Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Below, you will find assignments designed to help you know, understand, and analyze content covered
in the Renaissance Unit. Please follow teacher directions on how to complete these assignments.
Assignment One: An Overview of the Characteristics of Renaissance Art and the Masters
How much do you remember about Renaissance Art? Use your notes and available books to complete
the charts provided on the sheet entitled “Renaissance Art Characteristics and the Masters.”
Assignment Two: Become a Renaissance Master
What does it feel like to be a Renaissance master? Create your own Renaissance masterpiece while
adhering to the guidelines found in the assignment entitled, “Become a Renaissance Master!”
Assignment Three: What are the characteristics of Renaissance dance?
What makes a social dance from the Renaissance? Use your notes and the webpage found at
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/dihtml/diessay2.html to complete the assignment entitled What are
the characteristics of Renaissance dance? to analyze the essential characteristics of Renaissance dance.
Assignment Four: Can you shake your Renaissance groove thing?
If you were to shake it like a Renaissance man, what dance steps would you perform? Complete the
assignment entitled Can you shake your Renaissance groove thing? to show that you understand the
essential concepts of Renaissance dance.
Assignment Five: What are the essential components of Renaissance music?
Using your notes and available books, complete the chart found on assignment two entitled What are
the essential characteristics of Renaissance music? by cutting out the definitions found in the bottom
chart. In other words, cut out the second chart and glue the definitions to the terms found in chart one.
Assignment Six: What makes someone a master of Renaissance music?
For this assignment, you must research one of the following topics: motet, madrigal, mass, Des Pres, or
Palestrina and you need to evaluate their importance to Renaissance music by creating a product.
Assignment Seven: What are the essential characteristics of Renaissance theater?
Use your notes and available books to complete the questions found with this assignment.
Assignment Eight: Could you be a director of a Commedia dell’arte production?
Use your notes and available books to design your own Commedia dell’arte production!
Assignment Nine: What are the defining characteristics of Renaissance Architecture? Read the section
on Renaissance Architecture in the Annotated Arch and answer the corresponding questions.
Assignment Ten: Now is your chance to build the largest dome of the Renaissance! (out of paper)
In this assignment you will need access to the internet, a color printer, and plenty of time and patience!
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment One: Renaissance Art Characteristics and the Masters. For this assignment, you must
complete both charts below.
Fill out this chart about the seven characteristics of Renaissance art using your notes.
Characteristic
Define the characteristic.
Name a piece of work that’s uses
this characteristic.
Realism and Expression
Classicism
Artist as personalities/
celebrities
Light and shadowing/
softening the edges
Geometrical arrangement
of figures
Perspective
Emphasis on Individualism
Identify the seven characteristics of Renaissance art on the image below.
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Fill out this chart about the Masters of Renaissance art using your notes and available books.
Artist
Name a piece of
work by this artist
What
characteristics of
Renaissance Art
are being used in
this piece of work?
What is the
controversial / fun
fact about this
piece of work?
What makes this
artist a
Renaissance man?
Leonardo Da Vinci
Michelangelo
Raphael
Identify the artist of the
work seen here. Write two
sentences that defend your
answer in the space below.
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment Two: Become a Renaissance Master!
La Primavera by Botticelli
Become Michelangelo by creating your own Renaissance painting using the seven
characteristics of Renaissance art. Your image can utilize whichever medium you choose, but it
must fill an entire piece of large white paper. In addition, you must choose a subject matter
appropriate for the Renaissance. Please see your notes for help with selecting a subject matter.
When you have completed your masterpiece, you will also need to write two
paragraphs explaining your master piece. The paragraphs need to include the characteristics
you used in your piece, explain how the piece would be part of the Renaissance, use complete
sentences, and correct grammar.
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment Three: What are the characteristics of Renaissance dance?
Go to the following website (or use the hard copy) to answer the questions below:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/dihtml/diessay2.html
1) What did Renaissance dance manuals discuss in regards to proper characteristics of Renaissance
dance?
2) How did the clothing influence the way people danced?
3) What are some steps found in Renaissance dancing?
4) What were the positions of the arms?
5) Identify and describe the two categories of Renaissance dance.
6) What was the name of Arbeau’s dance manual? Why was Arbeau’s manual significant to France?
7) What is the only source for the circle dances? How many people danced these dances?
8) What was the origin of the circle dances mentioned above?
9) Why was it important for a male to know how to perform the Galliard?
10) Why are sixteenth century Italian manuals noteworthy?
11) What was the first Italian dance manual?
12) How were Cesare Negri’s manual different from Fabritio Caroso’s manual?
Going Further…
Select one of the clips listed on the website above. Watch this clip and complete the following
questions: 1) Name the clip you watched.
2) How does this dance show political and social values of the Renaissance? Note: For this
answer to receive credit, you must cite specific dance steps and clearly explain how they represent the
values of the Renaissance.
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment Four: Can you shake your Renaissance groove thing?
For this assignment, you must create a Renaissance dance. Your dance must include the following to
receive all of your points:
1) All proper steps must be included (bows, etc.). This information is in your notes.
2) Your dance must illustrate the proper characteristics of Renaissance dance
A. What is the appropriate amount of physical contact?
B. What body part gets the emphasis in this dance?
3) Movement across the floor must be appropriate for this style of dance.
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment Five: What are the essential characteristics of Renaissance music?
For this assignment, you must complete the chart below using your notes, available books, and your
Definition Cut Out Chart (found below- find the scissors!). Glue those definitions to the terms and
individuals found below on the chart below.
Glue on the chart below:
Texture
Melody
Rhythm
Dynamics
Timbre/Tone Color
Motet
Madrigal
Mass
Word Painting
Protestant Reformation
Council of Trent
Counter Reformation
Des Prez
Form of Ava Maria
Palestrina
Form of Kyrie
Cut this chart out and paste the correct definition to the word in the chart above.
Texture
Melody
Rhythm
Dynamics
Form of this song is
mass.
The Catholic church’s
reaction to Martin
Luther.
Matching melodies to
the emotion of the
phrase
This individual
preferred composing
motets to masses.
Secular acapella song
for 3-6 voices
This song’s form is a
motet.
Simplified polyphony to
keep music in church
ceremonies.
Compositions set to the
mass ceremony
Event started by Martin
Luther’s 95 thesis
against the Catholic
church.
A meeting of Catholic
leaders to reform the
corruption in the
church.
Sacred or secular
composition of 4-6
voices
Voice, strings, winds,
brass compose this
term.
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment Six: What makes someone a master of Renaissance music?
For this assignment, you must research one of the following topics: motet, madrigal, mass, Des Pres, or
Palestrina and you need to evaluate their importance to Renaissance music by answering the following
questions:
(Complete the following questions for the individuals)
1) Where was this individual born?
2) How was he trained?
3) What is his work history?
4) What form of music did this composer prefer?
5) What was his most important composition? In addition, what was his important contribution
to music?
6) Why or how is this individual still important and relevant today’s music?
(Complete the following questions for the forms)
1) When and where did this form develop?
2) What composers are known for composing this form?
3) Why is this form important to Renaissance music? What is its function in society?
4) What is a famous example of this form? Where and when was it created and performed?
5) What is this form still important and relevant to today’s music?
This information needs to be presented in an accurate, neat, and organized manor in one of the
following mediums:
- Posterboard
- Movie Maker
- PowerPoint presentation
- Prezzi Presentation
- Interactive mobile
Please see you teacher for instructions on how to complete the projects above when you have made
your selection.
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment Six: What are the essential characteristics of the Commedia Dell’arte?
Use your notes and available books to complete the assignment below.
1) Identify the following Commedia dell’Arte stock characters. Fill in any missing
characteristics.
-Spaniard
- Servant
-maidservant to the lovers
-_____________________________
-_________________________
-lover of ____________________
-_____________________________
-_________________________ clothing
-____________________________
2) How do actors in Commedia Dell’Arte perform their dialogue?
3) Draw a rough sketch of a traditional Elizabethan theatre and label the parts (the
stage, the open area, who sits where, why there is no roof, etc.)
4) Describe a typical scene from a play written by William Shakespeare.
- What might this scene include? (think characteristics of Shakespeare’s plays)
- How might this scene be performed? (think about the reaction of the audience)
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment Eight: Could you be a director of a Commedia dell’arte production?
Use your notes and available books to complete the assignment below.
Design your own original plot structure of a Commedia dell’Arte performance.
Include the seven parts of the plot structure as well as the stock characters and their roles.
Arlecchino
Brighella
Colombina
Dottore
Capitano
Pantalone
Pedrolino
Exposition:
Conflict:
Rising Action:
Climax:
Falling Action:
Denouement:
Conclusion:
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Renaissance Analysis and Discovery Assignments
Assignment Nine: What are the defining characteristics of Renaissance Architecture? Read the section
on Renaissance Architecture in the Annotated Arch, pages 54-67, and answer the following questions.
1. In the introductory paragraph the last sentence reads, “Throughout history, architecture
oscillates between mini and maxi.” What do you think this means?
2. Renaissance architecture stressed what four things?
3. From what two cultures did these four things originate?
4. Name two of the founding fathers of Renaissance architecture and one famous building they
created.
5. Name two other Renaissance discoveries, from page 56, outside the art world. How does this
connect with the idea of humanism?
6. Who is considered the father of Renaissance architecture? What is he famous for building?
7. Why was the dome so difficult to build and what solution was given involving children?
8. What was the final solution Brunelleschi developed for constructing the dome?
9. After 1500, what city replaced Florence as the center of architectural innovation? (pg. 61)
10. Bramante’s work, Tempietto, marks the site of what biblical figure’s crucifixion?
11. The Tempietto became a model for what later celebrated domes? Name two.
12. In the last six years of his life Raphael took up architecture. Name the three types of buildings
he designed before his death.
13. For Michelangelo, mannerism was a protest against what previous Renaissance architectural
style?
14. At what age did Michelangelo take up architecture?
15. Who was the most widely copied architect of all time?
Assignment Ten: Now is your chance to build the largest dome of the Renaissance! (out of paper)
In this assignment you will need access to the internet, a color printer, and plenty of time and patience!
Go to the following website to get started.
http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/3154/florence-cathedral/index.html
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