Introduction to Renaissance Madrigals and Secular Music

Flashcards covering key terms, figures, and concepts related to Renaissance secular music, word painting, and the development of the madrigal.

Madrigal

The pinnacle secular vocal genre of the Renaissance period that originated in Italy around 1530, featuring a close marriage of text and music.

Thomas Morely

An English composer who wrote about the embarrassment of being unable to read music from notation during after-dinner social music making.

Strophic

A song structure in which the same music is repeated for each verse of the text.

Syllabic

A style of text setting where each syllable of text is matched to a single note of melody.

Word painting

Also called a madrigalism, the musical technique of composing music that literally reflects the meaning of the lyrics, such as setting high-pitched notes for the word 'high'.

Lute song

A musical form that emerged in England by the end of the 16th century consisting of a solo singer accompanied by a lute.

Early Madrigals (1520–1540)

Madrigals written in four parts intended for amateur music making during social gatherings.

Archadept

A Franco-Flemish composer from Flanders known for writing one of the most famous early madrigals about a white sweet swan.

Zarlino

A famous music theorist who worked at Saint Mark's Cathedral for 35 years and wrote a treatise detailing directions for setting music to express text emotions.

Chromatic notes

Notes separated by a short half step that had not been used since ancient Greece, used by Renaissance madrigal composers to express grief and sorrow.

Saint Mark's Cathedral

A cathedral located in Venice where prominent Renaissance musical figures such as Zarlino served.