Download Bellwork Monday, 8/25/14

Bellwork
Monday, 8/31/15
Barzun’s chapter, “Epic & Comic, Lyric &
Music, Critic & Public,” discusses how
Renaissance literature had two purposes: to
entertain and to edify (to instruct or improve
someone morally or intellectually). Answer the
question below in at least a paragraph:
Describe any elements of Malory’s Le Morte
d’Arthur that entertain, and any elements of
the book that edify.
Notes
Monday, 8/31/15
• Epic & Comic, Lyric & Music, Critic &
Public
– How Renaissance literature and music differed
from that before the Renaissance
• Genres of literature
• Music and the lyrics that go along
• Experts on literature and music
and normal consumers of literature
and music
• Literature in the Early Modern era (14001800) had two purposes
– Entertain friends and courts or build up the
reader morally
• But only today is there a distinction between the two
• Middle Ages through Renaissance, literature was
their only entertainment, so even edifying literature
entertained
– The Renaissance return to the classics made
amateurs want to become professional
• Instead of just writing for friends
• Hired by royal courts, and wrote for all time
– Imitating Homer, etc. who start with “Let my poem be
famous throughout the ages,” etc.
– But no agents, publishers, etc. yet, so some people aren’t
credited
• The literary genre of the epic, version 2.0
– The humanist version of an ancient Greek genre
– Thought by the humanists to be the best genre
• Because its length makes it hard to write well
– Include wizards, goblins, enchantresses
• Not to be believed
• Not medieval superstition, but a replacement for
Greek and Roman polytheism
– Women of great moral strength appear often
• Play romantic role as well
– War between Muslims and Christians continued
• An example of Renaissance epic
– Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered
• Combines holy war and romance
• Combines lifelike adventure and magic spells
• Disobeys Aristotle’s command that epic be heroic, focusing
on a person of character, firm in danger, undeviating from
duty
– Renaissance epic allows love to distract the hero from their
duty
– Renaissance epics show women being better people of
character than men
• The Renaissance epics that are not still famous
– Probably because they were good writing, but not
good at telling about the human condition
– Dante is still famous because the moral lessons he
teaches are so timeless
• Another example of Renaissance epic
– Camoens’ Lusiads
• Mixes pagan myths and Christian stories
– Not sacrilege, but standard humanism, showing spiritual
synonymy
Give an example of a Renaissance epic
• Take a moment to look over your notes
about the Renaissance genre of the epic
• Write at least five sentences in your notes
about a story you know that fulfills some, if
not all, of the aspects of Renaissance epic
• Be ready to share
Bellwork
Tuesday, 9/1/15
Scan the section in Barzun that stretches from
page 155 to page 157. Scan by paying attention
to the topic (first) sentence and second
sentence of each paragraph. Answer the
question below in at least 4 sentences:
How did Renaissance music differ from the
music that came before the Renaissance?
• How Renaissance music began to differ from
Medieval music
– The purpose of music became increasingly secular
• Which makes sense, since the Renaissance attached much
importance to human action and feeling
• Activities of courts
• City festivals
• Household entertainment
• Putting ancient poetry to music
– Musical productions expanded
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Church choirs became bigger
Bigger and better organs
More instruments invented or improved
Bigger town bands
More patrons of the arts
Became a required part of acting high-class to be a musician
Even church services were reformed to adjust to musical
developments, rather than to cater to spiritual devotion
• Some definitions to help you understand
Medieval and Renaissance music
– Most medieval music was Gregorian chant
• One melody sung by many voices
– Later medieval composers came up with polyphony
• Several voices singing mostly-independent melodies at the
same time
• Caused clash sometimes to the ear
• So some composers proposed harmony
– Several voices singing together, but each note has been checked
so that it works with the others
– Not several independent melodies, but one melody with several
supporting sub-melodies
– Renaissance composers came up with the idea of
combining polyphony and harmony
• Produced arguments between those who wanted the lyrics
to be more understandable, and the musician who wanted
to make the music as complicated as possible
Describe polyphony and harmony
• Take a moment to review your notes on the
definitions of polyphony and harmony
• Write at least one sentence on each musical
style, making sure that your sentence (or
more if you choose) would be able to
describe that style to someone who has not
taken this class
• Separation of the poet and the musician
– Music freed from lyrics
– Poetry freed from music
– Proliferation of musical terms (mostly Italian),
showing that music was becoming more
expressive
– Musicians who composed for church would
sometimes use tunes from vulgar popular songs,
making church people mad
• The new, freed poetry flourished especially
in France and England
– Wyatt
– Surrey
– Jonson
– Donne
– Shakespeare
– Sidney
– Sonnets from and to lovers
– Ingenuity in rhyme schemes and meters
• Renaissance drama attempted to follow the
ancients’ advice, but also increase lifelikeness
– The content of the play must be at most only a day
– No song-and-dance, like in Greek drama
– Human-like characters, rather than biblical
characters or medieval abstractions like Truth,
Goodness, Sin, etc.
– Renaissance playwrights had to work hard to
convince their audiences to believe what was going
on so that they could properly entertain and morally
build up
– Since then, we trust art so much that our artists do
not have to convince us of the reality of what is
going on, we like breaking rules
• Change in criticism/analysis of literature
– From comparison to the Greeks
• Compare a piece of drama, art, music, or literature as
a whole to the model given by the ancients
– To more artistic criticism
• Break it up into parts
• ANALYSIS becomes a Western theme
Bellwork
Thursday, 9/3/15
Today you will be listening to selections of Medieval
and Renaissance music. Take notes on the questions
below. (Use a new page and divide your paper in two)
Medieval
Renaissance
• What languages are used?
• What languages are used?
• What styles are used?
• What styles are used?
• What is the purpose of
• What is the purpose of
Medieval music?
Renaissance music?
• Who performs Medieval music? • Who performs Renaissance
• What is the result in the
music?
listener of Medieval music?
• What is the result in the
listener of Renaissance music?
• What else did you notice in
either era of music?
Quarter 1 Essay
Friday, 9/4/15
“Why does Barzun classify both the Protestant Reformation
and the Renaissance as one revolution in Western religion?”
On a new piece of paper, consider these questions for
Humanists/Protestants (use your notes and Barzun’s first 3
chapters)
• What were their views towards authority? Where did
they see authority coming from?
• What was their view of the individual (human nature)?
• How/Why did they want to free themselves from past
customs, traditions, and schools of thought?
• How are their views different from the Middle Ages?
(critical for your argument!!)
• How are their concerns related?
– Use this to form your main arguments