Renaissance Music: Class Slides PDF

The Renaissance Music in Europe between 1400-1600 The Renaissance Renaissance = ‘rebirth’ Important political events in 1453: End of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) Collapse of the Byzantine Empire Western Europe rose in power, later dominating the world The Renaissance began in Italy...

The Renaissance Music in Europe between 1400-1600 The Renaissance Renaissance = ‘rebirth’ Important political events in 1453: End of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) Collapse of the Byzantine Empire Western Europe rose in power, later dominating the world The Renaissance began in Italy: Commercially dominant during the time Byzantine in uence (migrants, interest) Revival (idealised) of Ancient Greece fl  Humanism Man as the centre Against religious tradition Reasoning vs faith Empirical evidence Study of Greek philosophy In uenced the arts in Europe fl Renaissance art Innovations in subject matters and techniques: Greek in uences (e.g. statues) Use of perspective (painting) Realism Humanist all-around artist (Renaissance man): Leonardo da Vinci Michelangelo Donatello Raphael fl Renaissance art Innovations in subject matters and techniques: Greek in uences (e.g. statues) Use of perspective (painting) Realism Humanist all-around artist (Renaissance man): Leonardo da Vinci Michelangelo Donatello Raphael fl  Medieval vs. Renaissance The Annunciation: 2 styles Music in the Renaissance Musicians had strong interest in: 1) Modes (revival of the Greek tradition) 2) Relationship between music and words The invention of music printing Movable type printing: Johannes Gutenberg (around 1450) Ottaviano Petrucci: rst modern music printing [Venice, 1501] fi Major composers (1400-1600) Early Renaissance Mid Renaissance Late Renaissance England (1400-1450) France-Flanders (1450-1520) Italy (1500-1600) John Dunstable (ca. Jean de Ockeghem (ca. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina 1390-1453) 1429-1497) (1525-1594) Burgundy (1400-1450) Josquin des Prez (ca. Jacques Arcadelt (ca. 1505-1568) 1450-1521) Guillaume Du Fay Garlo Gesualdo (1561-1613) (ca. 1397-1474) Germany (1500-1600) Gilles Binchois (ca. Martin Luther (1483 –1546) 1400-1460) England (1550-1630) Thomas Morley (1558-1602) Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) John Dowland (1563-1626) Early and Mid Renaissance Music Music in Europe in the 15th century Early Renaissance music Led by English music: Hundred Years War English culture spread to France and continental Europe The dukes of Burgundy: Philip the Good and Charles the Bold Metropolitan atmosphere in court Development of new compositional style John Dunstable English composer (c. 1390-1453) Lived in France for a while Multiple genres: Mass Ordinary Religious polyphony (motets, antiphons…) Isorhythmic motets Quam pulchra es (How beautiful you are) Motet - John Dunstable Music in Burgundy Guillaume Du Fay (c. 1397-1474) Sacred music Gilles Binchois (c. 1400-1460) Secular songs and chansons Gilles Binchois Burgundian composer (c. 1400-1460) Worked for Philip the Good Chansons: polyphonic settings of love poems English in uence: harmony, triads fl De plus en plus (More and more) Chanson - Gi es Binchois ll Guillaume Du Fay Burgundian composer (c. 1397-1474) French in uence: Ballade form (aabc) Rhythmic complexity English in uence: Short, melodic phrases and consonant harmonies (triads) Sought to unify the numbers of his mass: Consistent style in all movements Same thematic materials in all movements Cantus rmus mass: same tenor (leading voice) in all movements fi fl fl  Missa L’Homme Armé Cantus rmus mass - Gui aume Du Fay fi ll Music in France-Flanders Jean de Ockeghem (c. 1429-1497) Josquin des Prez (c. 1450-1521) Jean de Ockeghem Born in northern France (c. 1429-1497) Singer and composer Thirteen masses: Similar in style Four voices, contrapuntal in texture Thicker in texture and darker in sonority than Du Fay’s masses: extended the bass low range Canon A compositional technique deriving two or more voices from a single melody The second voice sings the same melody starting after a certain number of beats have elapsed, at the same or a different one Inversion or retrograde canon: the second voice inverts the original melody (inversion) or sings it backwards (retrogradation) Mensuration canon: different voices move at different speeds  Missa Prolationum Mensuration canon mass - Jean de Ockeghem || Two melodic lines, four voices Josquin des Prez Born in northern France (c. 1450-1521) Career in France, then Milan and Rome (Italy) One of the most in uential composers in the Renaissance Work characteristics: Imitation (points of imitation) Musical imagery: music communicates the text’s meaning Explored numerous types of mass fl Types of mass Missa L’Homme Armé Sexti Toni - V. Agnus Dei Paraphrase mass - Josquin des Prez Late Renaissance Music The 16th century in European music Secular song and national styles Music printing in 1501 had great impact on the society Growing demand for music intended for amateur performers To be able to read and play music became a skill valued by the emerging urban middle class Amateur vocalists were more interested in singing music written in their own language, songs in national style and in local language ourished Spanish villancico, Italian frottola, French chanson were some examples. They were simple and strophic songs, mostly syllabic and homophonic Madrigal, one of these song types, quickly became very popular and sophisticated fl Italian Madrigal A type of secular polyphonic songs in the Renaissance Connected to the Petrarchan movement (a joint effort to set Italian poems to music, many by Francesco Petrarca) Initially composed for the enjoyment of singers themselves Later, madrigals were also performed for the rulers’ courts by virtuoso singing ensembles Major composers Jacques Arcadelt (c. 1505-1568) Luca Marenzio (1553-1599) Garlo Gesualdo (1561-1613) Italian Madrigal: musical features Music: matching the tone and mood of the poem, articulating the poem’s ideas and images (word painting) Text: works of major poets, serious themes Texture: homophonic and contrapuntal textures in overlapping sections, each on a single phrase of text, all voices sharing equal roles Form: through-composed Performance: usually, one person per part Solo e pensoso i piú deserti campi Italian madrigal - Luca Marenzio English Madrigal Italian madrigals became very popular in England Publication of Musica transalpina [Music from across the Alps] (1588) Major composers: Thomas Morley (1558-1602) Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) Extensive use of word painting: composing music to mimic the words’ meaning As Vesta was from Latmos Hill Descending English madrigal - Thomas Morley English lute song A solo song with lute accompaniment, usually one performer sings and plays Music re ects the mood of the poem Less expressive than the madrigals John Dowland (1563-1626) fl  Come again English lute song - John Dowland The rise of instrumental music Vocal music predominant in religious settings Instrumentalists were usually less literate than singers Two tendencies in instrumental music: Adapting vocal genres to instrumental music Developing the possibilities of the instrument Five types of compositions: Dance music Variations Arrangements of vocal music Abstract works Setting of vocal melodies The Italian Ground Variations for keyboard - Orlando Gibbons Reformation and Counterreformation Reformation: Martin Luther (1483-1546) Discontent with corruption in the Catholic Church Return to the Bible as only guide Break with the Catholic Church: the Protestant movement Counterreformation: The Catholic Church’s reply to Luther’s break Anti-corruption drive Doctrinal reinforcement Condemnation of the Protestant Church  Reformation and Counterreformation The Reformation and Counterreformation brought signi cant changes to religious music Reformation: The entire congregation participates actively in the service (all sing) Use of vernacular language in the text (German) Many chorales (strophic hyms) were based on popular tunes, for easier learning and singing Counterreformation: Simpli cation of polyphony: text must be understood Warning against profane elements in religious music (instrument sensuality, secular melodies) Consolidation of Latin as of cial language fi fi fi Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (Now come, Savior of the Heathens) Protestant Chorale - Martin Luther Missa Papae Marcelli - I. Kyrie Counterreformation style Mass - Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina