The Renaissance Time Period

“Rebirth” of Music

The Decline of Sacred Music

Music before the Renaissance centered around the church.

Sacred Music= music composed or performed in or for the church.

Music began to stray away from the church creating another culture of music

Josquin Desprez (c. 1440-1521)

Important Renaissance Composer Composed music for the Catholic

Church Composed mainly Masses Created the “Cantus Firmus Mass”

Meaning using the same music for all parts of the mass.

Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1555-1612)

Was the first composer to introduce instruments to the church service.

Instruments used were the trumpet, trombone, and tuba-like instruments.

Wrote exclusively for instruments.

The Rise of Secular Music

Secular music= music composed for performance outside of the church.

This music was performed on the streets.

The reformation of the church sent many people away. Causing less emphasis on church rules for living.

Thomas Morley (1557-1602)

Most influential secular composer

Brittish

Composed mainly music for voice.

Culture

▪ This era saw an end to the absolute authority of the medieval Church and an explosive growth in secular art.

▪ The Renaissance era was shaped by several social and intellectual movements and events.▪ Humanism was the dominant intellectual

movement of the Renaissance, emphasizing human life and accomplishments rather than religious doctrine and the afterlife.

Culture Cont.

▪ The Protestant Reformation profoundly shook the power of the Catholic Church.

▪ The invention of the printing press made possible the broader dissemination of knowledge.

▪ Visual art showed new clarity and perspective.

▪ Renaissance musical composers sought to recapture the classical Greek ideal of music: both secular and religious composers sought to create more expressive, meaningful music.

General Musical Aspects

The Renaissance saw much experimentation with new tunings, harmonic structures, and notational techniques. Renaissance composers adopted the Greek view of music as a sonic manifestation of the "order" of the cosmos.

The science of harmony began to evolve during the Renaissance.

Composed homophony- “harmonized melody” -appeared for the first time.

General Musical Aspects Cont.

Polyphony- two or more completely separate parts being performed at the same time.

Motet- twelve independent vocal parts being sung at the same time.

Purposes of Music

All music fits into three categories of music.

Music may fit into more than one category.

Recreational

Music created or performed for fun or relaxation.

This is the most common type of music we hear today.

Ex.- Anything on the radio, dance music, popular music.

Ceremonial

Music created or performed for the purpose of a ceremony.

Ex.- Wedding music, Church Hymns

Artistic Expression

Music created or performed to express the composers or performers feelings.

Ex.- Jazz Improvisation, “Classical Music”

FINE