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The Renaissance
The literal meaning of the word Renaissance is “rebirth.” This idea of rebirth definitely applies to the music of this period. The Renaissance followed the Middle Ages and spanned from 1400 to 1600. A central characteristic was the rebirth of humanism, which is a way of looking at our world, emphasizing the importance of human beings, their nature, and their place in the universe. One main purpose of the humanistic view was to educate pupils to be the “ideal gentleman” or “universal man” that was reminiscent of the Greco-Roman ideal.
During the Renaissance vocal music was more important than instrumental music, and composers during that period wrote music to enhance the meaning and emotion of the text. (Source: www.thinkquest.org) Renaissance composers often used word painting, a musical representation of specific human emotions. Word painting was used in the madrigal, which is a piece that matches the word of the song with a musical setting. For example if the text had words like “rising,” “flying,” or “soaring” then the music would be fast upward scales. (Source: Jeremy Yudkin “Understanding Music”) The most famous composer that wrote such madrigals was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
Palestrina, according to most Renaissance scholars, was a master composer. He started out in 1554 performing Masses and sang in the Cappella Sistina. (Source: w3.rz-berlin.mpg) He was so famous that he was actually asked to rewrite the church’s main plainchant books, but had to follow the Council of Trent’s guidelines. His most famous Mass, Missa Papae Marcelli, was in fact in line with the Counter Reformation, which he always was. His conservative attitude towards making the Catholic polyphonic music helped composers down the line to create new music for the church. Even though the polyphonic texts invaded the church, most of the Ordinary of the Mass, which is the Kyrie eleison, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Andus Dei stayed mostly in plainchant for at least some parts.
The Protestant Reformation actually helped the Catholic Church come to let the Mass become more active with polyphonic hymns. The musical boundaries were expanded because the invention of printing which led to a larger circulation of text. Even though the church grew towards easier hymns music still gradually move to a secular way of creating music. The whole Protestant Reformation started because the king of England and Martin Luther, the king wanted to divorce his first wife and the pope would not recognize this break of the marriage vow.
The first composition, "Miserere Mei, Deus", was produced by Gregorio Allegri in 1638. I learned this, as I read along with the well-thought-out program that was given. As we, the audience, looked up to the vocalists, we were entranced by the consuming sound. The room filled with a vibrant melody, in which the harmonization and tone color was spectacular. The emotion conveyed throughout the room was one of absorption and delight. During this piece, the sopranos hit such high notes, that I was astounded. Being a person who participates in concert choir, I understand the level of commitment and talent it takes to reach those notes and stay in tune. This ...
In an article in Musical Quarterly in 1999, Beth L. Glixon wrote that Strozzi was “the most prolific composer – man or woman – of printed secular vocal music in Venice in the middle of the 17th century”. In 1644, Strozzi published her first opus “the first work that I, as a woman, all too daringly bring to the light of day”. Dedicated to the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, these madrigals featured texts written by her father. Her remaining eight published collections appeared after Giulio Strozzi died in 1652, with some texts written by her father’s friends; others by herself. Almost all of her works were secular and most were written for a lyric soprano. They show her flexible mastery of musical form as she moved easily between cantatas, ariettas and duets. Her significant body of work included six volumes of cantatas, more than any other composer working in that genre at the time.
...ugh the publication of his madrigals in Nicholas Yonge’s 1588 publication Musica transalpine, in which, Marenzio’s works were second in number. It is believed that Dowland went to Italy with the intention of meeting and possibly even studying with Marenzio in Rome, although there is no evidence that the introduction ever occurred.
The music of the Baroque period was focused on having music be a tool of communication to its listeners; conveying an arousal of emotions. Composers of this time thought to use this tool to have this effect or one similar to it to correctly match music from the Roman time period. One composer that goes by the name of Georg Phillip Telemann. He was a German composer born in 1681, he was known as one of the most prolific composers of the Baroque era, “At the age of just ten years old he was able to play four different instruments and had written arias, motets and instrumental works”(Norton Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music, 756). As well as learning many skills at a young age, his fame grew immensely in Germany becoming a very famous composer and was even assigned four times as much space as the famous J.S. Bach in some contemporary dictionaries. Telemann composed in all varieties of forms and styles, from Italian-style concertos to French-style overture suites and quartets. The Sonata in F minor was one of his pieces that was played at the concert. The piece first given appearance in 1728 in a German musical periodical; though it was originally written for a bassoon and continuo the piece was altered by the performers to be played with a bass trombone and piano. One way that an individual could tell it is a piec...
The music is vocal instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony and expression of emotion. The most famous music during the Renaissance is Jazz and some Rock and Roll instruments are very important during that time too it’s still important till this day. The three people I decide to tell you about are Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway, and the last person I really enjoyed learning about was Louis Armstrong.
It was an early age when Monteverdi’s career began, he then published his first pieces, and this was based on as a collection of three-voice motets, at the age of fifteen. It was by 1591, when he went to Mantua as a musician for the Gonzaga court, by then he had already published books of “spiritual madrigals” in 1583, then another canzonettas in 1584, by 1587 and 1590 he published his first two books of “madrigals.” It was in Mantua he continued writing madrigals, and then in 1607 he produced his first work in the new genre of opera, the setting was of Orfeo. 1613, he was then appointed maestro di cappella at ST. Mark’s Cathedral which was held in Venice. Monteverdi had remained in Venice for the rest of his life, writing music in all different kinds of genres, including his final opera, “incoronaszione di Poppea in 1642.
The spirit of the Renaissance had a profound effect on every field of study and area of life; religion was certainly not excluded. The Catholic Church was brought face-to-face with modern culture, which necessitated important assessment and decision-making to determine an appropriate response. This paper will examine specifically the changes in sacred music in the Renaissance, and consider the Church’s response.
The Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement that had its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries. During these times there was a heightened interest with the classical learning that was brought about in the middle ages. The renaissance first started in Italy and then eventually spread to Western Europe. During this period there was a high interest in the aesthetics of the classical world like architecture. The renaissance focused on the 17th century philosophy which came from the Greeks.
As discussed by Greenberg (2009), the Renaissance saw many changes and advancements over a two hundred year span of evolution in music. The intellectual and social trends strayed from the absolute power of the church and secular music became admired and composed for the beauty of its art. Renaissance composers developed a more expressive style by clearly articulating lyrics “musica reservata” and a process called word painting or tone painting which reflected
This time era was filled with many good things that allow modern life to exist. The Renaissance was a time of many new ideas and many new practices in medicine, entertainment, punishments and many other topics. Without the knowledge that was gained in this era many things that we take for granted now would never of existed. In this essay I will tell you about the many things that occurred during this time period and how people in this time would have lived their daily lives.
life to the Europeans during the 1300’s through the late 1500’s. Increased trade provided Europe
The Renaissance period of history occurred during the 15th and 16th centuries. Renaissance in its basic definition means rebirth. According to Merriam Webster, renaissance formally means, “a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary). Renaissance is the title given to the period of great change in music and art. The Renaissance period ushered in a culture of music that the public could enjoy. Most importantly it was a period that encouraged musicians and composers to create music and take risks with voices, instruments and notes.
For instance, his music manifests development of free standing instruments. However, it is tricky to create a relation between music and art just the same way it is hard to relate the Reformation and Counter Reformation period of that time. Additionally, the Council of Trent ruled that, art ought to be free from sin and rather, it should aim at bringing individuals closer to church and to the love of god. However, the music in Baroque’s does not bring individuals closer to the love of God, as it brings them closer to the love of
As music continued to evolve, the next period popped up; the Renaissance period. This period was mostly focused on the rebirth of humanity and revival of culture, so the music was emotional and dramatic. Renaissance music had four main characteristics: music based on modes, richer texture in four or more parts, blending rather then contrasting musical ...
The second period of time for music is the Renaissance period. During this time frame music was reborn and it went through a lot of changes and the way music was written and understood. In this period of time, the composers were expe...