Music of the middle Ages & catholic church?

Question

Was the Catholic church a positive or negative factor with regard to the developement of music in the Middle Ages?
Did music develope because of the help of the church or in spite of its interference

Answer 1

Gosh. I wonder what all those sung masses were about? The church sustained many composers by commissioning works from them. It was one of the major patrons of composers and musicians in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

There was a little hiccup at the Council of Trent, when ecclesiastical music may have been banned, but Palestrina saved the day by writing music that could also be understood as a mass. Gregorian chant had developed to the point that the actual words could not be identified.

Answer 2

I've been reading your questions the last couple of days. I really like them. Are you taking classes in theatre and music? What interests me is that I also took classes in theatre and film studies and music history. Keep them coming, it's making me think about things I've learned and keep those lessons fresh in my mind.

I'd answer this question but I think I don't rememebr too much about that class. I do rememebr that it was the middle ages when church music was allowed to use native languages instead of latin for their services (thank you to Martin Luther) Prior to the middle ages, the only music there was publicly was for teh church and by the church. It was also durring this time when music became secular. I hope I'm right about that.

Answer 3

and the Church's interest in music and the support of small furry animals lead to a phrase still popular in English today:
Gopher Baroque