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The Renaissance
What was the Renaissance?
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Period following the middle ages (14001600)
“Rebirth” of classical Greece and Rome
Began in Italy
Moved to northern Europe
Causes of the Renaissance
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Lessening of feudalism
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Fall of Constantinople
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Church disrespected
Nobility in chaos
Growth of Middle Class through trade
Greek scholars fled to Italy
Education
Nostalgia among the Italians to recapture
the glory of the Roman empire
Objectives
During the middle ages
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Find God
Prove pre-conceived ideas
During the Renaissance
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Find man
Promote learning
Northern and Late
Renaissance
• RELIGION/POLITICS – Reformation; much
political & religious violence
• IDEAS – a skeptical Humanism
• ART – a realism of everyday life:
PORTRAITS, LANDSCAPES; oil painting
• MUSIC – conservative perfection (Palestrina)
& new approaches (madrigals)
Renaissance
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1st period to name itself and say nasty
things about earlier times:
“Gothic” & “Dark Ages”
Term means “Rebirth”
Looking back to Classical culture –
Ancient Greece and Rome
Middle Ages - people were parts of a
greater whole; members of a family,
trade guild, nation, or Church
Renaissance - human beings first began
to think of themselves as individuals
Timeline
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Guttenberg Bible—1456
Columbus reaches America—1492
Leonardo da Vinci: Mona Lisa—c. 1503
Michelangelo: David—1504
Raphael: School of Athens—1505
Martin Luther’s 95 theses—1517
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet—1596
Humanism
• Pursuit of individualism
– Recognition that humans are creative
– Appreciation of art as a product of man
• Basic culture needed for all
• Life could be enjoyable
• Love of the classical past
Renaissance Man
• Broad knowledge about many
things in different fields
• Deep knowledge of skill in one
area
• Able to link areas and create
new knowledge
Realism
That painting is the most to be
praised which agrees most
exactly with the thing imitated.
- Leonardo da Vinci
• Names! Artists known by name
– 1st contemporary art historian
(1550)
• Individuality celebrated in this
era
Shakespeare
Part of a general revival of theater, which we
need to mention now, because OPERA is
about to develop in the Baroque period.
HAMLET - 1602
• Church is still the biggest
power structure
• Beginning of banking
• Private fortunes & power
• Starts in Italy – specifically
Florence
Josquin
Ave Maria . . .
Donatello
David
Michelangelo
David
Michelangelo
Raphael
Leonardo
REFORMATION
Renaissance
timeline
1400
1500
1600
Summary – Italian Renaissance
• POLITICS – Italian city-states; power from money
• EARLY RENAISSANCE – Florence
• HIGH RENAISSANCE – Rome
• ART – Classical ideals revived; BIG 3
• IDEAS – Humanism returns
• MUSIC – Josquin & imitative counterpoint
Add a third active
line that goes
well with the
cantus firmus and
the other line
The Old Way
Add a nice active line that goes
well with the cantus firmus
Start with a bit of chant –
a cantus firmus
The Emerging Way?
Still very “linear” in conception, especially
in its emphasis on IMITATIVE
COUNTERPOINT, but more “vertical” in
organization? (Careful control of
dissonance; favoring triads.)
Basic structure
• Words dominate
• Tone painting
• Printed in part-book or opposing-sheet format
• Originated in Italy
• English madrigal
lighter & simpler
• Intended for amateur performers (after dinner music)
Josquin
(to the tune of the Beatles’ “Michelle”)
Josquin, the Man,
Wrote smooth counterpoint as no one can,
That guy Josquin.
Josquin Desprez
• 1st “Great Composer” glorified by
contemporary and following
generations
• new approach to composition?
a piece by Josquin
Musical Notation
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Invented to publish books of music
Invented instruments
Instrumental arrangements appeared
The Reformation 1517
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Martin Luther – a composer himself
Effort to reform creates new church
Sides with rulers against peasant
revolts
Printing press disseminates The Word
Boost to individualism
Consequences for music: Mass gone;
hymns
The Counter-Reformation
Giovanni Palestrina
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Adult life in Rome
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Reactionary period
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Choirmaster, singer,/ director of music
Church suppressed music that did not enhance words of the
Mass
Polyphony was distracting
Works were conservative
Giovanni Palestrina
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Wrote over 100 masses
– Gregorian chant
– Mass in Honor of Pope Marcellus
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Influenced later music
Buried in St. Peter’s Basilica
– “The Prince of Music”
Palestrina
Chant a source of musical materials (revival & last
gasp of cantus firmus technique)
Very refined; no text painting
Repetition avoided
“16th Century Counterpoint” still taught today –
why? To teach control, focus & line
We usually celebrate innovators in history –
Palestrina was a consolidator and perfecter of a
soon-to-fade style
Palestrina – a story
The Church was about to ban polyphonic music from the
church, because it obscured the sacred text.
In response, Palestrina then composed the Missa Papae
Marcelli, which, depite its 6-part texture, features very clear
text-setting.
The powers-that-be heard its merit & beauty and music was
SAVED!
 Charming story, often told, but alas not true.
Secular Music
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New instruments
Chansons favored in the
court
– Courtly Love
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Madrigals
– Poetry and Music
Music at
Court
Dances
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Instrumentation unspecified; usually a
consort (group) of a family of
instruments of uniform timbre
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Dances are collected into suites
(Baroque) which evolve into symphonies
(Classical)
Instrumental Music
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Still subordinate to vocal music
Used more often to accompany voices
Sometimes played adapted vocal music alone
Published music stated that parts could be
sung or played
Dancing became ever more popular
Composers did not specify instrumentation
Music at Court
Madrigals
Origin of term obscure
A type of song for multiple voice parts
Text is a rhyming poem, usually with
sections of repetition & is usually about
Love
Music at Court
Madrigals
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Popular-at-court-&-wealthy-homes
music
In Italy and England
Participatory, not passive music
text-painting
importance of words 
homorhythmic texture 