Download Music History Classical Music – The Renaissance Lecture Notes

Music History
Classical Music – The Renaissance
Lecture Notes
I.
Historical Perspective
A. Word literally means ‘rebirth’
B. Revival of ideas from Roman and Greek cultures
C. Impacted every part of life in this time
D. Musical Renaissance is from 1400 – 1600
E. Life in the Renaissance – major changes from the middle ages
1. Less focus on church and spirituality; man begins to study sciences and
question his surroundings
2. Drastic increase in technology
a. Travel improves with development of roads and carriages
b. Healthcare improves with study of human anatomy
c. Telescope is used to study astronomy (Galileo, early 1600s)
d. Printing press is invented – perhaps one of the greatest inventions in all
of the first millennium (Guttenberg Bible, c. 1455)
3. Rise of the guilds
a. Training system for artists and other trades, such as tailor, carpenter,
blacksmith, etc
b. Allowed experienced masters of their trade to apprentice younger, less
skilled workers
c. Large part of new economy after the end of the feudal system
4. Explosion of universities and colleges throughout Europe
5. Numerous castles and cathedrals were constructed
6. Exploration
a. Columbus – 1492
b. Vasco da Gama - Portuguese explorer that sailed around Cape of Africa
(1497), sailed to India
c. Explorers went to North and South America, Africa, India
F. All areas of the arts flourished during this time throughout Europe
1. Literature - William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) was writing during this time
2. Michelangelo (1475 – 1564) was creating David and painting the ceiling of
the Sistine Chapel
3. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) was painting the Mona Lisa and conducting
research on flying machines during this time
G. Major changes in religion
1. Protestant Reformation – begins in 1517
a. Martin Luther in Germany
b. 95 Theses nailed to the church door
c. Objected to the doctrine and orders of the Catholic church, so created
new Christian denomination
d. Major impact on music
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2. Church of England
a. Had been in existence for hundreds of years, bur recognized the pope as
the leader of the church
b. Henry VIII wanted to receive an annulment from his wife and the pope
refused
c. Henry VIII declared himself the head of the church and created laws that
made it a treasonous act to continue to recognize the pope in Rome
d. He also changed numerous ceremonies and rituals within the church
Characteristic of Renaissance Music
A. Two basic categories (genres) of compositions from this time period
1. Sacred
a. Liturgical
b. For use in the church
c. Still mainly vocal
2. Secular
a. Music created/used for any other purpose
b. Mainly vocal music, but we begin to see an increase in instrumental
music during this time
c. Popular among common people, not just nobility
B. Imitation
1. Composition technique that is popular during this time period
2. Form of polyphony
3. Two types
a. Strict – round, exact repeat of the material
b. Free
C. Mass
1. Sacred music
2. Long and complex format in the Middle Ages, full of many prayers and
readings
3. Somewhat streamlined in the Renaissance, more unified across Europe
4. Developed into the Ordinary of the Mass
a. These five parts of the Mass remain the same regardless of what the
Mass is being celebrated for (i.e. feast day, holiday, regular Sunday
service, etc)
b. Composers write for these parts when they compose a Mass
c. Composers experimented with ways of linking the five sections together,
frequently using a plainchant or a popular song of the day
d. This tradition continues today
D. Madrigal
1. Secular music
2. Vocal pieces, sometimes with instrumental accompaniment
3. Sometimes used only one singer, sometimes small group of singers
4. Become popular and well developed in Italy, particularly with the Italian
nobility
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III.
5. Later became popular in England; the English translated some Italian
madrigals and published them in English
6. Text of madrigals is original poetry or text that was popular and common
during the Renaissance period
7. Madrigals frequently use text painting or word painting
a. Words ‘high’ with a higher pitch, use of sighs
b. This technique was used to make madrigals more musical and expressive
E. Motet
1. Generally, sacred madrigals
2. Polyphonic
3. Usually written for chorus
4. Text is in Latin
5. Text is sacred, although not specifically connected to the liturgy, and could
be used in many different services
6. This form flourished during this time period
F. Instrumental Music
1. Became more popular and widely used towards the end of the Renaissance
2. Instruments were used for a variety of purposes
a. Used to signal military maneuvers
b. Used to signal fire or danger approaching towns/villages
c. Used for entertainment and celebration
d. Began to be used in the church
3. Common instruments from this time period
a. Flutes and recorders
b. Lute and guitar
c. Small percussion instruments, including drums and tambourines
d. Trumpet
e. Trombone (called a sackbut during this time period)
f. Keyboard instruments
Composers of the Renaissance
A. Josquin Desprez
1. c. 1440 – 1521
2. French composer and spent most of his life in France, although he did travel
to Italy during his lifetime
3. Became famous during his lifetime because of his talent for composing music
4. Began his musical career as a choir boy at a church; there he also studied
music theory and composition with the church musicians
5. Eventually became one of the composers under King Louis XII
6. Composed sacred and secular music
7. Josquin used several important techniques in his music
a. Cantus firmus: one part is fixed and the other parts around it are
composed; he used this technique to include plainchant and popular
song in his works
b. Experimented with the use of rhythm
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B. Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina
1. c. 1525 – 1594
2. Italian composer, nicknamed “Savior of Church Music”
3. Took his name from the town of his birth, 40 miles north of Rome
4. Counter-Reformation and church music
a. 1517: Beginning of Protestant Reformation; spreads across Europe
b. 1534: Pope Paul II elected as Pope
c. 1545: Council of Trent – council of cardinals (leaders in Catholic Church)
that meets over the next 20 years to discuss changes needed to combat
the Protestant Reformation
d. Conversations from this council discuss music
i. Council considers banning polyphony because it is difficult to
understand the text
ii. Council is concerned over the rise in secular music and that it is
seeping into sacred music
iii. Ultimately, council decides that polyphony can be used in church
only if the text can be understood clearly
e. It is under these conditions and circumstances that Palestrina composed
5. Palestrina developed a style of composing that brought back the popularity
of church music
a. Created simple melodies with few skips
b. Flowing rhythms
6. Palestrina composed numerous works
a. More than 100 settings of the Mass
b. Several volumes of song (sacred and secular)
c. Approximately 250 motets
C. Thomas Morley
1. 1557 – 1602
2. English
3. Organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London
4. Owned a music printing company in England
5. Wrote a textbook on music composition
6. Composed more madrigals than any other English composer
D. Giovanni Gabrielli
1. c. 1554 – 1612
2. Italian
3. Composer and organist at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice
4. St. Mark’s
a. The building itself has multiple choir lofts
b. Gabrielli decided to use this in his compositions
c. Created a new style of music
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