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Renaissance Music
Renaissance music was composed in Europe during the time of the Renaissance, approximately 14001600. Within this time, music underwent dramatic changes from the original chant from the Middle
Ages. Other countries during this time also decided to join the band wagon and start composing music,
each having its own different style and text. Many events helped shape the way music was composed,
examples being the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation.
Contents [hide]
1. Overview
1.1 Countries
1.2 Genres
2. Early Renaissance Music (1400-1467)
2.1 John Dunstable
2.2 Guillaume Du Fay
3. Middle Renaissance Music (1467- 1534)
3.1 Franco-Flemish Composers
4. The Rise of Regional Styles
4.1 Italy
4.2 France
4.3 England
4.4 Germanic Lands
4.5 Iberia
5. Late Renaissance Music (1534- 1600)
5.1 The Reformation
5.2 The Counter-Reformation
6. Instrumental Music
6.1 Winds
6.2 Strings
6.3 Keyboard
6.4 Percussion
6.5 Styles
6.6 The Venetian School
Overview
Countries
Many different countries started composing music in the Renaissance. England was composing music
such as madrigals, which was the main thing English composers wrote. Italy was the biggest country
music wise, having a mass amount of musical genres, such as the frottola, the lauda, and even their own
madrigals. France threw in its musical style with its chansons and voix de ville. The Germanic lands
also had their own genres with some meisterlieder and quodlibet. Iberia had two principle types of
music, the romance and the villancico. The Franco-Netherlands (Flemish) also contributed many of the
greatest composers of the Renaissance.
Genres
During the Renaissance, a lot of genres were presented... some shared by different countries but with
that countries own musical style implemented into it. Italy had a mass amount of musical genres,
beginning with the lauda which were mainly monophonic, but could also be composed as polyphonic.
They were non liturgical hymns of praise and devotion intended to be sung by semiprofessionals who
met regularly for devotions. The Canti Carnascialeschi, or carnival songs, were used in festivals held
in Florence and consisted of masquerades (performed by masked men and boys on foot) and triumph
songs (performed by costumed singers on carts). The frottola was a generic term covering various types
of Italian secular songs. The Italians composed many other genres of music as well.
The French composed chansons, which were literally just songs. They were always written in the
French language and had continuous polyphony with more equality among voices. The French also
composed voix de ville (air de cour) and musique mesuree.
England's main composition was madrigals, not many English composers did not write madrigals. They
were mainly sung unaccompanied and for solo voice. The English also composed consort songs and
lute songs, or ayres.
Songs from the Germanic lands were called Lieds (songs). These were mainly polyphonic. The
Germanic lands also composed Meisterlieder, odes, and quodlibets.
Iberia composed two types of musical genres, the romance and the villancico.
Early Renaissance Music (1400-1467)
John Dunstable
John Dunstable was a composer who influenced many of the French composers who followed him,
especially Gulliame DuFay. Dunstable wrote in the contenance angloise, or the English style of music.
This style consisted of: 1) chords that regularly include the third (except final cadences), 2) passages in
block chords or of lightly ornamented homo rhythmic texture and 3) polyphonic lines primarily
consonant with all other lines, constructed with carefully prepared and resolved dissonances placed on
weak beats.
An example of John Dunstable's work. Quam pulchra es demonstrating his style of Declamation, a syllabic style of
writing music.
Guillaume DuFay
Guillaume DuFay, during his maturity, was the most famous composer in all of Europe. He was very
well educated and also knew composers such as Binchois, Busnois, and Ockeghem. He wrote both
sacred and secular music and his compositions are included in over 70 15th century manuscripts. He
wrote most of his secular music while he was associated with a court and when he lived in Italy. He
mainly wrote his text in French, despite living in Italy. Most of DuFay's ballades are early works and
only four very late works are virelais. Most of his chansons are rondeaux, mainly on subjects similar to
those of the trouveres. He mainly wrote about love, but also wrote about religious symbolism and
personal feelings.
An example of a chanson by DuFay titled Bonjour, bon mois, bon an.
DuFay also composed sacred music, mainly motets and Masses. He is credited with being the first
composer to use fauxbourdon in a motet. Fauxbourdon uses two notated voices and forms a framework
of basically parallel sixths with some octaves with those two voices.
An example of fauxbourdon by DuFay, called Ave Maris Stella.
DuFay also composed Masses, 8 of which have survived. He composed Tenor Masses that are cyclic,
that is, with the same cantus firmus melody in all movements of the Mass. He also composed a motto
Mass, which is a Mass that the head motive is used consistently.
Middle Renaissance Music (1467-1534)
The Early Renaissance composers dropped the ideas of the late medieval period, like isorhythm, and
began composing in a completely new way.
Franco-Flemish
The Franco-Flemish composers were probably some of the most famous composers of their time. They
introduced the style of writing known as familiar style, a polyphonic piece that has a homo rhythmic
texture and syllabic text setting. Another style they introduced was points of imitation, a portion of a
piece of music in which a single musical subject is treated imitatively. They were also writing cadences
that forecast the authentic and plagal cadences and often times included the third in the final chord of
the piece.
Johannes Ockeghem was one of the biggest names during his time in the world of music. He composed
both secular and sacred musics, but is mainly known for his sacred music. In his secular works, he
wrote them in three-voices and they were treble-dominated polyphony, but they had a range extension
that extended downwards, decreasing the necessity for voice crossing. Ockeghem's sacred music was
composed differently than what other composers had done. His melodies were constructed in long,
flowing polyphonic lines in long-breathed phrases. One of the things Ockeghem composed was
Masses. He based most of his Masses on melodies borrowed from secular songs or from chants. He
also did not always abide by the cantus firmus melody nor did he always put the melody in the tenor
voice. He would sometimes a) use a migrant cantus firmus, b) change the order of the phrases of the
original melody or c) place the cantus firmus in two voices at the same time but without using canon or
imitation or doubling the melody.
An excerpt from one of Ockeghem's sacred pieces, Alma Redemptoris Mater.
Another composer of the Franco-Flemish school is Jacob Obrecht. Much like Ockeghem, Obrecht
composed in both sacred and secular forms, but was known for his sacred work. His secular works, to
mention briefly, were for four voices, although six of them are for three. In Obrecht's sacred music, he
composed them with melodies that are smooth and and divided into singable phrases of moderate
length and were gently curved and slightly arched. His Masses are mostly for four voices and all based
on borrowed melodies. He usually placed the main cantus firmus in the tenor voice. He never wrote a
true parody Mass, but did use the parody technique but not as the primary constructional basis for the
Mass. Obrecht also composed motets, fourteen of which are for four voices; seven for five, six for
three, and one for six. Most of his motets are based on borrowed melodies and had a manipulated
cantus firmus in various ways. Some of is motets were polytextual and had the writing technique of
quodlibet (literally whatever you want) in them.
An except from Obrecht's Parce Domine, showing his smooth melody composing.
Josquin Desprez was considered one of the greater secular composers and was acknowledged as a
master of Mass and motet composition. Martin Luther even considered Josquin to be “Master of the
notes”. Josquin used a technique in his later motets known as pervading imitation, which the next
generation of composers would often use. Most of Josquin's secular works are chansons, but he did
write a few frottole. Only a few of his chansons follow the formes fixes. Often, he set long poems
strophically. Josquin did most of his Mass composing before 1505, with only 2 of his 18 Masses being
composed after this date. Most of his Masses were based off borrowed material: five on chansons by
other composers, four on popular songs, four on chant melodies, and one on a motet. He also used
canon extensively. Josquin's finest compositions are his motets, which were principally 2 types: 1) four
voice setting of biblical texts, mainly psalms, and 2) large scale five-voice cantus firmus type
compositions usually based on melodies borrowed from chant. Josquin used a lot of word painting and
text painting. Josquin's contemporaries consist of Heinrich Isaac, Pierre de La Rue and Jean Mouton.
An excerpt from Josquin's motet Miserere mei Deus, depicting his large scale, five voice cantus firmus type of
writing.
The Rise of Regional Styles
Italy
During this time, Italy was the leading country when it came to musical styles, composing many
different styles of music. The lauda was polyphonic and intended to be sung by semiprofessionals who
met regularly for devotions. The canti carnascialeschi were carnival songs, one type being a
masquerade where men and boys would wear masks and sing on foot. Frottolas were three to four part
polyphonic songs that were predominantly homo rhythmic with simple harmonies and the main melody
in the top voice. Villanella were often witty and sophisticated pieces of music intended for aristocratic
audiences. The madrigal became the most significant type of Italian secular song during the
Renaissance. They were divided into three types: early, classical, and late. Early madrigals were for
three or four voices and had some imitation, but were predominantly chordal with clear cadences
separating poetic phrases. These were the madrigals of the Early Renaissance. Classical madrigals were
called madrigali spirituali, which were madrigals setting devotional texts, especially about the Virgin
Mary. These were used around the Middle Renaissance. Late madrigals exhibited continuous
polyphony and extended to five to six voices. This was used in the Late Renaissance. Canzonettas were
light, secular Italian songs that had strophic texts and used subjects that are amorous, erotic, pastoral,
and satirical. Italians also composed ballettos, which were strophic and homophonic with regular
rhythmic patterns, clearly delineated phrases, and diatonic harmonies of key tonality. These were dance
songs.
France
French composers wrote chansons, which was literally a song. They were always written in the French
language and exhibited continuous polyphony and contained melodic figures, turns of phrase, and
cadences common to the Franco-Flemish. They also wrote voix de ville, or lute songs. These songs
were set strophically to music in a homophonic chordal style with the melody in the top voice.
Musique mesuree was also composed in France, which were homophonic and almost totally homo
rhythmic pieces in French text set to Greek and Latin verse.
England
Around the 1590s, most English composers composed madrigals. These madrigals were like the Italian
madrigals, except simpler and in English text. These were the most popular pieces of music for the
English at this time. They also composed consort songs that were exclusive to England. These songs
were for one or more solo voices with a required instrumental accompaniment that was usually a
consort of viols. The English also composed lute songs, which were commonly known as ayres in
England. However, these did not become popular in England until the late 1590s.
Germanic Lands
The Germanic lands did not compose many different styles of music. Meisterlieder were monophonic
German songs created and performed by members of the Meistersinger guilds. These were performed
unaccompanied and normally with a vocal soloist and occasionally a chorus. It comprised of an odd
number of stanzas and was set in aab form. Polyphonic lied was also popular in Germany, but could be
called Tenorlieder by the early 16th century due to the melody being put in the tenor voice. Odes were
composed in Germany as well and were set at the ends of acts in Latin plays written by German
schoolmasters. A popular German style is the quodlibet, which literally means whatsoever you please.
This style combines well known melodies or fragments of melodies successively and simultaneously.
Iberia
Iberia only had two styles of music that were popular at the time: romance (ballad) and the villancico.
The romance has strophic text and was narrative. They were in three or four voices and homophonic
with the main melody in the top voice. The villancico resembles a ballata and a virelai, very dance like.
They were for three or four voices and were contrapuntal with the main melody in the superius.
Late Renaissance Music (1534- 1600)
The Reformation
The Reformation brought forth a change in music. At the heart of the Lutheran church was the German
Choral or, called in England, the chorale. It is a German hymn comprising a text and a melody and was
originally sung a capella. It is comparable with monophonic chant. In the early church, they were
intended for congregational singing. Most chorales are strophic. Some sixteenth-century chorales were
newly composed melodies and others were contrafacta- chants, non liturgical spiritual songs, secular
melodies, or folk songs fitted with German sacred text. One of the more important composers of this
time was Johann Walter, who personally knew Martin Luther. He was one of Luther's advisees when
Luther was drafting the German Mass. He wrote Magnificat and Psalm settings, motets, many
Tenorlieder and hymns. His greatest contribution was the printing of his Geystliches gesangk Buchleyn
(Little book of sacred songs), which was a collection of Lutheran choral music and was intended to be
used by young people.
A section from the beginning of Johann Walter's chorale Vater unser.
England also participated in the Reformation when Henry the VIII split from the Roman Catholic
Church and established the Church of England. Before this, three composers were very famous in
England for their sacred writings: John Taverner, Christopher Tye and Thomas Tallis. Taverner's most
significant works are his festal Masses, Magnificats, and votive antiphons. His Masses contained no
Kyrie and some phrases were omitted from the Credo.
One of the more famous English composers after the split from the Catholic Church was William Byrd.
He brought English virginal music to a high level of excellence. He was also credited with composing
some of the finest Latin church music produced in England during the late 16th century as well as very
fine Anglican church music, which was used even after his death. His psalm settings with simple
choruses at the ends of stanzas lie at the root of the verse anthem, alternation of solo verses with choral
ones. With the exception of his piece Great Service, his liturgical music became a staple in the English
cathedral repertory.
The Counter Reformation
During the Counter-Reformation, the Council of Trent decided to abolish most of the changes in music
that was going on during the Protestant Reformation and to abolish instrumental accompaniment and
multi-voiced polyphony. One of the great composers of this style was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
He was proclaimed to be the “savior of church music” because of his compositions and the fact that
they upheld the standard of excellence the Catholic Church wanted in their music. Palestrina composed
Masses of every type being written during the sixteenth century. Most of his Masses are chant based.
His motets were for four voices and were models of Renaissance polyphony. They displayed correct
voice leading and intervallic construction, carefully controlled dissonance, and equilibrium of part
writing.
The beginning of Palestrina's Benedicam Dominum. It portrays how most Mass settings were composed during the
Counter-Reformation.
Thomas Luis de Victoria wrote many parody Masses. Most of his Masses were parodies of his own
works; eight based on motets, three on Marian antiphons, and one on a psalm setting. He was also one
of the first composers to base a Mass on one of his own motets; his first Mass in which he did so was
Missa Dum complerentur.
Orlande de Lassus was one of the great composers of sacred music during the last half of the sixteenth
century. He wrote a lot of sacred music, but unlike Palestrina, he was not ashamed to write secular
music as well. He is best known for his motets, which exhibited a combination of Franco-Flemish and
Italian practices. Imitation was important and voice pairing was frequent. He composed Masses as well,
two of which are Requiem Masses. Most of his Masses used the parody technique; basing them
primarily on motets, but he did use secular models as well. He composed some of the finest chansons
written for his time.
A piece of the Kyrie of Lassus' Mass Missa Mon coeur se recommande a vous.
Instrumental Music
During the Renaissance, instrumental music was given more importance in not just the secular world,
but in the sacred world as well. They were broken up into consorts, whole and broken. A whole consort
was an ensemble including all instruments of the same family. A broken consort was an ensemble made
up of different instrumental families. There were also tuning systems introduced for the instruments.
Renaissance instruments could not use the just intonation system, tuning by pure fifths, that vocalists
could use. The mean-tone system was based on a fifth slightly smaller than a perfect fifth. The problem
with this system was that it was good for when only one or two accidentals were present. For more
chromatic pitches, this system was not that reliable. The equal temperament system was born, which
divided the octave into 12 different pitches, thus making it easier to tune chromatic notes.
Wind Instruments
The principle types of wind instruments were the recorder, cromorne, shawm, cornetto, trumpet, and
trombone. The recorder was intended for use as an ensemble instrument, usually in sets of three or four
instruments.
The cromorne, or crooked horn, is a J-shaped woodwind whose double reed is enclosed in a cap. A set
of these normally contained six instruments. It was intended for ensemble performance.
A cromorne.
The shawm, a woodwind with an exposed double reed, was considered a loud instrument for ensemble
performance. They were in families of six with sizes ranging from high treble to great bass.
2 sizes of shawm.
The cornetto, or little horn, was a wooden instrument with a cup-shaped mouthpiece made of ivory or
bone and was made in both straight and curved models and in three sizes. It was mainly used with
trombone and organ to accompany choral music.
The trumpet existed in two models, straight and curved. The straight trumpet existed from antiquity and
the curved trumpet appears in 1400. Five part trumpet consorts performed in many courts during the
Renaissance.
Trombones were used in the Burgundian and Franco-Flemish courts. They were used along with
cornetto and organ to accompany choral music, but also played in town and court bands.
String Instruments
The viol, a bow stringed instrument with a fretted fingerboard, first appeared in Spain in the last third
of the 15th century. It was used as both a solo and ensemble instrument. Viols came in six sizes: treble,
alto, small tenor, tenor, bass, and contrabass.
The violin differs from the viol in having four strings tuned in fifths, and unfretted fingerboard, an
arched back and belly, and rounded and less-sloping shoulders.
The lute was one of the most popular Renaissance instruments, most households owned at least one. It
was also considered to be part of the education of a cultured lady to learn to play one. They were
structured in several sizes, most of the music required a treble, tenor and bass. The 16th century lute had
11 strings arrange in 6 courses (a group of strings tuned in unison or as an octave), two strings for all
but the highest course.
A typical model of a lute.
Keyboard Instruments
The term clavier was used for any keyboard instrument other than organ, and two types of this existed,
the clavichord and harpsichord. The clavichord was a rectangular box with a keyboard set into one of
its long sides. Pressing down on a key would cause a brass tangent to strike a pair of strings within the
box and remain in contact until the key was released.
The harpsichord was made in various shapes and sizes and was known by different names:
clavicembal, clavecin, spinet, and virginal. When a key is pressed down, a jack is activated and a
plectrum plucks a string, thus sounding a pitch. It was meant as both a solo and ensemble instrument.
The positive organ came to replace the portative organ. In was incorporated into the large church organ
as a rank of pipes.
The church organ was used as both a supportive and solo instrument. Some verses of a Mass, for
example the Magnificat, were often performed alternately by singers and organ. Likewise, other
sections of the Kyrie or Gloria could be performed alternately by organ and singers. This principle,
organ polyphony alternating with vocal music, came to be known as Organ Mass. Sometimes short
organ solos called versets, or verses, were substituted for chant in some portions of the Proper of both
Mass and Offices.
Percussion Instruments
Various percussion instruments were used during the Renaissance: anvil and hammer, bells and chimes,
small cymbals, side drum, dulcimer, tabor, tambourine, trapezoid-shaped triangle with jingling rings at
its angles, nakers, kettledrums, and xylophone. These instruments were mainly used for religious
ceremonies, civic processions, military signals and encouragement, and dance. No written music for
percussion has survived to this day.
Styles
Instrumental music took on many different styles, one style being borrowed from vocal models.
Instrumental music was composed based off of a lot of vocal music. Instrumental music was now being
composed in ricercar, imitative treatment of one or more themes that usually are not melodically or
rhythmically individualistic.
A canzona was originally denoted as an instrumental arrangement of a polyphonic chanson. Early
canzonas closely resembled the melodic and rhythmic styles of chansons.
In nomine was a piece of instrumental music that was derived from a single model of vocal music: the
section of the Benedictus of John Taverner's six voice Mass Gloria tibi Trinitas setting the words In
nomine Domini.
Dance music was also a popular style of instrumental music. Combinations of dance music was very
popular in the Renaissance. Mainly it was a pair of a slow dance, like the pavane, with an upbeat dance
such as the gaillarde. However, not all dances were paired. The jig was danced in Scotland, Ireland and
England and was not paired with another dance style.
Improvisational works also existed back in the Renaissance. These would require the performer to: 1)
add one of more new polyphonic lines to an existing melody selected as cantus firmus, 2) embellish or
paraphrase an existing melody, or 3) freely improvise without reference to a preexistent melody or
harmony of one or more additional polyphonic lines.
The Venetian School
Venice was an independent city-state whose public officials were elected to office. Musical activity
increased in Venice during the last quarter of the 15th century. Two big composers were in Venice at this
time, Andrea Gabrieli and Giovanni Gabrieli.
Andrea Gabrieli had made significant contributions to many musical genres while in Venice. For his
madrigals, he chose light pastoral verses and tended to set his texts syllabically for verbal clarity and
sometimes use word painting. Many of his motets are for eight or more voices and are all texted.
Giovanni Gabrieli received his musical training from his uncle Andrea Gabrieli. He edited many of
Andrea's compositions and published them along with some of his own. His early works shows the
influences he had from Andrea and Orlande de Lassus. His most characteristic works were his pieces
for divided choirs. The earliest of these works, along with some of Andrea's, were published in the
book Concerti.