Music History
Medieval to Renaissance
End of the Medieval Period
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Music occurring in three
main social spheres:
Church, Court, & Village
Court & Village music
becoming more popular,
BUT…
Church music develops
from monophony to
polyphony!
Organum
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Organum: Chant + 1 or more melodic lines
Chant goes from strictly unison to parallel
melodies at the fourth, fifth, and octave (9th—11th
Century)
Began as improvisation, hard to know when it
began because it was written down after the fact
Free organum (11th—12th Century) uses contrary
motion, voices crossing, still highly improvised
Monophony v. Polyphony
Parallel Motion/Organum
Contrary Motion/Free Organum
Renaissance Culture (1450-1600)
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Renaissance = Rebirth
Return to the classics (back to the Greeks!)
Humanism = Focus on human life and accomplishments
Sense of optimism and confidence
Invention of printing!
Composers start to become stars
Educated people studied music
Renaissance Musical Style
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Church: Extension into choirs, still composing for the Mass
Court: Center of musical life
Town: Musicians paid more and enjoyed higher status
Vocal music still most important
Music enhances meaning and emotion of text (word painting)
Polyphonic
Composers thinking in terms of chords, all lines conceived
together
Rhythm: Overall gentle flow, each line has rhythmic
independence
The Madrigal
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Genre of secular vocal music
Several solo voices, usually a cappella
Set to a short poem, usually about love
Word painting!
Language: in the vernacular
As Vesta Was Descending
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Let’s listen…
Instrumental Music of the Renaissance
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Not as important as vocal music
Accompanied voices or played music meant for singing
Polyphonic
Lute, shawm, recorder
Renaissance Dances
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Important social pastime
Pavane
Galliard