MUS120 The Renaissance Period - Music Theory & History (Notes)

Flashcards covering key topics from the notes: instrument families, timbre, dynamics, tempo, Renaissance composers, forms (madrigals, motets), instruments ( clavichord, harpsichord, portative organ ), notable figures ( Byrd, Tallis, Monteverdi, Janequin, Dowland, Praetorius, Hildegard ), and concepts ( opera, L’Orfeo, Troubadours, Minstrels, Sumer is icumen in ).

What are the five general families of musical instruments?

Woodwind, Brass, String, Percussion, and Keyboard.

Name examples of Woodwind instruments.

Flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone.

Name examples of Brass instruments.

Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, French Horn.

Name examples of String instruments.

Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Guitar, Lute, Harp.

Name examples of Percussion instruments.

Drums (all types), Xylophone, Marimba, Glockenspiel, Piano.

What is timbre?

The color or tone quality of a sound that distinguishes different instruments or voices.

What does dynamics indicate in music?

How loud or soft the music should be performed.

What does mp stand for and mean?

Mezzo-piano — moderately soft.

What does mf stand for and mean?

Mezzo-forte — moderately loud.

What does ff stand for and mean?

Fortissimo — very loud.

What does tempo define in music?

How fast or slow a piece should be performed; often measured with a metronome.

What is Largo?

Very slow tempo.

What is Adagio?

Slow tempo.

What is Andante?

Walking speed; moderate tempo.

What is Allegro?

Fast tempo.

What is Presto?

Very fast tempo.

What is Music?

An art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.

What is a clavichord?

A stringed rectangular keyboard instrument used mainly as a practice instrument; sound produced by striking strings with small metal blades.

What is a harpsichord?

A keyboard instrument with plucked strings; earliest references around 1400; oldest surviving instruments from the 1500s; more complex mechanism than a lute or clavichord.

What is a portative organ?

A small pipe organ with one rank of flue pipes, strapped to the performer; produces sound only while bellows are operated; no wind reservoir.

Who was William Byrd?

A prominent late Renaissance composer with around 600 surviving pieces across sacred, English/Latin texts, madrigals, consort songs, instrumental, and keyboard music.

What is Opera?

A musical genre that combines music, drama, and elaborate sets and costumes.

Who was Claudio Monteverdi?

Italian composer who helped transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque and was a pioneer of Italian Opera; composed L’Orfeo.

What is L’Orfeo about?

The legend of Orpheus; his descent into the underworld to retrieve his deceased bride.

Who was Thomas Tallis?

English composer of High Renaissance music; primarily vocal; served Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I; known for adaptability and avoiding religious controversy.

What is a Madrigal?

A Renaissance piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, typically about love; often joyful and dance-like.

Who was Clement Janequin?

French composer famed for Le chant des oiseaux (The Song of the Birds), using word painting, imitation, and programmatic bird sounds.

What is Le chant des oyseaux about?

A multi-section piece portraying birdsong; imagery through music with cadential arrivals at section ends.

What is a Lute Song?

Gained popularity in the Renaissance; lute is pear-shaped and the songs are mostly homogeneous in texture; exemplified by Dowland’s Flow My Tears.

Who was John Dowland?

Leading English composer of lute songs; famous for Flow My Tears (Lachrimae) and other melancholic pieces.

Who was Michael Praetorius?

German composer who contributed to understanding 17th-century music; published Syntagma Musicum with historical, instrumental, and performance-practice content.

What is Syntagma Musicum?

Praetorius’s major 17th-century music reference, in three parts: sacred/secular usage; organ; performance practice; first volume in Latin, others in German.

Who was Hildegard of Bingen?

A female theologian, writer, and prophet who composed church music during the period.

Who were Troubadours?

Traveling musicians and poets in Southern France, often of higher social status, focusing on courtly love.

Who were Minstrels?

Street musicians of low social status who performed publicly.

What is Sumer is icumen in?

An example of a secular song from the period, illustrating the era’s music outside the church.