Transcript File

More Renaissance
Josquin Desprez (1440-1521)
• Franco-Flemish Composer
• Most of work in Italy
• Courts of Duke of Ferrara; Papal choir of
Rome, Duke of Milan
• Last appointment: Collegiate church of Conde
• 100 motets, 17 masses, numerous secular
pieces
Palestrina
• Palestrina became famous through his output of
sacred music. He had an enormous influence on the
development of Roman Catholic church music, and
his work has often been seen as the culmination of
Renaissance polyphony
• Palestrina left hundreds of compositions, including
105 masses, 68 offertories, and more than 300
motets. In addition, there are at least 72 hymns, 35
magnificats, 11 litanies, and four or five sets of
lamentations. He also composed at least 140
madrigals
Renaissance secular Music
• Both for professionals and amateurs
• Music in noble courts : professionals
• Rise of merchant class: music in home more
popular
• Most “middle class” homes had lute or
keyboard instrument
• Music study proper for girls
• Women more prominent roles in performance
of music
Secular music renaissance
• Professional women singers (singers of
Ferrara)
• Dancing outlet for music
• Marriage of music and poetry came 2 secular
genres :Chanson and Madrigal
• Music was used to enhance poetry:Pierre de
Ronsard.Francesco Petrarch
• Structures of French and Italian poetry
influenced the music
Chanson
• Favorite genre of dukes of Burgundy and
kinds of France
• Written for 3 voices; one or both lover voices
played on instruments
• Music set to love poetry of French
renaissance
• Forms of poems :rondeau, ballade, virelai
• Established character of setting and musical
repetition of sections
• Recurrent refrains were represented in music
Chanson
• Some had more simpler expression of
love
• L’autre d’antan (The other year) by
Johannes Ockeghem (1410-1497)
• 16th century chanson set in 4 voices in
homophonic or choral style
Madrigals (Italian, English)
• Most popular: Italian and English
• Chief form of secular music
• Aristocratic form of poetry and
music;flourished in small Italian courts
(italian)
• Text was short poem or lyric including
emotional words for weeping,trmbling,etc…
• Love and lost not only topics
:humor,satire,political themes, city and
country life
Italian Madrigals
• Instruments participated, sometimes
replacing voices
• Some only top part (melody) was sung
while other lines were on instruments
Italian Madrigals
• 3 Periods (1st, 2nd, last)
• 1st :composers concern was to make
performance of madrigals easy for amateurs,
no virtuosic techniques
• 2nd: art form directed towards listener
• Last: extends in Baroque period; became
direct expression of composers personality
and feelings
• Description: rich chromatic harmony, vocal
virtuosity, depiction of emotional words in
music
Singing Ladies of Ferrara
• Web page for more info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerto_delle_donne
English Madrigal
• 1st collection of Italian madrigals
published in England appeard in 1588
(Musica transalpina):Music from beyond
the Alps
• Text translated into English; preferred
simpler text
• Most known:”Fair Phyllis” by John
Farmer
Farmer: Fair Phyllis
• Typical English madrigal :pastoral text and
gay(happy) mood
• Repeated sections,contrapuntal imitation
(counterpoint copied);overlapped and
obscured meter
• Changes from homophonic to polyphonic
texture
• Word painting (stole from Italians) I.E. “Fair
Phyllis I saw sitting all alone”,set for 1 voice
• Madrigals gave composers new opportunities
to combine music and poetry; led to opera
Renaissance instruments
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Winds
Flutes: recorder, transverse flute
Brass: trumpet, sackbut (predecessor of the trombone)
Cornett (played with cupped mouthpiece and made of wood or ivory)
Uncapped double reeds: shawm (predecessor of the modern oboe), curtal (predecessor of the modern
bassoon), racket
Capped double reeds: crumhorn, Rauschpfeif, cornemuse
Plucked Strings
Gut-strung: lute, vihuela, guitar, harp (arpa doppia and diatonic)
Metal or wire strung: cittern, bandora (or pandora), orpharion
Bowed Strings
Unfretted bowed strings: fiddles (rebec, vielle, kit), lira di braccio, violin family
Fretted bowed strings: viols (viola da gamba)
Keyboard
Organ: large church organ, positive, regals (small reed organ)
Clavichord (strings struck with metal tangents)
Harpsichord, virginal, spinet (strings plucked by quills)
Percussion
Drums: tabor (as in pipe and tabor), side drum, timpani, kettle drum (often with military uses or
associations)
Metallophones: cymbals, triangles, xylophone
Renaissance Instruments
• More info on medieval and renaissance
instruments
• http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/ins
trumt.html