicked and from a solo with a single melody sung alone to the richly voices of several working all together. The church, the court, the university, the town, and the tavern have all contributed evidently to music. The most serious music, both sacred and secular, was song, involving words as an important part. .
Medieval instruments included bagpipes, lute, hurdy-gurdy, harps, and many more. .
The bagpipe was heard and appreciated by all levels of society. Bagpipes have always been made in many shapes and sizes, and have been played throughout Europe. They have been used in solo dances and monophonic music. .
The lute held the highest respect of all musical instruments. They were used in for voice and other soft instruments. The lute goes out of tune easily.
The hurdy-gurdy is the first stringed instrument. There is a wheel cranked by a handle. The outer rim of the wooden wheel is coated with resin. When the crank is spun, the wheel turns and the gut strings vibrate. The bagpipe and the hurdy-gurdy both use drones. .
These are just a few of the many medieval instruments. .
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Medieval Fashion.
Fashion differed from country to country, but certain fashion trends became widespread across Europe. The puff sleeve started in France in the 1550s, and in the 1560s, most women wore them. The dresses noblewomen wore stressed luxury and wealth. A lot of money was put into clothing. Women often had pearls and jewels sewn onto their dresses to show how rich they were. They wore loose gowns that was made with ample skirts reaching well on to the ground, and it was gathered in at the waist by a belt of wool, cloth, silk, or cloth of gold web.