Renaissance Sacred and Secular Music

15 Question-and-Answer style flashcards covering key Renaissance sacred and secular music concepts, composers, and forms.

The motet and the mass.

The two sacred forms of music

A motet sets a sacred Latin text other than the Ordinary of the mass, while a mass sets the Ordinary texts.

How does a Renaissance motet differ from a mass in terms of text?

Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.

List the five sections of the Ordinary of the mass.

Josquin des Prez.

Which Franco-Flemish composer served in the papal choir and became a master of Renaissance music?

masses, motets and secular vocal pieces.

compositions of Josquin des Prez

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Which Italian composer wrote over 100 masses, including the famous Pope Marcellus Mass?

An a cappella choir of six voice parts (SATTBB).

For what vocal forces was Palestrina’s Pope Marcellus Mass written?

Guillaume Dufay.

Which early Burgundian School composer worked at the court of Philip the Good?

Cambrai.

In which French city did Guillaume Dufay spend his final years composing?

Purely vocal works and works where singers were supported by instruments.

During the Renaissance, secular vocal music was divided between what two performance formats?

Keyboard and flute.

Which two instrumental families experienced notable growth in solo repertoire during the Renaissance?

Polyphonic texture and written in the vernacular language.

Describe the typical texture and language of a sixteenth-century madrigal.

Love, political themes, and scenes or incidents of city and country life.

What themes were commonly explored in madrigal texts?

Usually longer than twelve lines, marked by elegant diction and refined sentiment.

How long was a typical madrigal poem, and what qualities did it emphasize?

Italy.

In which country did the madrigal first flourish before gaining popularity in England?