BELL RINGER – 10/2
 m.socrative.com

– Room 38178 OR Bell Ringer Card
QUESTION:
 Name
2 artworks that were commissioned by the
Medici Family (2 artworks that they had created).
 From
the video!
 If you get stuck, look at the artworks you had to know for
your last quiz and think of which ones you saw created in
the videos…
RENAISSANCE MUSIC
RENAISSANCE MUSIC
Introduction
 Lots of definitions (with modern examples)
 Renaissance composers and music examples

INTRODUCTION TO RENAISSANCE MUSIC

The early Renaissance was almost exclusively a time of visual art and
architecture, music came later

The existence of the Academy in Florence, and its interest in things classical,
encouraged much speculation and interest among the scholars of Florence

Initially just visual art, but did have a School of Music

Music was an important part of Florentine life

School of music at the Academy attracted performers from all over Europe
and made Florence the center of musical change
INTRODUCTION TO RENAISSANCE MUSIC

Profound interest in the music of the Greeks and the role of
music in society as expressed in the writings of Plato and
Aristotle

Aristotle saw music as contributing to moral order
 Music
helps makes a person complete
INTRODUCTION TO RENAISSANCE MUSIC

Included a variety of textures
 Monophony,

Homophony, Polyphony, & 4-Part Harmony
Wide Range (higher highs, lower lows)
 Trained
musicians/performers

Emphasis on the text – word painting, imitation

Distinct vocal and instrumental styles
 Vocal
music was still more important than instrumental
VARIETY OF TEXTURES - MONOPHONY

Monophony – one single melodic line

One note at a time
 One
singer singing solo
 Multiple singers all singer the exact same pitches at the exact same
time
 One person playing an instrument (only one note at a time – if playing
an instrument like a piano or guitar and that one person hits two notes,
it’s NOT monophonic)
VARIETY OF TEXTURES - MONOPHONY

Modern Example

Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
VARIETY OF TEXTURES - HOMOPHONY

Homophony – Multiple lines do the same things (move up or
down together, play at the same time) but are on different
pitches

One line assisting another – dependent on each other

If singing, words occur at the same time
VARIETY OF TEXTURES - HOMOPHONY

Modern Examples
 Jason
Aldean & Kelly Clarkson “Don’t You Want to Stay?”
 Fun “Some Nights”
VARIETY OF TEXTURES - POLYPHONY

Polyphony – two melodic lines that are independent of each
other

Lines are NOT dependent on each other – different things
happening at once
VARIETY OF TEXTURES - POLYPHONY

Modern Examples

Jason Mraz “I’m Yours”

NSYNC “Tearin Up My Heart”
EMPHASIS ON THE TEXT – WORD PAINTING

Vocal music becomes increasingly intent on expressing text

Word painting: enhances the meaning and emotion of written
text by “painting” the words in the music
 Examples:
on the word “high” would sing a high note; if singing about a
descent, the notes would go down, etc.
MODERN WORD PAINTING EXAMPLES

Garth Brooks: “Friends in Low Places”
 Listen:

Justin Timberlake: “What Goes Around”
 Listen:

http://youtu.be/p29wEZSwUVM?t=45s
http://youtu.be/NIaiXmm1H0o?t=1m35s
TONS of examples in popular music!
EMPHASIS ON THE TEXT - IMITATION

Polyphonic music included a lot of imitation

Imitation: an exact or near exact repeat in another voice/part.
Similar to an echo, but the parts overlap
 Similar
to singing in a “round”
MODERN IMITATION EXAMPLES

Jason Mraz & Colbie Callet: “Lucky”

Coldplay: “Paradise”
SACRED MUSIC & COMPOSERS
SACRED MUSIC

The Papal chapel continued as one of the central musical forces
in Europe

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1526-94)
 Director
of Julian Chapel Choir from 1551-1555
 Then became a singer in the choir
 Began to compose for the papal chapel
 Because he was married, he was forced to leave his post
 Pope
Paul IV imposed a stricter discipline in choral appointments
PALESTRINA

Exclusively vocal and almost totally liturgical

Wrote 105 masses and became the most celebrated composer
of his time

Most famous piece: Pope Marcellus Mass
 Pope
Marcellus was pope when Palestrina sang in the choir
PALESTRINA – POPE MARCELLUS MASS

Polyphonic texture

Lots of imitation

Written for 6 voices a cappella (without instruments)

Each section ends with all voices coming together on
sustained chords
PALESTRINA – POPE MARCELLUS MASS
PALESTRINA – POPE MARCELLUS MASS

Listen and follow music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n8XdKkrqgo
SECULAR MUSIC
SECULAR MUSIC – THE MADRIGAL

Madrigal: setting of lyric poetry for multiple voices

Secular music written for multiple parts

Existed during an explosion of Italian poetry

Normally comprised a text of 3-14 lines arranged in a rhyme scheme
of the poet’s choosing

The musical setting emphasized the mood and meaning of individual
words and phrases of the text rather than formal structure
SECULAR MUSIC – THE MADRIGAL

Composed for anywhere from 3-8 parts

Before 1650, the four part texture was preferred

Often sung by solo voices – one per part

Occasionally, an instrument would substitute for one of the voices or double
a part

The Madrigal was the dominant form of secular music in Italy and the rest of
Europe
FOUR-PART HARMONY IN THE RENAISSANCE

Great independence in the lower lines

It was normal for all parts to imitate each other using measured
rhythm

Voices came together only at the ends of sections
FOUR-PART HARMONY: EXAMPLES

Renaissance Example: Dufay's “Nuper rosarum flores”

The “Barbershop Quartet”
 Crossroads

- 2009 International Champion
Christmas Carol
 Carol
of the Bells
JOSQUIN DES PREZ

1440-1521

Trained in Milan, Rome, and Florence

Compared to Michelangelo, in music
 “father

of musicians”
Wrote about 70 secular songs of a light, homophonic nature
JOSQUIN DES PREZ

Wrote his masses polyphonically

Imitation was a huge structural feature

New idea – he would repeat sections of music
 An
opening section (A) would be followed by new material (B) and then
restated in the third section (A)
 ABA Form
JOSQUIN DES PREZ

Ave Maria… Virgo Serena

A short melodic phrase begins in the soprano voice

Then the alto, tenor, and bass voices imitate the soprano line

The next line of text employs a different melody, again with imitation

Each voice enters in the middle of the phrase by the previous voice

Some changes in meter, some agitation at certain phrases to reflect the text
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Musical instruments rose above their old role of merely reinforcing
voice parts, and instrumental music finally developed an
independence from vocal music in the late part of the Renaissance

Previously, instruments tended to accompany voices or to play music
originally intended for voice

In the 16th century, more music was written for instruments by
themselves, and music was written to exploit the qualities of
individual instruments
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC –INSTRUMENTS

Soft, indoor instruments:



Loud, outdoor instruments:



Lute
Recorder (early flute)
Trumpet
Shawm (similar to today’s oboe)
The same work might be played my multiple combinations of instruments


Composers didn’t specify what group of instruments they wanted to play, just how many
parts
The same piece could be played by a recorder, trumpet, and harp, and then later by a lute,
shawm, and organ.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC - EXAMPLE

Greensleeves – Renaissance Version
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVWhxoIkHtY&feature=related