Transcript Renaissance - marvinmusic

1300 – 1600
Renaissance
 Renaissance
means rebirth or
revival.
 Strong influence
of the ancient
Greek and
Roman styles.
Renaissance
 Vocal music was more important than instrumental
music.
 Sacred music was
more important
than secular
music.
 Music continued to develop in a polyphonic style.
 Two vocal parts were more likely to sing independently
of each other.
 Two melodies completely independent of each other is
called counterpoint.
 Composers began to write for three or more voice
parts.
 Each voice sang its own melody.
 No voice was more or less important than the others.
Vocal Forms
“The golden age of the a cappella style”
 A cappella – vocal music without instrumental
accompaniment
 Smoothly gliding melodies
 Polyphony – multiple voices
 Continuous imitation
 Motives are exchanged between vocal lines – imitating
each other
Renaissance
 The sequence of events in a
Catholic church service is
called the Mass.
 Composers began to focus
on the Mass as a main form
for vocal music.
 They also wrote motets,
an unaccompanied vocal
work based on a sacred
Latin text.
Gregorian Chant
 Organized and “approved” melodies for use at
Mass and other liturgical celebrations
 Monophonic
 Driven by the text
 No implied meter
 Conjunct motion
Renaissance
 Instruments of the
Renaissance were
essentially the same as
the Medieval era.
 Some instruments were
introduced in the mass.
 Usually, instruments
would double the voice,
meaning they would play
the same thing the voice
part was singing.
Renaissance
 The written notation of
neumes developed into
today’s musical staff,
clefs, and notes.
 This system allowed
composers to write
music that was more
complicated.
Renaissance
 Great cathedrals were
built in Europe, and
organs were built in
them.
 The organ became the
primary keyboard
instrument.
Renaissance
 Another primary
keyboard instrument
was the harpsichord.
 This instrument is like a
piano, but has strings
that are plucked , and it
does not have the
dynamic range of a
piano.
Virginal
Clavichord
Strings
Lute
Viol de braccia
Viola de gamba
 European royalty hired musicians to entertain at
special events.
 Traveling musicians continued to perform secular
music for average citizens.
Rise of the Merchant Class
 New group of music patrons
 Emergence of the amateur
musician
 Printed music books become
available
 Musical literacy spread
dramatically
Both professionals and
amateurs took part in
music making.
Music was
considered part of a
proper upbringing
for a young girl.
Renaissance
 The primary secular
music from the
Renaissance was the
madrigal.
 This was a type of secular
vocal music set to a
poem.
 Sacred music, however,
was still the dominant
type of music during this
era.
FAMOUS COMPOSERS
Josquin des Prez
Palestrina
FAMOUS COMPOSERS
Thomas Morley
John Dowland