Renaissance Period Music Vocab

Vocabulary for music during the Renaissance Period

printing press

A mechanical device for transferring text or graphics from a woodblock or type to paper using ink

Martin Luther

a German monk who wrote the 95 theses

Protestant Reformation

the splitting of the Catholic Church

humanism

the belief that what humans create has worth or value

motet

Polyphonic song in which different pitches and different text are being sung (sacred and secular)

polyphony

multiple pitches

word painting

music influenced by the text of the songs being sung

renaissance

the time of rebirth (or revival) of greek or roman cultures

sonata

any composition for instruments only

patronage

money paid in exchange for a service

Lied

a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano

frottola

16th century genre of italian polyphonic song in mock-popular style, typically syllabic, homophonic, and diatonic, with the melody in the upper voice and marked rhythmic patterns.

chanson

A french polyphonic song (late middle ages & renaissance)

ground bass

a repeated bass line

indulgences

paid forgiveness

vernacular

Everyday language of ordinary people

national song styles

Lied, Frottola, and Chanson

madrigal

group of 4 or 5 people

lithurgy

texts/books of the church

consort

a group of the same instruments