Percussion in the Renaissance

World Percussion Class

Renaissance (1300 - 1600)

Vocal Music, and more specifically, music with TEXT is the most

important type of music during the Renaissance.

Knowing this, what do you think the role of the drum and percussion is

during this time?

Performance (part 1)

Percussion in the context of musical performance can be defined broadly

as any instrument whose primary sound production is accomplished by

striking a resonating surface with a beater or by shaking.

The surface may be animal hide (real or synthetic), wood, metal, or really

anything that will resonate.

Performance (part 1)

The beater may likewise be of any of a variety of materials, including the

human hand.

This definition encompasses many of the keyboard instruments as well,

specifically the ones which are played by striking a wire or bar directly

with a beater (hammered dulcimer, xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel,

etc.), or by pressing a key which then causes a wire to be struck by a

hammer (piano, etc.).

Performance (part 1)

Some of these have adjustable tension, some have snares or metal disks

that provide additional layers of sound, but all are played by being struck

or shaken directly by the performer.

Since this is a discussion limited to the Middle Ages and Renaissance, we

will further narrow our definition to variations on the following instruments:

bells, jingles, long drums, makers, side drums, tabors, tambours, and

timpani.

Bells

Bells were cast metal shapes constructed such that striking them with a

beater produced a sustained resonant note, which might or might not

correspond to any recognized pitch.

Sometimes bells of different sizes and thicknesses were hung in

sequence in an approximate harmonic succession and played like a

melody instrument (e.g., glockenspiel or orchestra bells).

Bells

More often, bells were played individually or in small groups as musical

punctuation, with no regard for their pitch.

The triangle, finger cymbals, tubular bells and the bell tree fall into this

latter category.

Finger Cymbals

Jingles

Jingles are a generic designation for a broad range of instruments whose

common feature was that they contained beads, metal disks, or other

devices for producing sound when shaken or struck.

Shakers, guiros, sleigh bells, and so on fall into this category, as do the

forms of the modern tambourine.

Rattle

Jingles

Timbrels were wooden frames with metal disks set into them that were

played by shaking, by being struck with a beater or upon some part of the

body, or a combination of these methods.

Timbrels with hides stretched across one end were called tambourines by

the late 15th century; the distinction finally blurred into any hoop set with

small cymbals being called a tambourine.

Jingles

Tambourines could be played like a timbrel or like a drum.

Modern crash and ride cymbals on the drum set developed from this

category.

Jingles

Crash Cymbals were first developed in Turkey, and Ziljian cymbals

emerged as some of the best quality cymbals and are still one of the top

cymbal companies today.

Long Drums

Long Drums were so called because their

height exceeded their diameter. They were

double-headed, tensioned with rope or

sinew, and played with sticks.

The modern tenor drum and tom-tom

evolved from the long drum.

Long Drum

Naker Drums

Nakers were copper bowls with goat or calfskin heads.

They were tensioned by sinew that ran from the rim of the head to a ring

at the bottom of the drum.

They began as relatively small drums carried on a belt at the waist and

struck with thick wooden or cotton-covered wooden beaters.

Naker Drums

Nakers were used primarily for military and ceremonial purposes, or as

mobile accompaniment for "loud" ensembles (those consisting of loud

instruments such as the shawm, cornetto (early trumpet), sackbut (early

trombone), and bagpipe).

The naker was the direct ancestor of the kettledrum or timpani.

Naker drum

Timpani or Kettle Drums

Timpani or Kettle Drums

Timpani or kettle drums are larger, usually stationary, versions of the

Naker.

Timpani began to appear as a distinct category of percussion around the

end of the 14th century, and by 1650 had completely replaced their

smaller ancestors.

Timpani or Kettle Drums

Timpani are perhaps the most familiar of modern orchestral percussion

instruments (along with crash cymbals).

The distinctive feature of the timpani were that they were tuned to specific

notes, rather than being purely timbre-based.

Timpani or Kettle Drums

In later years the timpani came to be

tunable 'on the fly,' as they are today.

This allowed the percussionist to adapt

to key changes without changing

drums, and it is this feature in

combination with the timpani's deep

resonance and booming note that

makes them such a favorite of modern

orchestral composers.

Side Drums

Side drums were drums that were larger in diameter than in height.

They were, like the long drum, double headed and tensioned.

Some of them grew to respectable proportions, and these are the

ancestors of the bass drum.

The Military Snare Drum also

evolved from the Side Drum.

Side Drum

Because of their dimensions, side

drums were often played with the heads

perpendicular to the floor, rather than

parallel, and so the name 'side drum.'

These were some of the loudest of all

percussion instruments.

Side Drum

Tabor Drums

Tabors were specific forms of long drum

played with one hand using a specially-

shaped beater and often had a single

snare of sheep or goat intestine stretched

across the upper head.

Tabor Drum

Tabor drums

They accompanied a flute or fife, played with the other hand, and were

thus part of an early manifestation of the 'one-person band.'

The tabor was carried by a strap slung over one shoulder and couched

under the arm or resting on the hip.

Tambour Drums

Tambours were side drums with

only one head.

They encompassed many different

drums, including the Bodhran,

tabrin, and tabret, and came in a

great range of sizes.

Bodhran Drum - popular in Celtic Music

Tambour Drums

The modern so-called 'finger drums' and 'hand drums,' as well as the

timbale, came from the tambour.

As the name suggests, the tambourine developed from a marriage

between the tambour and the timbrel.

Performance (part 2)

Remember that no percussion music survives from the Middle Ages, so all

performance guidelines are based on conjecture.

The prevailing school of thought at the present seems to be that

percussionists were simply living metronomes who kept a beat for the

dancers with only the occasional flourish and practically no syncopation.

Performance (part 2)

Since there’s very little information about the use of percussion during this

period, and a lot of this information is purely speculation based upon what

we know about history, they believe percussion is used primarily for

keeping a beat.

I believe there were probably a few musicians who devoted themselves

solely to percussion, and advanced their talents far beyond the

'metronome' or 'simply echo the melody line' level of musical

achievement.

Performance (part 2)

The key to being a competent musical percussionist was to stay alert

during this period. Watching other musicians, listening to the music and

following its path in your mind.

In recognizing patterns and repetition, it is not difficult to predict where a

phrase will go next or in fact when and how the piece will end, even if you

have never played it before.

Performance (part 2)

When a percussionist and the rest of the musicians are truly 'in synch,'

there is a comfortable, flowing rhythm that once experienced is never

forgotten.

The achievement of this rhythmic oneness' should be the goal of every

percussionist during every performance.

Percussion is an accompaniment instrument, which means that it serves

almost exclusively as an addition to other instruments.

Performance (part 2)

As such, it must always be subservient to the melodic parts.

With the exception of drum solos, percussionists must constantly seek

feedback about their volume and never let it overpower or in any way

interfere with melodic lines.

This does not decrease the importance of percussion as a component of

the ensemble, it merely defines its role and sets the boundaries of

acceptable performance.

Quiz #1

1) What drum is considered the ancestor of the Timpani? Why?

1) The Tambourine is a marriage between what 2 drums?

1) What was the most important type of music during the Renaissance?

1) What drum is the ancestor of the Bass Drum?

1) What drum is the ancestor of the Snare Drum?

Renaissance Culture and its ties to Music

10:51

● Medieval Music was learned, performed and understood by priests and

monks.

○ Because of this, what do you think was the most prominent type of music

during this time?

● Royalty during the Medieval Period were the only ones that could afford to

pay someone to play music for them.

● So, there is a little bit of “Secular” music from this time period, but most of it

is “Sacred”.

○ the number of priest/monk musicians outnumbered the Royalty

musicians at this time.

Sacred…..Secular….?

Backing up in History...

● Sacred music was the staple of the Medieval period, and was very plain -

even going so far as to call music of that era “Plainchant”, but moving into the

Renaissance period, instruments began to be more popular.

● Polyphony became important in vocal music and lead to a relatively thick

texture.

○ Polyphony - many different sounds happening at once.

● Socially, it was expected that everyone to learn to play an instrument and/or

sing - Music was no longer just for royalty and the rich.

Renaissance Music

Instruments and the Renaissance

● Instrumental Music during this time period was written with Dance activities in

mind, and as a result, many dance styles became available.

● The Drum became more active in instrumental music. Because there were

no words, it was allowed to be more free.

● Melodies were given to violin-like instruments, or recorders, while the drum

played and accented various beats.

● Guitar-like instruments called Lutes were used to strum to emphasize the

beats played by the drum.

3:57

Music followed the Architecture

● Music and Art often reflect what is happening in the world, and as a result

they mimicked the prevailing thoughts of the periods.

● During the Medieval times, architecture was pointy, and angular; full of

Gargoyles and sharp lines that made buildings uninviting.

● Music during this time was similar. It was usually only vocal, and mostly

sacred because the only people that studied music at this time were the

clergy of the church.

● Music was stark, usually a single melody, or in parallel 5ths.

Music followed the Architecture

● In the Renaissance, which means rebirth, there was new life in the culture.

This was reflected in the architecture, as it was more flowing: it had more

curved lines and arches instead of strict angles.

● As a result, buildings were more inviting, and pleasant to look at.

● Music also became more flowing, contained more vocal parts with lots of

imitation. Sacred music was beautiful and explored independent lines.

● While sacred music was still popular, and did change to add more flowing

music, it rarely added instruments in the period.

● Motets and music for the Mass were the two big Sacred Music contributions

to the Renaissance.

● Motet - polyphonic choral sacred music not associated with the Mass.

● Mass - choral music with specific text to be used during the celebration of the

Catholic Mass:

○ Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei

Sacred Music

● Secular music used instruments and became more popular, and began to be

based upon poetry in the Renaissance.

● Poems contained “Word Painting” became popular, and works by William

Shakespeare became very popular.

● Word Painting -when music tries to mimic what happens in the text.

○ If the text is about a leaf falling to the ground, the music might start high,

and gradually descend.

○ If the text is about running, the music might have some very fast notes to

depict that sensation.

Secular Music

As Vesta Was Descending by Thomas Weelkes

Example of polyphonic

secular music that uses word

painting.

Watch the music for the

words “descending” and

“ascending”.

Listen to what happens in the

music when those words are

sung.

Instruments in Secular Music

● Music was more available to regular folk, and as a result, it became easy to

use it as a way to incorporate dance into society.

● Songs with vocals used instruments as background as the words were still

considered to be the most important thing.

○ The Drum was primarily used to keep the beat.

○ Some music did allow the drum to be more prevalent.

● Instrumental songs, allowed the drum to be more free to add more interesting

rhythms.

1) What is polyphony?

1) What type of music flourished as a result of education being more

readily available?

1) What is Word Painting? Explain.

1) What are the 5 parts of the Catholic Mass?

1) How did music follow architecture?

Quiz #2

Renaissance MusicThe emergence of music made for dancing

Music for Dancing

Dance music was strictly secular, is a relatively minor subset of the class

of instrumental music during the middle ages, gaining somewhat in

importance in the Renaissance.

Since the Renaissance was the period of enlightenment, and more people

were being educated, music began to be written for everyday things.

Secular Music - music that is not associated with religion.

Sacred Music - music that is associated with religion.

Music for Dancing

Our concern here is to differentiate the various forms of music likely to be

encountered in our chosen context and to establish some guidelines for

percussion accompaniment of each.

We will therefore address the following types of music, with emphasis on

(but not limited to) music useful in the dance: Basse Dance, Branle

(Ronde), Cantiga, Courante, Estampie, Galliard, and Pavan.

Basse Dance

The 15th century basse dance existed only as a series of long notes

which were played as a bass line by one performer while one or more

others improvised counterpoint around them.

It was standard practice to perform in this manner, without written music,

and every decent musician had a repertoire of improvisational figures to

use on such occasions.

Basse Dance

The basse dance is a slow, graceful processional dance, distinguished

from the pavan by freer, less formal movements.

Performance for percussionists: Slow dances require slow, measured

beats, gradually adding brief eighth or sixteenth note flourishes.

Avoid lots of eighth note patterns, as they tend to give a piece a 'double

time' feel that does not complement the basse dance well in most

instances.

Basse Dance

Branle Dance

The branle (pronounced brawl') probably evolved from the ronde or

country dance, and is in 2/2 or 4/4 time.

For dancers: it is basically a circle or chain of dancers linked by holding

hands or fingers.

Branle Dance

Performance for the percussionist: This is perhaps the most common form

of dance. It is fast, lively, and offers great flexibility for the percussionist.

In other words, the percussionist has lots of freedom in what and how

he/she can play the music in this style.

Branles are predominantly in 2/2 time (a few in 4/4), and repeat often. As

with any piece, take your cue from the rhythmic construction of the melody

line.

Branle Dance

Frequent repetitions of the rhythm as well as syncopation (off-beat

rhythms) are appropriate, as long as the drummer doesn’t ruin the beat.

Often the percussionist’s freedom to embellish varies depending on the

skill of the other musicians.

A strong leader will facilitate this freedom.

Barnle Dance

Cantiga Dance

The Cantiga is more properly called

one of the 400 Cantigas de Santa

Maria of Alphonso X (el Sabio, the

Wise), King of Castile from 1252-84.

It is not known whether he wrote

them all or just collected them, either

way, he has been given all the credit.

Cantiga Dance

Cantigas are not necessarily written for dances, however, they are fun to

dance to because they are lively.

They are highly rhythmic pieces who lend themselves well to certain types

of dance, and are the most fun for the percussionist.

As a result, Cantigas offer the best opportunity for the percussionist to

show off their skills in all of the medieval repertoire.

Cantiga Dance

So many variations and rhythmic devices may be employed in

accompanying cantigas that general rules simply are not practical.

We will listen to Peter Maund (A world-class early music percussionist of

today).

Contiga Dance

Courante Dance

Courante means “to run”, but are characterized more by hopping and

sliding than running.

However, if the musicians are playing this dance very fast, it will feel like

running!

Percussionists should be keeping largely to the metric rhythm (usually in

6/8) as a service to the dancers.

Courante Dance

Courantes can be tricky and as a result it is easy to lose the beat as they

dance, because many times they are trying not to slide/hop into the other

dancers.

Percussionists were expected to emphasize beat 1 (downbeat) to help the

dancers.

Courante Dance

Estampie Dance

The Estampie is one of the earliest surviving documented forms of

(European) dance music.

It was written in several sections, each of which was repeated, sometimes

adding a refrain section.

A steady beat is preferred with a little embellishment, and using lead-in

rhythms before obvious transitions.

Estampie Dance

The other instruments will most likely be trading off droning and melody

and probably increasing in difficulty as the repetitions progress.

Because of the melodic playfulness, rhythmic continuity falls squarely on

the shoulders of the percussionist.

As a general rule, the more complex the melodic lines, the simpler the

percussion should be.

Estampie Dance

The Galliard is found most often together with the Pavan. The Pavan will

be presented in duple meter (4/4 or 2/2), then a short pause, and followed

by a galliard in triple meter (6/8, 3/2, or 6/4).

Pavans were slow, galliards were fast.

Duple Meter - rhythms are even, felt in 2’s

Triple Meter - rhythms are odd, felt in 3’s

Galliard Dance

Galliard Dance

Percussion may reflect the fast rhythms by creating eighth note figures in

the galliard, making it feel faster.

Straight rhythms are preferred, so syncopation (off-beat rhythms) is not

appropriate.

The Downbeat is the most important.

Galliard Dance

Pavan DanceThe pavan or peacock dance' (pavo = peacock) is a slow, stately, formal,

often highly stylized processional dance characterized by legato tones

and almost rigidly rhythmic cadence.

Melody lines are more stately, and formal, so percussion is simpler and

has more repetition.

Simple, steady metric cadence with occasional embellishments drawn

from rhythms in the melodic line are the most pleasing for the pavan.

Pavan Dance

Quiz #31. What is the difference between Sacred and Secular music?

1. _______ ______________ is used to make music mimic what the text

was conveying visually.

1. Was Instrumental Music or Vocal Music more important during the

Renaissance? Why?

1. What was the primary use for the drum in the Renaissance?

1. Instrumental (secular) Music was played with what in mind?