RENAISSANCE (1450-1600) (age of Humanisim)
-printing press
-“Universal Man” every educated person was
expected to be musicians along with other
education
-Age of Shakespeare and rebirth of the arts
-Church continues to be major patron of music
but secular attention to courts begins to rise
-Musicians enjoy higher status and pay; no
longer content to be unknown
RENAISSANCE (1450-1600) (age of Humanisim)
Flemish Composers
(Netherlands, Belgium, N France)
highly regarded &
held high positions across Europe
Italy became leading music center in 16th cen.
CHARACTERISTICS of RENAISSANCE MUSIC
Words & Music
vocal music more popular/important =
humanistic interest in language influence
WORD PAINTING
with music begins
still relatively balance though with no extreme
contrast in dynamics, tone color, rhythm, ect…
CHARACTERISTICS of RENAISSANCE MUSIC
Texture
mostly polyphonic with 4-6 voices in choral pieces with equal
melodic interest
imitation common among voices (as in a round)
1st Homophonic texture used in mostly light pieces like dances
bass register used for the first time making fuller sound
sound is more stable because of consonant chords w/ basslines
GOLDEN AGE of a cappella choral music although occasional
instruments are used but rarely notated for
CHARACTERISTICS of RENAISSANCE MUSIC
Rhythm & Melody
gently flow rather than defined beat
each melodic line has its own rhythmic
independence
= making both fun and challenging to sing
melodies are usually easy to sing pitch wise making it
easy to concentrate on rhythm
SACRED MUSIC (Church Music)
TWO MAIN FORMS
THE MASS & THE MOTET
• The Motet
• Polyphonic choral work
• Set to a sacred Latin Text other than
the text of the Mass
• Combines polyphonic and
homophonic textures
• Josquin Desprez(1440-1521)
• Contemp of Leonardo da Vinci & Christhoper
Columbus
• Flemish composer
• Born in Belgium
• International career in Italy w/ dukes and the
Papal Choir
• Worked in France for Louis XII
• Wrote masses, motets, and secular vocal
• Martin Luther loved his music
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• LISTENING JOURNAL:
• Josquin Desprez: AVE MARIA
Four voice motet – prayer to virgin Mary
polyphonic imitation
adopted 1st part from chant but rest is original
2, 3, or 4 voices at one time
mostly peaceful 2 beat
3 beat becomes more animated but returns
to2 beat
• Palestrina
•&
• The Renaissance MASS
• The Renaissance Mass
• Five Sections
• 1. Kyrie
• 2.Gloria
• 3.Credo
• 4.Santus
• 5.Agnus Dei
• Palestrina (1525-1594)
• most important Italian Composer
of time
• devoted to Catholic Church music
• career mainly in Rome
• Prolific writer = 104 masses 450
other sacred works
• Counter-reformation (Protestant break away)
• New Council of Trent wanted to return
to monophonic masses only and get rid
of polyphonic “theater music”
• Palestrina’s music is reflection of this
but still maintained polyphony but with
simpler and otherworldly style
• Pope Marcellus Mass (1562)
• Palestrina’s most famous mass
• Thought to convince Council Of Trent
that polyphony could remain in the
church if done right
• Dedicated to Pope Marcellus II
• LISTENING JOURNAL:
• Palestrina : Kyrie from Pope Marcellus Mass
• Written for six a cappella voices
• S/ A /(2) T / (2) B
• Kyrie is 1st section of whole mass
• Constant imitation
• Flowing rhythm ‘til sustained chord at the end
of each section
• Has three sections ABA
• Our recording is ABA’ faster tempo and louder
but may not have been performed that way
• RENAISSANCE (Secular Music)
• secular vocal music became very
popular as people branched out from
the church setting
• age of humanism
• printing press help get copies to
more people
• RENAISSANCE (Secular Music)
• Every educated person was expected to
read and play music
• Written for groups of solo voices
• or for solo voice with 1 or more
instruments to accompany
• Imitation of natural sounds and many
mood shifts unlike sacred music
• MUCH MORE WORD PAINTING
• The Renaissance Madrigal
• piece for several solo voices set to a
poem usually about love
• combine polyphonic and homophonic
textures but uses more word painting
and unusual harmonies than Motets
• madrigal originated in Italy around 1520
• The Renaissance Madrigal
• 1588 the Spanish armada defeated by
British consequently a volume of
translated Italian madrigals published in
London
• In the age of Shakespeare and Queen
Elizabeth I madrigals became popular
using English
• English madrigals were more light
hearted than Italian
• LISTENING JOURNAL :
• WEELKES : As Vesta Was Descending
• English composer of Madrigal’s
• THOMAS WEELKES (1575-1623)
• In “ENGLISH”
• Listen for Word Painting
• p.87 for text.
• Instrumental Music
• begins to take root.
• mostly instruments were used to accompany
vocal
• instrumental mainly adapted versions of vocal
music
• gather what instruments you had and split up
up vocal lines
• no clearly defined notation
• Most popular instrumental music
was dance music
• Pairs of dances (like line dancing)
• The Stately
• Pavane (Passamezzo)
• duple meter
• The Lively
• Galliard in triple meter
• PASSAMEZZO & GALLIARD by Caroubel
• …not on your CD use youtube as ref
• written by French violinist Caroubel
• ..from dance collection put together by
German Praetorius (1612)
• Passamezzo for 6 unspecified parts
• Galliard for 5 unspecified parts
• ( our recording has modern instruments)