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April 7

Medieval songs' commonality

When listening, I feel there's a waltz-like shared commonality in many medieval or medieval-styled songs (e.g. comparing Breton "Ar Soudarded" and modern song which, according to its composer Oleg Molchanov emulates medieval English ballad). Is it the ³
₄ time signature or something else? 212.180.235.46 (talk) 11:45, 7 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably also a commonality of the then-available instruments, and of relatively small ensembles, in contrast to later periods? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 151.227.130.213 (talk) 11:55, 7 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

For both melodies I hear some commonality with Greensleeves, which is not a medieval ballad but dates from the late Renaissance period. --Lambiam 17:29, 7 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@User:212.180.235.46 what mediaeval-styled songs or mediaeval songs? Read our article on Meistersinger and come back if I'm not hitting the mark. Basically, in Mediaeval German lands, there used to be guilds of people who believed that they were gifted in the art of music making, and they prescribed what songs should sound like. It was close to forbidden to create some new theme without consent (I liken this to the way the Fools' Guild is described in the works of Master Terry Pratchett may his name forever ring out throughout the cosmos in that the Fools were not to invent jokes on their own but were limited to a strict catalogue prescribed by the Guild). --Ouro (blah blah) 21:09, 14 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]