Renaissance Music
Objective 7
So here is what is happening…
Time frame
intellectual & artistic activity began in Italy around 1350 and spread
to Northern Europe
musical development started in 1475
terms means rebirth or reawakening
Renaissance thinkers were inspired by ancient Greece & Rome
Valued personal achievement, intellectual independence, and
discovery
Humanism
A philosophical perspective very different from the Medieval Era
Emphasis on human worth, creativity, and capacity
Types of Music
Sacred Vocal Music :
-religious music still prevalent
Non-Sacred Music:
-Grows during this time period
-Instrumental Music
-Madrigal Music
Madrigals
Genre began in Italy, but was soon popular in Europe (esp.
England)
Definition
A composition for several voices (typically 4-5)
Men and women could sing
Usually a Capella
Amateur musicians (party music)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfNmZ3LCrAY
Weelkes- (1575-1623)
Organist at Winchester college
Dismissed for drunkenness
“As Vesta was from Latmos Hill Descending”
Thomas Morely (1557-1603)
Helped develop Madrigals
William Byrd was teacher
Wrote Renaissance Ballet (fa-la)
Vocal lines then non-sense syllables
“MY bonny lass she smileth”
Music
http://musichistorylessons.weebly.com/renaissance.html
Motet
Composition for a choir a Capella
Latin text on sacred subject
Texts were more vivid than that of a mass
Often from Old Testament Psalms
Chromatic musical style
Performed in either church, chapel, or at home in private
prayer
Josquin Depres (ca. 1455-1521)
Prolific composer (20 masses, 70 motets, 70+ secular works)
Early career spent in Italy and employed as a singer
Recognized as a genius
Compared to be the musical counterpoint to Michaelangelo
Loved balance, and symmetry of music
One of the first major composers to have numerous works printed
Music printing lead to gradual decline of regional and vocal styles
to a more homogenous European style
Works are widely known
Frottola- predecessor of the madrigal
“El Grillo”- the cricket- secular song
“Ave Maria”- 1485 in Italy
motet
Each stanza makes a reference to a feast of the year
All voices are equally important
Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina
(1525-1594)
Born in Palestrina, near Rome
Spent nearly entire career at major churches in Rome
including St. Peter’s Basilica
Called the “Savior of church music”
104 masses, 250 motets