Early Music: Renaissance (1450-1600)

Renaissance Period

-Means “rebirth”

-Advances in science and technology (instruments, printing press)

-Prominent artist Michelangelo, Da Vinci

-Art music being written for instruments (especially dance music)

Musical Characteristics

-Vocal and Instrumental (but vocal still more important)

-Polyphonic and Homophonic

-Word Painting: Use of a musical sound to represent a particular word in the text

-Imitative: Repetition of a melody by a different line either exactly or with variation

-Secular: Music not intended to express religious belief

Forms (In addition to the motet and mass from Middle Ages)

-Chanson: Secular French love song

-Madrigal: Chamber music usually for 4-6 voices

-Opera: musical dramatic work inspired by Greek drama

Patronage System

-Commissioning of art by wealthy families for specific courts, churches, or cities

-Sponsored the living of a particular artist

-Medici family

Guillaume Duffy (1937?-1474)

-Franco-Flemish composer of early Renaissance

-Composed many masses and motets

-Mass: Misse L’homme armed

Joaquin des Prez (1455-1521)

-French composer of middle Renaissance

-Known for his polyphonic vocal music

-Chanson: Ave maria

Giovanni Palestrina (1525?-1594)

-Italian composer of late Renaissance

-Music is considered the high point of Renaissance polyphony

-Pop Marcellus Mass associated with fictional account involving the Council of Trent

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

-Italian composer, choirmaster, and instrumentalist

-Bridges the Renaissance and Baroque periods

-Worked in the court of the Duke of Mantua

-Known for debate with Artusi over music vs. text

-Early composer of opera (L’Orfeo, 1607-earliest opera still preformed today)