The Renaissance

1
The Renaissance

• 1450 - 1600

2
Characteristics of Renaissance Music

• Vocal music is still more prominent than
  instrumental
• Strong relationship between words and music is
  established (text painting)
• Purely instrumental music gains status
• Polyphony reigns but is contrasted with homophony

3
Characteristics of Renaissance Music

• Prominent timbre is a cappella voices with some
  instruments doubling the voice parts.
• Rhythm is more gentle flow than sharply defined
  beat
• Few large interval leaps

4
Renaissance Sacred Music

• Two main types of compositions the mass and the
  motet
• Motet polyphonic, vocal, sacred composition set
  to Latin text, not part of the mass

5
Josquin Desprez1450 - 1521

• Flemish born master of Renaissance music
• Spent most of his life in Italy
• Compositions included masses, motets and secular
  vocal pieces

6
Musical Example Ave MariaVirgo Serena

• Listen for imitation in opening section
• Duets between pairs of voices with imitation
• Some homophonic texture
• Change from duple to triple meter
• Personal plea to the virgin at the end

7
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina1525 - 1594

• Important Italian composer of the Renaissance who
  devoted himself to music for the Catholic church
• Music director for St. Peters Cathedral
• Wrote 104 masses and 450 other sacred works

8
Palestrina (cont.)

• His Pope Marcellus mass convinced the Council of
  Trent that polyphony had a place in the mass
• Pope Marcellus Mass is written for a cappella
  choir (S A TT B)

9
Musical Example Kyrie from Pope Marcellus Mass

• Sounds full the Desprez, Ave Maria because of the
  added voices
• Reminiscent of Gregorian chant
• 3 sections (the Trinity)
• Text on page 87

10
Renaissance Secular Music

• Rise in secular vocal music due to development of
  printing
• Music is important leisure activity
• All educated people are expected to read music
  and play and instrument
• Vocal music written for groups of singers or
  solo plus accompaniment

11
Renaissance Secular Music

• Madrigal prominent vocal form for several
  voices, set to a short poems-written in various
  languages
• Combines homophonic and polyphonic textures
• English madrigals prominent because of The
  Triumphs of Oriana

12
Musical Example As Vesta Was Descending

• Written by Thomas Weelkes
• Part of the Triumphs of Oriana
• The Triumphs of Oriana book of English madrigals
  all written for Queen Elizabeth, the virgin queen
• Text on page 89

13
Instrumental Music

• Instrumental music gains its status
• Instrumental groups play performed polyphonic
  vocal pieces
• More compositions are being written specifically
  for instruments
• Instrumental music is intended for dancing

14
Instrumental Music

• Pavane and galliard pair of Renaissance dances -
  pavane is slow, stately and in duple meter,
  galliard is quick, lively and in triple meter
• Dances were frequently played in pairs slow,
  duple meter - fast, triple meter

15
Musical Example Passamezzo and GalliardPage 91

• Dances are from a collection of over 300 dance
  tunes (Terpsichore) arranged for instrumental
  ensemble by German composer, Michael Praetorius.
  Specific instruments are not assigned to the
  parts.(page 91)