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Name: Tiffany Chow
Renaissance (~1400-1600)
Answer the following in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
http://www.ipl.org.ar/exhibit/mushist/index.html#ren or
http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/#ren
1.
“Renaissance” means “rebirth”. What was being reborn?
During The Renaissance, the cultural awakening and flowering of arts, letters and sciences
through Europe was being reborn.
2.
Explain polyphony and who was one of the notable composers who advanced its
use?
Polyphony became increasingly elaborate throughout the 14th century, with highly
independent voices. In the beginning of the 15th century, they showed simplification,
where the voices often strived for smoothness. A few of the notable composers who
advanced its use was Palestrina, Lassus and William Byrd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_music
Styles and Trends
3.
What was one of the most pronounced features of early Renaissance music?
One of the most pronounced features of early Renaissance European art music was the
increasing reliance on the interval of the third. Church did not use, because they regarded
it as dissonance.
Genres – Sacred Music
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(music)
4.
Briefly explain a MASS.
A mass is a form of sacred musical composition, and is a choral composition that sets the
invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music. Most masses are settings of the
liturgy in Latin, which is the liturgical sacred language of the Catholic Church’s Roman
liturgy. But, there is a significant number written in the languages of non-Catholic
countries where vernacular worship has long been the norm. For example, there are many
masses (often called Communion Services) written in English for the Church of England.
Masses can be a cappella, that is, without an independent accompaniment, or they can be
accompanied by instrumental obbligatos up to and including a full orchestra. Many
Masses, especially later ones, were never intended to be performed during the celebration
of an actual mass.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motet
5.
What is a Renaissance MOTET (see paragraph two of that section)?
Renaissance MOTET is a polyphonic musical setting, sometimes in imitative counterpoint.
It is written in Latin and is usually sacred, but not specifically connected to the liturgy of a
given day, and therefore is suitable for use in any service. The texts of antiphons were
frequently used as MOTET texts. This is the sort of composition that is most familiarly
designated by the term “motet”, and the Renaissance period marked the flowering of the
form.
Genre – Secular Music
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrigal_(music)
6.
Explain a MADRIGAL.
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, which is also known as a partsong. It is
of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are
unaccompanied, and the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently
from three to six.
Madrigals originated in Italy during the 1520s. Unlike many strophic forms of the time,
most madrigals were through-composed. In the madrigal, the composer attempts to
express the emotion contained in each line, and sometimes individual words of a
celebrated poem.
The madrigal originated in part from the frottola, in part from the resurgence in vernacular
Italian poetry, and also from the French chanson and polyphonic style of the motet as
written by the Franco-Flemish composers what had naturalized in Italy during the period.
In Italy, the madrigal was the most important secular form of music of its time. The
madrigal reached its formal and historical zenith by the second half of the 16th century.
English and German composers also took up the madrigal in its heyday. After the 1630s,
the madrigal began to merge with the cantata and the dialogue. With the rise of opera in
the early 17th century, people gradually displaced the madrigal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_music
7.
What was the impact of the invention of the printing press on music?
In the early 1470s, music started to be printed using a printing press. Music printing had a
major effect on how music spread for not only did a printed piece of music reach a larger
audience, it did it far cheaper as well. During this century, a tradition of famous makers
began for many instruments. These makers were masters of their craft. An example is
Neuschel for his trumpets.
Below is an example of Renaissance notation.