THE RENAISSANCE

THE RENAISSANCE SPIRITThe Renaissance (1450-1600) One of the most beautiful periods in history; it implies an awakening of intellectual awareness It suggest a sudden rebirth after the Middle Ages stagnation but that is not the case History moves continuously rather than by leaps and bounds

THE ARTS IN THE RENAISSANCESociety moves from one that is strictly religious orientation to a more secular one. More scientific inquiry The focus of human destiny was seen to be life on earth rather that the hereafter. People rely on the evidence of the senses rather than on tradition The symbol was in the culture of the Greek and Roman antiquity.

THE ARTS IN THE RENAISSANCERenaissance society was led by the humanists and they discovered the summit of human wisdom not only in the church but also in ancient philosophers and writers like Homer and Virgil. The Renaissance technically starts with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 even though today we recognize that there are no clear demarcations in history.

THE ARTS IN THE RENAISSANCEOther important historical events include: the introduction of gunpowder, the development of the compass, European explorers such as Columbus and de Leon (and the discovery of the Americas). In the arts, ancient architecture, painting, and sculpture was revived as well. The Renaissance lavished its constructive energy on palace and chateau.

THE ARTS IN THE RENAISSANCESaints and martyrs were no longer the focus in artwork but David of Donatello and the gentle Madonnas of Leonardo. Even though some artists retained a religious theme (Madonna) the overall feeling was not of grief and most artwork had secular elements as well. The nude human form was revealed as a thing of beauty and used for anatomical study. Nature also entered painting as well with a focus on the laws of perspective and composition.

THE ARTS IN THE RENAISSANCERealism vs. life through symbolism The art of the portraiture and humanized subjects. Individuals vs. stereotypes Artists discovered the landscape, created the illusion of distance and focused on the physical loveliness of the world

ARTISTS IN THE RENAISSANCECame to flower in Italy because it stood closest to Roman society Artist of the Renaissance include: Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titan, Tintoretto, and Veronese. Other important Renaissance figures: Erasmus (scholar-philosopher), Martin Luther (religious reformer), Machiavelli (statesman), Galileo (scientist), Rabelais (writer), Cervantes (writer), Marlowe (playwright), and Shakespeare (playwright).

MUSICIANS IN RENAISSANCE SOCIETYMusicians were supported by the main institutions of their society- the church, city, and state. Jobs for musicians include choirmasters, singers, organists, instrumentalists, copyists, composers, teachers, instrument builders, music printers and publishers. The rise of the merchant class brought new music patrons.

MUSICIANS IN RENAISSANCE SOCIETY

The invention of movable type for printing made accessing printed music books more accessible and affordable and therefore music spread dramatically.

RENAISSANCE MUSICAL STYLE

Vocal music of the Renaissance was marked by smoothly gliding melodies conceived for the voice and was known as the golden age of a cappella style. (a vocal work without instrumental accompaniment). Polyphony in such works was based on a principle called continuous imitation (the motives are exchanged between vocal lines, the voices imitating one another so that the same theme or motive is heard now in the soprano or alto and now in the tenor or bass, resulting in a close-knit musical fabric capable of the most subtle and varied effects).

RENAISSANCE MUSICAL STYLEMost church music was written a cappella. Secular music was divided between purely vocal works and those in which the singers were supported by instruments. There was also a growth of solo instrumental music, especially for lute and keyboard instruments. The harmonies were leading towards fuller chords using thirds and sixths instead of just fourths and fifths.

RENAISSANCE MUSICAL STYLEWord painting- making the music reflect the meaning of the words. This was favored in secular music. polyphonic writing offered the composer many possibilities, such as cantus firmus (fixed melody) as the basis for elaborate ornamentation in the other voices. Composers of the Burgundian, or FrancoFlemish, School were preeminent in European music from about 1450 to the end of the 16th century.

THE EARLY RENAISSANCE MASSWith the rise of Renaissance polyphony, composers concentrated their musical settings on the Ordinary, the fixed portion of the Mass that was sung daily. This practice brought into prominence the five main sections of the Mass: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. Today these sections of the Mass are recited or sung in the vernacular or language of the country.

THE EARLY RENAISSANCE MASSThe Kyrie is a prayer for mercy and is in A-BA form. (Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.) The Gloria (Glory be to God on high) is a joyful hymn of praise that is omitted in the penitential seasons of Lent and Advent. The Credo (I believe in one God, the Father Almighty) is a confession of faith and the longest of the Mass texts.

THE EARLY RENAISSANCE MASSThe Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy) and concludes with the Hosanna (Hosanna in the highest). The Agnus Dei (Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world is sung three times (twice have mercy on us and once grant us peace). Early polyphonic settings of the Mass were usually based on a fragment of Gregorian chant, which became the cantus firmus.

THE EARLY RENAISSANCE MASSOf the Masses for special services, the Requiem, or Mass of the Dead, is the most important. The word Requiem comes from the opening line of text, Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine (Grant them eternal rest, O Lord.) Included are prayers in keeping with the solemnity of the occasion, among them the awesome evocation of the Last Judgment, Dies Irae (Day of Wrath).

DU FAY AND THE CANTUS FIRMUS MASSGuillaume Due Fay (c.1397-1474) was one of the earliest composers of the Burgundian School to make a career in Italy (he was also active in France). He abandoned the rhythmic complexities of the 14th century music in favor of a less complicated, more accessible style. The meandering vocal lines of the past were replaced by well-defined melodies and clear-cut rhythms. Harmony grew simpler and more consonant, which foreshadows tonality.

DU FAY AND THE CANTUS FIRMUS MASSHe expanded the standard voicing from three to four. He wrote for all genres in his lifetime including: Masses, motets, hymns, and secular songs. The Lhomme arme Mass uses a catchy, popular tune as its basis. The Kyrie is divided into three sections by its text.

THE MOTET IN THE RENAISSANCEThe motet became a sacred form with a single Latin test, for use in the Mass and other religious services. Motets in the praise of the Virgin Mary extremely popular because of the many religious groups all over Europe devoted to Marian worship. The greatest composer of the Renaissance motet was Josquin Desprez (1450-1521)

JOSQUIN DESPREZ AND THE MOTETJosquin exerted a powerful influence on generations of composers after him. He had a varied career in Italy where he served in several courts and in the papal choir in Rome. His artistic model was Raphael with a focus on moderation, the sense of harmonious proportion and clear form.

JOSQUIN DESPREZ AND THE MOTETHis music was rich in feeling, in serenely beautiful melody, and in expressive harmony. Composed more than 100 motets Ave Mariavirgo serena is a prime example of how Josquin used the motet to experiment with different combinations of voices and textures. 4 voices,

THE HIGH RENAISSANCE MASS

After the Protestant revolt led by Martin Luther (1483-1546), the Catholic Church responded with a reform movement focused on a return to true Christian piety. This movement was known as the CounterReformation (1530s-1600). Work with the poor was undertaken by the religious orders of Franciscans and Dominicans, founding the society of Jesus (Jesuits) by St. Ignatius Loyola.

THE HIGH RENAISSANCE MASSWith a desire to regulate every aspect of religious discipline, the Council of Trent. The cardinals in attendance were concerned about the corruption of the traditional chant by the singers, who added embellishments to the Gregorian chant melodies. Certain instruments were found to be objectionable in church service as well.

THE HIGH RENAISSANCE MASSThe committee assigned to deal with the problem of polyphony contented itself with issuing general recommendations in favor of a pure vocal style that would respect the integrity of the sacred texts, that would avoid virtuosity and encourage piety. One composer to answer the demands of the church was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)

PALESTRINA AND THE POPE MARCELLUS MASSHe was an organist and choirmaster in many churches including St. Peters in Rome. He worked for Pope Julius III (r. 1550-1555) He wrote over a hundred Masses and the most famous is the Pope Marcellus Mass. Pope Marcellus was the successor to Pope Julius III. It was thought that the Pope Marcellus Mass was written strictly to satisfy the demands of the Council of Trent.

PALESTRINA AND THE POPE MARCELLUS MASSIt is written for 6 voice parts a cappella. Exhibits Palestrinas conservative style with a nice balance of monophonic and polyphonic sections. Also exhibits Palestrinas ideal sound- pure, serene, and celestial.

MUSIC IN COURT AND CITY LIFE

Both professional and amateurs took part in music making. Professionals entertained noble guests at court and civic festivities and with the rise of the merchant class, music making in the home became increasingly popular. Most prosperous homes had a lute or keyboard instrument. Music was considered part of your upbringing for a young girl, and sometimes the young boy. The union of poetry and music lead to the chanson and the madrigal.

THE CHANSONIn the 15th century, the chanson was the favored genre at the courts of the dukes of Burgundy and the kings of France. Usually written for three voices, with one or two lower voices played on instruments. They were set to the courtly love poetry of the French Renaissance, much of which were fixed forms from the Middle Ages: the rondeau, the ballade, and the virelai.

THE CHANSONPreeminent composers of this genre were: Johannes Ockeghem, Gilles Binchois, and Guillaume Du Fay. Mille regretz (A thousand regrets) by Josquin French chanson for 4 voices Love poem a-b-b-a form

INSTRUMENTAL DANCE MUSICWith the advent of music publishing, printed dance music became readily available for solo instruments as well as small ensembles. Venice, Paris and Antwerp took the lead as centers for publishing. The instrumentation was determined based on where the performance was to occur: inside or outside.

INSTRUMENTAL DANCE MUSIC

A number dance types became popular in the 16th century. Pavane- a first number in a dance suite. saltarello- jumping dance, Italian in nature. Galliard- French dance, more vigorous version of the saltarello Allemande- German dance in moderate duple time and remained into the Baroque. Ronde- a round dance, a lively romp associated with the outdoors and performed in a circle.

THE ITALIAN MADRIGAL

Madrigal- an aristocratic form of poetry-and-music that flourished at the small Italian courts. The text consisted of a short poem of lyric or reflective character, often including the emotional words of weeping, sighing, trembling, and dying. Love and unsatisfied desire were other topics. Instruments were used often duplicating or substituting for the voices.

THE ITALIAN MADRIGAL

There were three periods of the Renaissance madrigal. The first period, the second quarter of the 16th century, the composers chief concern was the give pleasure to the performers. The middle period, 1550-1580, the madrigal became an art form in which words and music were clearly linked. The final period, 1580-1620 extended into the Baroque, and it became the direct expression of the composers personality and feelings.

MONTEVERDI AND THE MADRIGAL

Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian composer who spent time at the court of the Duke of Mantua. He was appointed the choirmaster of St. Marks in Venice in 1613 and he was a forerunner of the Baroque opera. Frequent use of word painting, a rich musical pictorialization of the imagery in the poem. Ecco mormorar londe (Here, now, the waves murmur)

THE ENGLISH MADRIGAL

Just as Shakespeare and other English poets adopted the Italian sonnet, so the composers of England took the Italian madrigal and developed it into a native art form. Important figures were Thomas Morley, John Wilbye, Thomas Weekles, and John Farmer The first collection of Italian madrigals published in England, Musica transalpina, the songs were Englished.

THE ENGLISH MADRIGAL

John Farmers Fair Phyllis was a four-part madrigal from the English composer. It is characteristic of the English madrigal in its pastoral text and cheerful mood. Farmer adopted the Italian practice of word painting. The Renaissance madrigal inspired composer to develop new techniques of combining music and poetry which prepared the way for one of the most influential forms of Western music-opera!

FROM RENIASSANCE TO BAROQUE

St. Marks church in Venice was influential to composers in this time period. The balconies and resonant acoustics inspired composers to write polychoral music, in which two or three choirs either answered each other in alternation of sang together (called antiphonal). There were also two organs at St. Marks Made for surround sound.

POLYCHORAL MUSIC IN VENICE

GIOVANNI GABRIELI AND THE POLYCHORAL MOTET

Because of the large forces at work, he used old contrapuntal devices and broad homophonic style in which all the voice unite on the same syllable at the same time, to make the words understandable. O quam suavis (O how sweet) form the second book of Sacrae Symphoniae published in 1615. Written for two SATB choirs and instruments for the Feast of Corpus Christi (celebration of the body of Christ, held on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday).