Unit IV - Renaissance
1450-1600
Philosophical Changes
Discuss the Philosophical changes
which took place as the Renaissance
emerged.
From an exclusively religious orientation
to a more secular one.
From an age of unquestioning faith and
mysticism to one of belief in reason and
scientific inquiry.
Physical Changes
• Inventions
– Gunpowder - eventual end to age of
knighthood
– Compass - made possible exploration and
discovery - opened new world - demolished
old superstitions
– Printing press --
Art
• Medieval painting dealt in stereotypes.
• Renaissance art concerned itself with
individuals.
• Renaissance painters
– Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
– Michalangelo (1475-1564)
Renaissance Musical Style
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A cappella
Growth of solo instruments
Parallel fifths -->>3rds and 6ths
Word painting
Cantus firmus
Interest in duple meter
Renaissance Motet
• Became a sacred form with a single Latin
text.
• Josquin Desprez (c. 1440-1521)
– Music rich in feeling, beautiful melody,
expressive harmony
– Ave Maria… virgo serena
• Imitative textures alternate with homophonic
settings.
• 4-voice motet
Renaissance Mass
• Early polyphonic settings - usually based
on fragments of Gregorian Chant which
became cantus firmus
• The Ordinary, the fixed portion of the
mass, most frequently set
Mass - The Ordinary
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Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
See page 102 for other parts of the Mass
Mass - Transformation
• Reformation - Martin Luther (1483-1546)
• Catholic Counter-Reformation - 1530’s to late
16th century
• Council of Trent (1545-1563)
– Concerned with corruption of traditional chant extravagant embellishments - secular spirit
– Recommended pure vocal style - respect for integrity
of sacred texts - avoidance of virtuosity and
encouragement of piety
Palestrina (c. 1525-1594)
• Mass for Pope Marcellus
– Written to satisfy new, strict demands
• Words of the sacred text are clear and audible
– A cappella - in the church style
• Without instruments - focusing on the beauty of the
human voice
– Polyphonic setting, balancing harmonic and
polyphonic elements
– Written in 6 parts for all male church choir
Renaissance Secular Music
• Chanson - French - 3 voices - instruments on
lower voice - courtly love
• Italian Madrigal - emotional - aristocratic instrumental doubling - virtuosity
• English Madrigal - Musica Transalpina humorous (fa, la, la,…)
• Instrumental dance music: allemande, ronde,
salterelo, galliard
Claudio Monteverdi
(1567-1643)
• Eight (nine) books of madrigals - span
transition from Renaissance to Baroque
styles
• Opera - new form
• A un giro sol -4th book (publ. 1603) Listening
– 5 voice Italian madrigal
– Word painting
– Vernacular
Transition
• The Renaissance madrigal inspired
composers to develop new techniques of
combining music and poetry. In doing so,
it prepared the way for one of the most
influential forms of Western music -opera.