The Renaissance 14501600

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The Renaissance (1450-1600)

• Rebirth of human creativity
• Famous people
• Christopher Columbus (1492)
• Ferdinand Magellan (1519-1522)
• Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
• dominant intellectual movement humanism
• focus on human life and accomplishments
• study of Greek and Latin
• impact on art

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The Renaissance (1450-1600)

• Education
• Catholic church far less powerful
• Protestant Reformation Martin Luther
  (1483-1546)
• church did not monopolize learning
• education viewed as status symbol
• paid tutors for upper middle class and
  aristocracy
• ca. 1450 invention of printing with moveable
  type

3
Music and Renaissance Society

• Greater circulation of music
• printing press
• larger number of composers and performers
• Musical training expected in education
• Growth of church choirs
• church remains an important patron of music
• Shift to musical activities in royal courts
• Composers seek recognition

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Characteristics of Renaissance Music

• Predominance of vocal music
• interest in lyrics
• use of word painting
• Chiefly polyphonic in texture
• usually 4-6 vocal parts of equal interest
• homophonic texture also used
• fuller / larger pitch range used
• more attention to harmonic effect
• golden age of a cappella choral music
• Gentle flowing rhythms / scalar melodic patterns

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Sacred Music in the Renaissance

• Renaissance motet
• polyphonic choral work set to sacred Latin text
  other than the mass ordinary
• Josquin Desprez (1440-1521, Flemish)
• Background
• born in Hainaut (modern Belgium)
• worked most of his life in Italy
• court composer
• Papal choir in Rome
• worked for Louis XII of France

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Sacred Music in the Renaissance

• Listening example
• Ave Maria virgo serena (1502) Josquin Desprez
• 4-voice motet
• Latin prayer to the Virgin Mary
• points of imitation
• polyphonic with texture changes
• word painting new joy w/ rhythmic animation
• Renaissance mass
• polyphonic choral setting of the mass ordinary
• Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei

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Sacred Music in the Renaissance

• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (ca. 1525-1594,
  Italy)
• Background
• devoted himself to Catholic church music
• career centered in Rome / held many important
  music positions
• became music director at St. Peters cathedral
• wrote 104 masses / 450 other sacred works
• important figure in the Counter-Reformation,
  including the Council of Trent (1545-1563)

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Sacred Music in the Renaissance

• Pope Marcellus Mass (1562-63) - Palestrina
• reflects Council of Trents desire for clear text
  projection, even as a polyphonic piece
• dedicated to Pope Marcellus II
• written for 6 voices (sop., alto, 2 ten., 2 bass)
• Kyrie
• constant imitation
• fuller sound due to more parts
• continuous flowing rhythm / sustained chords at
  cadences

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Secular Music in the Renaissance

• Vocal Music
• increasingly popular / important leisure activity
• written for groups of soloists or solo voice with
  one or more accompanying instruments
• two types
• madrigal
• ballett (fa-la)

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Secular Music in the Renaissance

• Madrigal characteristics
• a piece for several solo voices set to a short
  poem - usually about love
• combines polyphonic and homophonic textures
• strong use of word painting and unusual harmonies
• History of the Madrigal
• originated in Italy ca. 1520
• explosion of Italian poetry / thousands of
  madrigals
• 1588 - collection of Italian madrigals published
  in England

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Secular Music in the Renaissance

• As Vesta Was Descending (1601)
• Thomas Weelkes (ca.1575-1623) - English organist
  and church composer
• in The Triumphes of Oriana - collection of
  madrigals honoring Queen Elizabeth I (several
  composers)
• word painting - descending, ascending, two
  by two, etc.

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Secular Music in the Renaissance

• Ballett (Fa-La)
• dance-like song for several solo voices
• mostly homophonic with melody in top voice
• same music for each stanza of poem / refrain of
  fa, la, la
• Now Is the Month of Maying (1595)
• Thomas Morley (1557-1603) - English composer
• binary form aa bb

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Secular Music in the Renaissance

• Instrumental Music
• accompanied voices or played music intended to be
  sung
• harpsichord, organ, lute
• music written for instruments more common
• mostly to accompany dancing
• performed in pairs (i.e. pavane and galliard)
• use of loud vs. soft instruments
• families of instruments played together
• numbers of players depend on circumstances

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Secular Music in the Renaissance

• Ricercar in the Twelfth Mode
• Andrea Gabrieli (ca. 1520-1586)
• organist at St. Marks Cathedral in Venice
  (1564-1586)
• written for 4 instruments (SATB)
• polyphonic composition employing imitation
• form A B CC A
• The Most Sacred Queene Elizabeth, Her Galliard
• John Dowland (1562-1626) - lutenist and composer
• written for lute
• lively court dance in triple meter / after pavane
• binary form A A B B

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The Venitian School

• 16th century - Venice becomes center of vocal and
  instrumental music
• focal point - St. Marks Cathedral
• employed 20 instrumentalists / 30 singers
• Venitian School - organists/ music directors at
  St. Marks
• Adrian Willaert
• Andrea Gabrieli
• Giovanni Gabrieli (Andreas nephew)
• two choir lofts with own organ
• some music written for voices with separate
  instrument parts
• tendency toward homophonic texture

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The Venitian School

• Giovanni Gabrieli (ca.1555-1612)
• studied with uncle Andrea / organist at St.
  Marks (1585-1612)
• Plaudite (1597)
• polychoral motet
• 12 vocal parts divided into 3 choirs (low,
  middle, high)
• instrument parts
• stereophonic in nature