Chapter 20: Motet in Renaissance+

renaissance

• marks passing of European society from mostly religious orientation of a more secular one (age of questioning faith)

• awakening called humanism — inspired by ancient greece and roman culture

• looked for realism

• polyphony works based on imitation

• expanded to sung worship

  • Gregorian chant — Catholic prayer

  • multi voiced

  • sung by professional male singers

• was generally preformed acapella (16th cent the golden age)

• features a fuller more consonant sound (sweet thirds and sixes) than medieval music

• some works are built on a fixed pre-exisiting melody (cantus firmus) — the basis for ornamentation in other voices

• triple meter important as it symbolized the perfection of the Trinity (less duple meter)

Motet

• polyphonic vocal genre

• secular in middle ages, sacred after that

• sacred work with a latin text

• ability to combine newly written texts with prescribed prayers

• able to show creativity through choice of text and musical invention

• motets in praise for Virgin mary very popular

• preemie-net composers from the early renaissance were from Northern Europe , (Belgium and north france)

Josquin des Prez’s

• Ave Maria virgo serene is a motet to the virgin mary set in varied textural styles which are deigned to convey the changing meaning in the text

  • four voice composition and imtitive textures alternate with homorhythmic settings

• experimented with varied combinations of voices and textures to highlight different emotional aspects of the text