Music of the Renaissance

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Music of the Renaissance

• Or, the History of Music, part II

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The Renaissance on a World Scale

• It is a French word meaning rebirth
• This was a cultural shift in Europe between the
  late 14th and 17th centuries, starting in Italy
• The church lost power after the Hundred Years
  War
• Culturally, it encompassed a shift towards
  knowledge and education
• Mostly, however, the period is known for the arts
• Martin Luther, Leonardo da Vinci , Michelangelo,
  Copernicus, Galileo,

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(No Transcript)
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But more on a Musical Tone

• Renaissance music describes the music during this
  shift, usually written in the 15th and 16th
  centuries
• Like the end of Medieval times, music was
  everywhere
• During Renaissance, it was in every facet of life
• Any event/ceremony had music accompanying it
• Vocal music still used much more

A nice example.
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More Musical Tones

• Melodies of the time were used with counterpoint
• Four voices in a piece became the accepted
  standard
• Harmony was still based on old church modes
• But, harmony was experimented with and changed
• Old Medieval forms were used, but new forms
  developed

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Polyphony continues

• Everyone remembers old Medieval polyphony, right?
• More voices were added to each line of a song,
  adding depth
• Four lines in a piece added much harmonic depth
• Parts no longer crossed, expanding ranges
• Similar themes were shared, making the music like
  a conversation

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More changes to music

• Imitation became huge
• One voice would state a theme, another would
  repeat it, and so on, sometimes with modification
• Dissonance made a debut in the Renaissance
• Medieval composers did one line at a time,
  Renaissance did all lines at once
• Dissonance was used for contrast and interest
  before cadences, at dramatic moments, and weak
  beats

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Giving meaning to Music

• Words were no longer just in the music
• Text painting was developed using the mood of
  the words to shape the music
• Happy moments went up, sad went down
• Rhythm was freed, allowed to change and be more
  spontaneous
• Meters would mix, syncopation showed up

Some vocal work
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Religious Music of the Renaissance

• The motet shifted toward being strictly
  religious, thus joining the Mass as important
  sacred music
• Bottom voices were probably on instruments
• Rhythmic energy was more intense, phrases longer
• Masses developed the use of canon
• All in all, Mass became interesting again
• Famous dudes Dufay, Ockeghem, Josquin

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Josquin
Some Josquin
More Josquin
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Religious Music of the Renaissance

• After the Reformation, chorales/hymns became very
  important to regular religious service
• To counteract this, the Catholic church fought
  polyphony yet again
• Music would use dissonance sparingly, had
  beautiful counterpoint, and avoided chromaticism
• Other religious music developed in different
  ways, using many strings as well as
• Antiphony two groups playing back and forth

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And now, Secular.

• Music was just as much a part of life as TV or
  movies nowadays
• It was expected that the upper and middle classes
  develop musical aptitude
• After dinner, family and guests would play for
  the night, just for fun
• This was all due in great part to the new
  invention of printing music
• The process was crude and expensive, and mostly
  centered on vocal music

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Secular continues in Italy

• Italy started taking over the musical scene
• Madrigals changed with the time, adjusting to fit
  the stanzas and poetic lines they were based off
  of
• Madrigals became the popular form of
  entertainment, written for five equal voices, and
  concerned with all facets of love
• They really utilized text painting

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A name worth knowing.

• Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
• His madrigals were the epitome of the time, being
  some of the most famous and popular
• He also is one of the first writers of opera
• He used a very dramatic style
• Serves as a link in to the Baroque era (coming
  soon!)

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Monteverdi
An example Yet another example
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Somewhere else not France

• England finally enters the music scene
• Monteverdis music traveled across Europe,
  reaching England finally
• They loved it, then started writing their own
• The madrigals werent just about love, but all
  drama, good and bad
• Thomas Morley one of Englands first (only)
  composers

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Morley
A madrigal And then something else
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Renaissance Instruments

• They had two classifications haut and bas
  (loud and soft)
• Flutes were used, as were a great range of
  recorders, from tiny to huge
• Others of the time trumpet, sackbut, cornetto
• Viols, lutes, and guitars were the common string
  instruments of the time
• Drums, bells, and cymbals added percussive flavor
• Music could be played by all like instruments, or
  a mixture of families (consorts)

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You can dance if you want to

• Early pieces were transcriptions of vocal work
• Instrumental music was primarily used for dances
• Pavane slow, duple meter dance, followed by
• Galliard quick, leaping dance in triple meter
• The two dances would be variations on the same
  tune
• Organ and harpsichord were growing in popularity,
  especially in Germany

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Wind Instruments
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String Instruments
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Percussive Instruments
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Keyboard Instruments