RENAISSANCE TEST Music History I

Renaissance

1400--1600. the rebirth of interest in the art and  philosophy of pre-christian antiquity. Cultivated secularism and Humanism.

Humanism

Emphasis on independent reasoning (not rejecting faith), ancient literature in original language/sources, abstract thought, and wisdom through disputation.

Holy Roman Empire

a massive collection of mostly German and Central European territories that lasted from 800 or 962 AD until 1806. It was not a normal country. Instead, it was a loose group of hundreds of smaller kingdoms, duchies, and towns

invention of printing press

invented in the mid 15th century, made it possible for music to be mass produced and moved.

Protestant Reformation

Began when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church. Sale of interesting things, congregational singing, took advantage of printing press.

Tactus

From the latin word for “touch”; the basic unit of temporal measurement used in renaissance music. Equivalent to the heartbeat of an adult man.

Contenance Angloise

English guise. Residency in France; lined up with the great schism. Dufay combined old style with new. NOT A GENRE, MORE A STYLE

Panconsonance

style of triads and limited dissonance

Fauxbourdon

FRENCH, Guillame Dufay. An annotated line that was added in parallel motion to notated lines, usually a 4th below. Created rich texture between 3rds and 6ths. Replaces isorhythmic motet. Early improv

Faburden

ENGLISH. Contemporary technique. LInes both above and below existing melody. 4th above and thirds/fifths below. Created “6/3” motion. Early improv

cantus firmus

technique that replaced isorhythm. Fixed melody serves as the basis of a composition. Can be newly composed for a work but it most often derived from an existing composition

pervading imitation

technique in which a series of musical ideas are stated imitatively in all voices across the course of an entire work or section of a work. The technique first began to be cultivated in a widespread manner in the second half of the 15th century.

conjunct motion

Melodic motion exclusively or predominantly by half or whole steps.

root position triads

scale degrees 1,3,5 played together

Paratactic form

Any structure with discrete units unrelated to one another musically. Can be represented schematically as A,B,C,D,E and so on.

White notation

Notes are left unfilled to save ink. Helped new “paper” Mensural notation otherwise was mostly unchanged

Cadence

Most common was Landini Cadence

Musica reservata

the idea that music is to be reserved for noble/aristocratic audiences

Cyclic Mass

Unifying element of masses. The idea that all movements of a mass ordinary are united by a certain Cantus Firmus or other musical device.

Canon

One notated voice generates another. Not very common; Josquin had two.

Head Motive

a distinct, recurring musical idea that appears at the very beginning of multiple movements within a larger piece of music to unify them

Ostinato

a repeating phrase of music

Inversion

turning a melody upside down like a mirror image

word (text) painting

a musical technique where the melody, rhythm, or harmony directly imitates or reflects the literal meaning and imagery of the sung lyrics

Cross relation

when two different versions of the same note are played or sung very close together by different voices. (EX: Gb and G natural)

Reformation

Began with Martin Luther’s 95 theses. Sale of interesting things, took advantage of the printing press. Birth of Calvinism and Lutheranism. Emphasis on congregational participation.

Counter Reformation

Began in 1545; not really about music. Like ars. Perfecta… back to basics. Music shouldn’t be an obstacle, it should be calm and understood by all.

Through composed

a piece of music or a song changes from start to finish instead of repeating the same melody or sections

Council of Trent

a landmark 16th century meeting of the Roman Catholic Church held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent, Italy

ars perfecta

“never to be improved” “perfect art”

Dissemination

The invention of the printing press made it possible for music to be mass produced and moved.

Calvinism

a branch of catholicism that came to being from the protestant reformation. Very primitive music.

consonance vs. dissonance

Based on how pretty a sound was

Martin Luther

Wrote 95 theses. Avid musician/composer, believed that everyone is musical, and congregational singing rather than choir singing.

Ramos de Pareja

Spanish mathematician and composer. Dismissed Guido writing that he was “a better monk than musician.”

Antoine Busnois

Ottaviano Petrucci

inventor of new music printing press

John Dunstable

One of the big three Countenance Anglois writers. Wrote “Quam Puchra Es.”

Guillaume Du Fay

One of the big three countenance anglois writers. Used lots of Landini cadences; Fauxbourdon. Wrote “Aves Maris Stella” and “Nuper Rosarum Flores’

Heinrich Isaac

Contemporary of Josquin. Traveled frequently between Germany and Italy. Wrote “Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen”

Marco Cara

Frottola composer that wrote “Lo Non Compro Piu Speranza”

Claudin de Sermisy

most famous Parisian chanson composer. Homorhythmic. Wrote “Tant que Vivray”

Adrian Willaert

Madrigal composer who founded the venetian school and helped shift the center of musical innovation in Italy.

Orlande de Lasso

Madrigal and Ars Perfecta composer who was a contemporary of palestrina, cosmopolitan, wrote musica reservata, and printed more music than ANYONE.

Claudio Monteverdi

was an Italian composer, string player, and choirmaster known as a pivotal bridge between late Renaissance and early Baroque music, and as a key pioneer of opera

John Wilbye

Madrigal composer of the English madrigal school during the Renaissance.

John Dowland

English Madrigal composer, singer, and lutenist known for his deeply expressive, sorrowful music

William Byrd

Devout catholic that was in hiding. Wrote many mass settings. Wrote ‘Sing Joyfully Unto God”

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

a prominent Dutch organist, composer, and teacher whose work bridged the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He is often called the "Orpheus of Amsterdam"

Maddalena Casulana

Among the first female composers to have their vocal pieces printed. Represented an earlier style. Wrote “Morir non puo il mio cuore”

Johann Walther

Wrote the first book of polyphonic chorales. Luther’s primary musical assistant.

Josquin Des Prez

Regarded as one of the most accomplished composers ever. Draws comparisons to Beethoven. High appreciation of Individualism, often falsely credited for humanism. Took advantage of the new music printing business. Credited with major and minor mode. Wrote “Palestrina O Sacrum Convivium” and “Missa Pange Lingua”

Heinrich Glarean

prominent Swiss humanist scholar, poet, and music theorist best known for his landmark 1547 treatise Dodecachordon

Johannes Tinctoris

Main figure in the consonance vs. dissonance debate. Established the sweetness of the third, and wrote the first dictionary of music.

Johannes Ockeghem

A bass composer who wrote lower voice parts, wrote masses with multiple Cantus Firmuses. Wrote “Missa Cuiusvis Toni,” and “L’Homme Arme.”

Bartolomeo Trombonico

He was a significant figure in the development of the frottola, a popular Italian secular song form.

Jacob Arcadelt

Madrigal composer. Northern composer who migrated south. Represents early Madrigal and wrote “Il Bianco e Dolce Cigno”

Cipriana de Rore

Madrigal composer who represents later madrigals. Responsible for Monteverdi and Madrigalisms. Wrote “De la belle contrade”

Gioseffo Zarlino

wrote Le Institutione Harmoniche

Thomas Morely

ENGLISH Madrigal composer best known as the father of the English madrigal and the leading secular composer in Elizabethan England

Thomas Weekes

ENGLISH Madrigal composer and organist best known for his vivid vocal music, innovative use of word painting, and complex, expressive harmonies. One of the finest figures of the Elizabethan madrigal tradition.

Andrea Gabrieli

Madrigal composer best known as an influential late Renaissance Italian composer and organist who helped establish the Venetian School and pioneered the polychoral and grand ceremonial styles

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Counter Reformation composer. Final generation of ars perfecta. Wrote “Missa Pape Marcelli”

Juan del Encina

Main composer of Spanish Villancico. Wrote ‘Hoy Comamos y bebamos”

Motet

a sacred polyphonic piece. Liturgical, Devotional, Occasional

Cantus Firmus Mass

technique that replaced isorhythm. Fixed melody, serves as the basis of composition, often derived from an existing composition.

Canon Mass

One notated voice generates another, not very common, Josquin had two.

Parody Mass

uses all voices from an existing work. EX: Josquin’s Palestrina

Paraphrase Mass

similar to CF mass, but the existing melodic idea is more elaborate. Paraphrases music. Most famous is Josquin’s Miss Pange Lingua

Parisian chanson

Simplified, similar to frottola, I, IV, V, I. Homorhythmic

Madrigal

Italian secular genre, not associated with 14th century version. Mostly through composed. It came from the rise of poetry. Performed in a number of settings.

Chanson

French secular genre. Homogenous texture, rhythmic complexity in all parts, pervading imitation.

Prelude

a short, often improvised piece of music played at the start of a performance to test if an instrument is in tune and to warm up the player's fingers

Frottola

italian secular genre, trifling song; not complicated, surged as a result of music printing. Rudimentary counterpoint. One could improvise over a baseline. Two composers: Marco Cara and Bartolomeo Tromboncino

Anthem

English motets whose famous composers included Thomas Tallis, Christopher Tye, and William Byrd.

Villanelle

A blanket term used to describe other secular songs in Italy. Usually vulgar/inappropriate text. Sold well.

Chorale

Strophic hymns derived from secular works. New works.

Lied

German song

Tenorlied

German song with the melodic line in the tenor

Meistersinger

a highly organized, rule bound style of songwriting practiced by everyday tradespeople

Villancico

Spanish secular genre. AbbaA. Main composers Luis Milan and Juan Del Encina.

Lute song

a style of music from the late 16th and early 17th centuries where a solo singer is accompanied by a lute

Documents:

Old Hall Manuscript

the largest, most complete, and most significant surviving source of late 14th and early 15th century English sacred music

Dodecachordon

the pinnacle of all music composition. “Twelve Stringed Lyre”

Le istitutioni harmoniche

peak of composition for Gioseffo Zarlino. Music theory treatise

Musica Transalpina

collection of English Madrigals

Quam pulchra es

Written by John Dunstable. Secular, Uses 3rds. Lots of Landini cadences.

Ave maris stella

Written by Guillame Dufay. Chant. parallel motion, fauxbourdon

Missa papae marcelli

A credo written by Palestrina. Response to the counter reformation. Saved music in the RCC (allegedly) Wordy movements are clearer/syllabic

Nuper rosarum flores

Written by Guillame Dufay. Famous Isorhythmic motet.

Sing Joyfully unto God

Written by William Byrd. Anthem and English Motet. 6 voices.

Benedicta es

Written by Josquin des Prez. Mass based on his motet

Christ Lay in the Bonds of Death

Written by Martin Luther and composed by Johann Walther. ***

L’homme

Written by Johannes Ockeghem. Secular piece.

Missa L’homme

Written by Johannes Ockeghem. Based on french secular song “L’Homme” About a dozen composers based on the masses. Roughly 40 masses on this CF.

O sacrum convivium

Written by Josquin Des Prez. Parody mass.

Now is the month of maying

Written by Thomas Morely. English madrigal. Musica transalpina.

Hoy comamos y bebamos

Written by Juan Del Encina. AbbaA. 5 voices. Villancinco

Missa Pange Lingua

Written by Josquin Des Prez. Paraphrase Mass.