Unit IV: The Renaissance

1
Unit IV The Renaissance

• Chapter 14
• The Renaissance Spirit

2
The Renaissance

• c. 1450 - 1600
• French word for rebirth

3
Philosophy

• European society moves from almost exclusive
  religious orientation to a more secular outlook
• Unquestioning faith and mysticism challenged by
  scientific inquiry

4
Philosophy

• A new confidence emerges in mans ability to
  reason and discover, rather than to rely solely
  on tradition and authority

5
History

• Start date approximates the fall of
  Constantinople to the Turks (1453)
• Age of Discoverers
• Emergence of science and engineering as a major
  cultural force

6
Religion

• New era of questions leads to emergence of Martin
  Luther (1483-1546) and the rise of Protestantism

7
Visual Arts

• New realism emerges - no longer the elongated
  martyrs and saints of the Middle Ages - replaced
  by smiling Madonnas
• Greater depth and drama to paintings

8
Realism

• The human form and anatomy are the focus of
  heightened realism

9
Artists

• Many of the greats emerge from Italy
• Donatello (c. 1386-1466)
• Botticelli (1444-1510)
• Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1520)
• Michelangelo (1475-1520)
• Raphael (1483-1520)
• Titian (1488-1576)

10
The Renaissance Musician

• The church and aristocracy are the great patrons
  of the age
• With the growth of printed music, musical
  institutions and organizations explode
• Rise of the amateur musician

11
Style Characteristics

• Sacred Music
• Golden Age of a cappella choral music
• Largely polyphonic - continuous imitation
• Secular music
• Explosive growth due to rise of amateur
• Lute and keyboard dominate

12
Musical Devices

• Spare open 4ths and 5ths replaced by sweeter 3rds
  and 6ths
• Wordpainting prominent especially in secular
  madrigal
• Use of cantus firmus continues, but on a more
  elaborate scale
• Rise of use of duple meter