History of the music: The renaissance period

UNIT 3. THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD

1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT (15th-16th centuries)

The long, relatively dark era of the Middle Ages eventually led to a great cultural awakening,

the Humanism: born in Italy, it was an intellectual movement that took the ancient wisdom as

an ideal and put the human being in the focus of attention, instead of God.

The increasing freedom of thought allowed to reconsider some points that were taken for

granted.

The Reformation changed some points of view in regards to religion and divide

Christianity (Protestantism/Catholicism).

The Renaissance saw the explorations of Christopher Columbus and Sir Francis Drake, the

scientific advancements of Galileo and Copernicus, the art of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da

Vinci and the plays of William Shakespeare.

2. MUSIC

Music, like all the arts, flourished during the Renaissance. With the rise of the middle class,

more people move to cities and spent their leisure time attending concerts and performances.

Music became part of the common education and -thanks to the invention of the printing

press- sheet music and method books (for lute, recorder and guitar) were made available for

wider groups of people.

The Renaissance saw the dawn of a new musical era full of sprightly polyphony,

experimentation in the musical forms, the spread of secular song and the introduction of a new

polyphonic vocal form called the Madrigal.

Characteristics of Renaissance music

- Strong focus on the melodic line.

- “New” instruments came to prominence: the viol, lute, guitar, harp, recorder (flute), sackbut  as well as the first keyboard instruments, the harpsichord and clavichord.

- During Renaissance polyphony evolved from the independent counterpoint (14th-15th

centuries) into a more harmonious form of melody and accompaniament called

homophony (16th century).

- During Renaissance new forms of vocal (both religious and secular) music were

developed.

- Claudio Monteverdi and Giovanni da Palestrina were among the most important

composers.

Polyphonic music

Counterpoint: The technique of combining two or more melodic lines in such a way that

they establish a harmonic relationship while retaining their linear individuality.

Homophony: music in which one voice carries a single and dominating melody that is

accompanied by chords. The important aspect is that the chords are subservient to the

melody.

2.1 SECULAR MUSIC

Music was increasingly enjoyed in settings outside the church; both men and women of the

upper classes were expected to understand and perform music, while those of the middle

class became a good audience for these performances.

Secular forms, written in vernacular language:

Madrigal (Italy)

Madrigal is one of the most important musical forms of the Renaissance and Claudio

Monteverdi was one of its main composers.  The typical madrigal is a polyphonic

composition for four to six voices (usually five), typically unaccompanied, based on a poem or

other secular text.

Characteristics:

- Composition for 4,5 or 6 voices, usually a cappella.

- Polyphonic music: counterpoint texture (although some fragments may be

homophonic).

- Lyrics came from poetry about human feelings. The favorite subject for such

madrigals was the pain and grief of love.

- Music tried to describe the meaning of words.

Chanson (France)

The melodies sung by 13th century troubadours evolved during the early 14th century into

two-and three-voice pieces called Chanson (French for “song”). 

By the 16th century, chanson grew from its simple beginnings to include elaborate

contrapuntal melodies and vocal effects that emulated birdcalls and nature sounds, the cries of

street sellers, and the like. Master of this later form of chanson included Claude de Sermisy

and Clément Janequin.

Ensalada (Catalonia)

Ensalada is an original musical form from Catalan composers as Mateu Fletxa “el Vell” and

Pere Alberc.

- Mixture of different languages: Catalan, Castilian, Latin…

- Mixture of textures: monody, homophony and counterpoint (often a capella).

- Mixture of genres: serious/popular, sacred /secular.

- Music, lyrics and performance were usually very descriptive.

- Composition with a comic character.

Villancico (Castile)

It talked about popular themes usually with homophonic texture, sometimes a capella, others

with some accompaniment. Juan de la Encina was one of its main composers.

2.2 RELIGIOUS MUSIC

Remember the religious division between Catholics and Protestants!

Church music in the Renaissance reflected the growing influence of secular music –despite

the attempts of Catholic authorities to curb what they viewed as that music´s seductive and

profane excesses. Sacred music was also impacted by the protestant reformation. Martin

Luther´s desire to break with tradition and utilize songs that could be sung by the whole

congregation, not just the choir, had significant impact on the music of the day.

The Protestant chorale

The rise of Protestant church created a new musical tradition, less rigid than that of the

Catholic Church. Martin Luther commissioned a new catalog of songs with easy-to-sing

melodies, based on familiar folk songs, for unison singing by the entire congregation.

Catholic Music

On the other side, the main forms for the Catholics were the Motet and the Mass. Both forms

mixed textures like counterpoint (most of the times) and homophony. They were sung in Latin.

The main distinction between mass and motet is the length: while the mass consists in several

parts and it is considerable long, the motet is a relatively small work with no divisions.

Masses

One of the most important musical form of the Renaissance was the Latin Mass, polyphonic,

and contrapunctual. It had five passages that are frequently set for choir or for choir and vocal

soloists:

1- Lord have mercy

2- Glory be to God on high

3- I believe

4- Holy, holy

5- Lamb of God

During the Renaissance the Mass became a monumental genre.

Motet (catholic)

Motets were full of contrasts, with passages for all voices paired with passages for just two or

three voices, or sections in different times, doubled or triple.

2.3 INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Although vocal music remained the main source of musical forms; instrumental music

increased step by step. Some new forms strictly instrumental were born like Variations,

Toccatas and Dances. The main instruments were the lute, the organ, the clave, the guitar,

the viola and the recorder.

Characteristics of the instrumental forms:

Variations: the composer takes a melody and repeats it many times changing rhythms,

harmony and/or melody.

Toccata: virtuoso-like composition for solo keyboard.

Dances: to be danced, with different characteristics and rhythm.

2.4 COMPOSERS

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594): Palestrina was the most famous

representative of the Roman School of composition in the 16th century. His 104 Masses are

considered the typical example of the Renaissance Mass style. He also wrote a variety of

other church music, as well as more than a hundred secular madrigals.

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643): Monteverdi was a composer who got started during the

Renaissance and completed his career during the Baroque. Up until age 40, he specialized in

writing madrigals, composing a total of nine books of madrigal song. 

VOCAL FORMS INSTRUMENTAL FORMS

Religious Secular

Toccata

Protestant Chorale

Variations 

Catholic Mass

Villancico

Madrigal

Religious Motet

Chanson

Ensalada