Early Sacred Music

Early sacred music, dating back to the Medieval and Renaissance periods, primarily served religious and liturgical purposes. It includes Gregorian chant, a form of plainchant used in the Roman Catholic Church, characterized by monophonic, unaccompanied vocal music. Composers like Hildegard of Bingen and Guillaume de Machaut contributed to the evolution of sacred music, which later incorporated polyphony, where multiple independent melody lines were sung simultaneously. This music played a crucial role in worship and religious ceremonies, reflecting the spiritual and cultural values of the time.