Medieval music was either religious (sacred, liturgical) or secular (music that wasn't written for the Church). Secular medieval music, which included folk songs, ballads, dance music, and other genres and subgenres, was often instrumental or both vocal and instrumental, and it was popularized by the troubadours and trobairitz (the wandering musicians) as well as the bards and minstrels. In contrast, religious medieval music was vocal, and it was known as the plainchant or the Gregorian chant, as it was mainly chanted by monks.

One of the most popular medieval songs was the sixteenth-century English folk song "Greensleeves." Many thought that it was actually King Henry VIII who wrote and composed the song about his mistress and later wife, Queen Anne Boleyn.

Medieval dance was either court dance (mainly performed by nobility and royals, at courts) or country dance (usually performed by common people). The most popular medieval dance was the Carole Dance, a folk dance where the people held hands and danced in a circle or a line.