Renaissance music 1400–1600
- O Rosa bella. Songs which reflected the heartbreak and pain of love were extremely popular in the 14th and 15th centuries.
- Jesu Corona Virginum. Jesu Corona Virginum was sung by an order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.
- D'où vient cela, belle.
- Se mai per maraviglia.
The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art.
Two main forms of sacred music existed. Firstly, the motet; a short, polyphonic, choral work set to a sacred Latin text. The motet was performed as a short religious ritual such as the communion. Secondly the Mass; a longer work, comprised of all five movements of the Ordinary.
Some of the most famous composers of each era are as follows:
- Baroque – Bach, Purcell, Handel.
- Classical – Mozart, Schubert, Haydn, Clementi, Beethoven.
- Romantic – Rachmaninov, Elgar, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Wagner, Berlioz, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Liszt.
Renaissance (1400–1600)
- Violin.
- Viol.
- Viola.
- Cello.
- Lira da braccio.
- Contrabass.
- Violone.
- Lute.
When writing renaissance music, you will write two to four (rarely six) completely independent musical lines, typically indicative of the males singing parts, or instrumental parts. The parts will in starting together, for the most part line up, but there can be very beautiful harmonies created with opposing rhythms.
Music based on modes. Richer texture, with four or more independent melodic parts being performed simultaneously. These interweaving melodic lines, a style called polyphony, is one of the defining features of Renaissance music. Blending, rather than contrasting, melodic lines in the musical texture.
The medieval and Renaissance periods each witnessed a critical transition in the structure of Western music. During the Middle Ages, monophony evolved into polyphony (see Musical Texture). During the Renaissance, the shell harmony of the Middle Ages was succeeded by true harmony.
The influence of Humanism during the Renaissance period gave an enormous impact on the development of western music, where the revival in the study of Greek and Latin literature took place that result in new styles of music composed.
Answer: Renaissance music had an influence on many generations to come. Chromatics, as used during the Renaissance, is used today in classical, and some rock and roll (Mainly in the soloist pieces). The method of writing lute music, tablature, is the primary form of guitar and drum notation today.
- the typical choral piece has four, five, or six voice parts of nearly equal melodic interest. the melody often moves along a scale with few large leaps. Renaissance melodies are usually easy to sing because. focused on human life and its accomplishments.
Melody and accompaniment emerge. In the Baroque era, the previously dominant polyphony was joined by homophony consisting of a melody and accompaniment instead of several independent melodic lines. Polyphony evolved into new forms in the Baroque era (such as the fugue).
Every voice is a separate melody. Renaissance music is predominantly polyphonic, where each voice has a separate melodic line of its own. A polyphonic work does not have a single melody to follow but instead has several melodies superimposed.
Music was an essential part of civic, religious, and courtly life in the Renaissance. By the end of the sixteenth century, however, patronage had broadened to include the Catholic Church, Protestant churches and courts, wealthy amateurs, and music printing—all were sources of income for composers.
