Renaissance Period

Orientation of Renaissance

•   Shifting from sacred orientation to secular orientation

Renaissance Characteristics

•   Authority and influence of the church became less powerful

•   Period of exploration, learning and achievement

Renaissance Period

•   Martin Luther founded the Protestant Church

•   Central figure is man and not God

•   Writers and poets stressed that man had rights, inner strengths, and personal feelings

Renaissance characteristics

• Mostly polyphonic

• Imitation among the voices is common

• Use of word painting in text and music

• Melodic lines move in a flowing manner

Motet

• is an unaccompanied choral composition based on a sacred Latin text

• generally used religious texts but not used in the mass

Mass

• is a sacred composition that is intended to be sung by a choir in a mass

• Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnes Dei

• Polyphonic

• A capella or with orchestral accompaniment

• Text may be syllabic, neumatic, or melismatic

Madrigal

• Originated from Italy

• Sung during courtly social gatherings

• Most important secular music

• Polyphonic

• Sung in a capella

• Frequently in three to six voices

Jovanne Pierluigi da Palestrina

• Rome (1525- 1594)

• greatest master of Roman
  Catholic Church

• an organist and choir master at both the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Chapel

Tomas Morley

• England (1557-1602)

• Most famous composer of the secular music

• Tried imitating Byrd but veered towards composing madrigals

Josquin Dez Prez

• France (1450-1521)

• one of the most influential composers of the period

• admired by musicians of his mastery of expression and

William Bryd

• Greatest English composer of the Elizabeth Age and the "English Palestrina"

• he introduced madrigal to

• England

Wind Instruments

saxophone

clarinet

flute

Percussion family

triangle

drum

tambourine

String Family

Lute

violin

harp

Consort

- a group of musical instruments played together

Broken Consort

- it is made up of instruments from different families

Whole Consort

it is made up instruments from one

family