Ben M’an Perdut by Bernart de Ventadorn is a troubadour song from the 12th century. Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo is an opera, created in 1607. These works are prominent examples of their respective ages’ secular music, demonstrating the common characteristics and properties of such music. Comparing the two allows one to trace the evolution and development of musical expression over four centuries as more complex and involved musical devices became commonplace.
Ben M’an Perdut by Bernart de Ventadorn is an example of Medieval troubadour music. Like most troubadour works, its texture is monophonic, with a single melodic line. The melody repeats with little variation between verses, conveying a single, unchanging emotional theme for the entirety of the piece. Overall, Ben M’an Perdut is a simple and straightforward work, particularly when compared to L’Orfeo, as the expression remains static, using simple devices to depict an emotional state in one moment in time.
L’Orfeo is an opera by Claudio Monteverdi, written in 1607. The difference between it and Ben M’an Perdut illustrates the evolution of secular music between the 12th and 17th centuries. Over its length, the opera utilizes homophonic and polyphonic textures as melodic lines, including vocals, complement one another or act independently from one another, underscoring the events of the narrative. The melodies change multiple times, expressing the various emotions experienced by the characters of the Ancient Greek myth of Orpheus. Through the changes in its melody, the opera conveys the complex mythical narrative spanning a longer period of time, multiple distinct scenes, and multiple emotional tones associated with them. As these changes can be abrupt, expressing dramatic shifts in the emotional and theatrical expression of the work.