“The Renaissance” 16 th and early 17 th Century 1485-1660 A period of REBIRTH.
The Renaissance (1450-1600). The Renaissance This time period was known as a “rebirth” of human...
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Transcript of The Renaissance (1450-1600). The Renaissance This time period was known as a “rebirth” of human...
The Renaissance
(1450-1600)
The Renaissance
• This time period was known as a “rebirth” of human creativity.
• Period of world exploration: Columbus, de Gama, and Magellan
• Rise of individualism and art• Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo• Culture modeled after ancient Greece and Rome
The World in 1400
Musical Changes in the Renaissance
• Every educated person was trained in music
• Church choirs grew in size
• Musical activity shifted from churches to courts
• Composers began receiving credit for their work
Characteristics of Renaissance Music:Texture
• Mostly polyphonic in nature (multiple melodies of equal importance)
• Richer harmonies than in the Middle Ages
• This period is known as the “Golden Age of A’Capella” (unaccompanied choral music)
Sacred Music in the Renaissance
• Two main forms are the motet and the mass. • Mass- choral work set to a specific text called
the “ordinary:”
• Motet- choral work set to any sacred Latin text other than the mass text.
1. Kyrie 2. Gloria 3. Credo 4. Sanctus 5. Agnus Dei
Ave Maria... Virgo Serena
• Four-voice motet by Josquin Desprez
• Varied texture based on how many voices are singing at once.
Giovanni Palestrina and the Mass• 1525-1594• Held several important
church music jobs• Wrote 104 masses and
over 450 other sacred choral works
• The simplicity and beauty of his works reflected the church’s desire to be able to focus on the words and not overly ornate singing.
Pope Marcellus Mass: Kyrie
• Palestrina’s most famous mass
• For six-voice a capella choir
• As you listen, focus on the simplicity of the music that enables the words to be heard.
Secular Vocal Music in the Renaissance
• An important form was the madrigal, a piece for several voices set to a short poem.
• Uses word painting and unusual harmonies
• Often about love
As Vesta Was From Latmos Hill Descending…
• 1601 madrigal by Thomas Weelkes
• Written to honor Queen Elizabeth I, known as “Oriana.”
• Listen for word painting, such as:• downward motion on “descending.”
• Voices moving downward on “running down”
• 2 voices on “two by two,” 3 voices on “three by three”, etc
• One voice on “all alone”
Instrumental Music• Instrumental music was
gaining importance
• Most instrumental music was intended for court dancing• Very formal, for etiquette and
socialization
• There was no standardized orchestra- people used what instruments were available.
Basse Danse and Branle Gay
• Two Renaissance dances
• Listen to the sounds of the instruments– Both in triple meter– The first is slow, the second quicker
Passamezzo and Galliard
• 1612 Renaissance Dances by Pierre Caroubel
• Passamezzo was a stately dance in duple meter (two beats to a measure)
• Galliard is a quicker dance in triple meter