Music of the Renaissance

A. Gabriele

The Renaissance● the period after the Middle ages that lasting until 1600

● translates to “rebirth” or “revival”

● humanism was the major intellectual movement○ the revial of ancient Greek and Roman cultural ideals○ Italy was where it all began (specifically Florence)

■ geographically close to the classic art and architecture of antiquity

■ wealthy families (i.e. the Medici)■ trade center (thanks Marco Polo!)■ city-states and principalities wanted

to show off

Europe1500

Period of ExplorationChristopher Columbus Amerigo VespucciFerdinand MagellanSir Frances DrakeSir Walter RaleighVasco da GamaHernán CortesJohn CabotJacques CartierJuan Ponce de LeonHernando de Soto

Period of ScienceJohannes Kepler

Tycho Brahe

Galileo Galilei

Nicolaus Copernicus

Leonardo da Vinci

Johannes Gutenberg

Period of the Artsdevelopment of perspective

interest in realism

Leonardo da Vinci

Michelangelo

Raphael

Donatello

Dante Alighieri

William Shakespeare

Period of the Religious Change● Martin Luther’s famous document of 1517, The 95

Theses, was the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation

● He protested the church’s act of absolving people of their sins in exchange for money, something known as indulgences.

● The use of the printing press, invented by Gutenberg, helped disseminate his Theses

● In General, Northern Europe became Protestant and Southern Europe remained Catholic, with few exceptions.

Music of the Renaissance● Every educated person was expected to be trained in music, a

continuation of the ideals of Plato and Aristotle from Antiquity.

● Vocal Music is still more prevalent and important than instrumental music, like the Middle Ages.

● Polyphony (separate, simultaneous melodic lines) remains the predominant texture of music.

● However more homophonic “chordal” music (voices moving together) was created during this period.

Music of the Renaissance● Rhythms became more fluid and steady.

● Composers used “word painting” matching the musical elements to the text (words) being sung

● An expanded bass register, lower and lower notes used by composers, made the music sound fuller than ever before

Sacred Music● The polyphonic motet continued its popularity from

the Middle Ages, and included sacred Latin text not used during the Mass.

● The Mass was a polyphonic vocal work set to the liturgy of the Catholic ceremony in Latin. It has 5 main sections:○ Kyrie○ Gloria○ Credo○ Sanctus○ Agnus Dei

Sacred Music Con’t● The most important composers of Sacred Music:

○ Guilliam DuFay (Burgundian)○ Johannes Ockeghem (Franco-Flemish)○ Josquin des Prez (Franco-Flemish)○ Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Italian)○ William Byrd (English)

● From the Protestant Reformation came a new type of hymn writing known as the chorale, where the whole church congregation sung, not just the choir.

Secular Music● Secular music during the

Renaissances exploded with the rise of individual national styles:○ Italy: frottola, an earthy, four-

part, strophic, homophonic song, and the madrigal, a more sophisticated through-composed setting of a poem

○ France: chanson, a mostly homophonic song.

○ England: developed their own version of the madrigal

○ Germany: lied was a polyphonic song.

Secular Music Con’t● The Renaissance also saw the rise of

instrumental music.

● Instruments often played vocal music, replacing one or all of the voices.

● Instrumental music’s most important function was as dance music

● Dances were grouped in twos and threes, alternating a slow dance in duple meter and a fast one in triple meter.○ France: pavane and galliard.○ Italy: passamezzo and saltarello.

Some common instruments of the Renaissance...

Recordera wind instrument

Shawma double reed wind instrument, forerunner to the oboe

Trumpeta brass wind instrument

Lutea string instrument with frets

The Viol Familya string instrument with frets

Organa keyboard instrument

Clavichorda keyboard instrument, a metal wedge strikes a string

Harpsichorda keyboard instrument, a quill plucks a string