Music History

1
Music History

• Renaissance Music
• 1450 - 1625

2
Historical Context

• Renaissance Rebirth
• Regional Spread of the Renaissance
• Started in Italy Florence
• Then it spread to France, Germany and England.

3
Historical Context continued

• Renaissance Science, Art and Architecture
• Religious figures
• Portraits done of well-known figures in Greek and
  Roman backgrounds
• Paintings looked 3-dimensional through the use of
  shading, the study of anatomy and drawing from
  real models.
• Oil paint was created, leading to paintings
  surviving centuries

4
Historical Context contd

• Gutenbergs Printing Press in 1454
• This helped to spread new knowledge of science
  and the arts
• Awareness of new philosophies, religious texts
  and music.
• Columbus sailed to the new world
• It was discovered that the earth is a moving
  planet by Copernicus, a Polish astronomer

5
Important Terms

• Ayres (Lutes songs) English term for solo
  song with lute accompaniment
• Accidentals modes treated more freely using
  accidentals to create more harmonic variety.
• Basso Continuo a type of bass line written
  below the main voice creating a richer fuller
  texture. It was often played by the harpsichord
  player and doubled by a cello.
• Cantus firmus masses and motets were often
  based on a cantus firmus which could be a popular
  song instead of a chant.

6
Important Terms

• Consorts a group of instruments playing
  together if the group of instruments was from
  one family it was called a whole consort if it
  was from a variety of families it was considered
  a broken consort.
• Counterpoint Adding melodic material above or
  below an existing melody or a technique that
  combines two or more melodic lines in a way that
  establishes a harmonic relationship while keeping
  their own horizontal individuality
• Imitation like a canon only the whole melody is
  not imitated, only a bit of the beginning. The
  parts then continue to weave together.

7
Important Terms

• Equal Temperament the development in the
  Renaissance which divided the octave into 12
  equal semitones used on our modern day keyboard
  so that F-sharp and G-flat are the same note.
  This began in 1518, but did not become common
  practice until the 17th century.
• Madrigal A polyphonic song for four to six
  voices that uses the language of that region.
  Developed in Italy and made popular in England
  during the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Motets a polyphonic composition based on a
  sacred text and usually sung without
  accompaniment.
• Renaissance re-birth of revival the revival of
  classical art, architecture, literature and
  learning that originated in the 14th century and
  later spread throughout Europe.

8
Musical Context

• Music was considered a highly important art
• With the uncertainty of the Dark Ages over, the
  renaissance brought a re-birth of culture and
  learning.
• Printed music utilized and widely distributed
• Notation music tended to be written with ½ notes
  and bar lines or ties were not used
• This was mostly due to the limitation of the
  printing press and the type of paper being used.

9
Musical Context contd

• Since notation was flexible musicians were
  trained to know
• How long notes were to be held
• Whether or not there was a need for accidentals
• How to avoid certain intervals like parallel 5ths
  and 8ths
• Increasing reliance on the third as a
  consonance (good sound)
• Simplification of voices within the polyphony
  smoothness
• Increases in vocal ranges
• Period of great development

10
ComposerGiovanni Pierluigi da
Palestrina(1525-1594)

• Born in Palestrina, Rome
• Wrote 100s of compositions
• Including masses, motets, magnificats
• Focused primarily on sacred music
• very serious, conservative and objective
• Associated with Roman Catholic Church
• He was hired by the church to improve the state
  of church music
• At this point it had become too complex, too
  secular and too incoherent
• The church leaders wanted the music to become
  more clear and pure
• His secular music is confined to madrigals
• Master of counterpoint

11
ListeningPope Marcellus Mass Credo Agnus Dei
I

• Written for a six part choir
• Polyphony at this time was frowned upon, but
  Palestrinas style of writing allowed the words
  to be clear and understood.
• The Credo of a mass is often the most difficult
  to write due to its importance and length,
  however Palestrina did away with the usual
  imitation for the sake of clear diction.
• The phrases are sung simultaneously, creating a
  clear picture in the listeners mind.
• The Agnus Dei has very few words, which
  Palestrina stretched out to produce a piece of
  greater importance within the Mass.
• It is in this part of the mass that Palestrina
  uses imitation. The voices are sometimes only one
  quarter note apart.

12
ComposerGiovanni Gabrieli(1553-1612)

• Born in Venice
• Composer and organist
• Preferred sacred and instrumental music
• Worked for a church, San Marco, that had two
  choir lofts facing each other
• he would use choir lofts to create a call and
  answer effect
• This Polychoral style had been used for
  decades, but Gabrielli pioneered the use for
  carefully constructed groups of instrumentalists
  and singers
• Original for his specific instrumentation and use
  of dynamics
• The first to develop dynamic markings and to use
  Basso Continuo
• Killed by a kidney stone

13
ListeningGrand Concerto In ecclesiis

• This piece uses
• Four solo voices (which usually sing with the
  chorus, but sing some parts alone)
• A four part chorus
• A six-part instrumental ensemble
• And an organ playing the continuo
• At a time when composers usually issued parts
  without specifying the instruments, Gabrieli
  carefully designated the following
• Three cornetti (a version of the trumpet)
• An alto violin (basically the modern day viola)
• Two sackbuts (a trombone like instrument)
• Gabrieli utilizes some daring harmonies the
  3rd mostly for the brilliant colour it brought
  rather than expression of the text.

14
ComposerJohn Dowland1563-1626

• Born in the United Kingdom (most likely London
  or Dublin)
• Famous for composition of ayres
• Wrote music mainly for his instrument the lute
  including several books for solo lute, lute songs
  (one voice and lute) and part-songs with lute
  accompaniment
• Wrote music based on the melancholia
• A disease caused by an imbalance in one or more
  of the four basic bodily fluids
• Wrote with intense melancholy tragic and
  emotional
• His motto was Always Dowland, always morning.

15
ListeningAir Flow my tearsfor voice and lute

• Flow, my tears, fall from your springs!Exiled
  for ever, let me mournWhere night's black bird
  her sad infamy sings,There let me live
  forlorn.Down vain lights, shine you no more!No
  nights are dark enough for thoseThat in despair
  their lost fortunes deplore.Light doth but shame
  disclose.Never may my woes be relieved,Since
  pity is fledAnd tears and sighs and groans my
  weary daysOf all joys have deprived.

• From the highest spire of contentment
• My fortune is thrown
• And fear and grief and pain for my
• deserts
• Are my hopes, since hope is gone.
• Hark! you shadows that in darkness
• dwell,
• Learn to contemn light
• Happy, happy they that in hell
• Feel not the world's despite.

16
Instruments

• Wind
• Shawm
• Trumpet
• Sackbut
• Recorder
• String
• Lute
• Viol
• Violin family

• Piano
• Harpsichord
• Clavier
• Percussion