1. *
Richie O‟Connor

2. * The Renaissance Period is Western music
history from 1400 to the beginning of the
1600‟s.
* „Renaissance‟ = „rebirth‟ or
„reconstruction‟.
* More artistic freedom was
used by artists and musicians.

3. * With new printing techniques, music was able
to be preserved and distributed to the people.
* The distinctive sounds of the Renaissance were
the polyphonic style, sacred music and secular
music.
* New instruments were invented and old
instruments were improved.
* Masses and motets were the primary forms for
sacred vocal polyphony.

4. * Composers used a method called „imitation‟ to
make music more enjoyable.
* „imitation‟ = one melodic line „imitates‟ the
same musical theme as a previous melodic line.
* This „imitative polyphony‟ can be heard in
music by Byrd, Gibbons and Gabrieli.
* Imitative polyphony was so important that it
continued into the Baroque period, especially
in sacred music for the church.

5. *
* English and Burgundian Music
* Form
* New techniques and styles.
* 3 main forms: mass, motet and chanson.
* All composed for voice.
* Mass
* Polyphonic style with plainsong.
* Masses were long and divided into 5 sections.
* Sacred Latin text was used.

6. * Motet
* A sacred choral composition based on a single Latin
text.
* Short in length and written in one continuous
movement.
* Based on subjects from the Bible.
* Chanson
* The most popular and common music .
* Written in French.
* Similar to mass but more rhythmic.
* Carol
* Popular in England.
* It consisted of 2 parts sung to a religious poem.

7. *
* Franco – Flemish Music
* Form
* Composers were more interested in creating new
techniques within the popular existing forms.
* Canon
* Began in the 1300‟s but disappeared.
* Reappeared in the 1400‟s and used interesting
techniques:
* Mensuartion canon – several voices using the same
melody at different speeds.
* Retrograde canon – sung backwards.
* Augmentation canon – the time values of the notes
increase in the imitating voice
* Double canon – 4 parts with 2 different melodies

8. * Mass
* A new form of mass called „cantus firmus‟.
* Each section had the same melody.
* Written in plainsong style.
* Motet
* Less use of cantus firmus in motets than in masses..
* Sections written in duet style, chordal style, or
imitative style.
* Secular Music
* Chanson remained the dominant form of secular
music like the English style.
* However, some variations were made.

9. *
* In the 1500s, vocal polyphony was perfected.
* Vocal style still dominated the musical world
but the instrumental style also became
popular.
* Roman – Catholic music
* Form
* Church music grew in size, technique and usage.
* Still dominated by masses and motets.

10. * Mass
* „cantus firmus‟ was still used with plainsongs and
secular melodies.
* Parody mass also became popular – chansons and
motets were changed to fit the text of the ordinary
mass.
* Motet
* Motets did not change much in form or technique.
* Some new concepts and themes were introduced.
* Non-liturgical forms
* The most popular was the „laude‟ – a religious song
of praise with a polyphonic setting in chordal style.
* Either written in Latin or Italian.

11. * Schools
* The Franco – Flemish school still dominated the
world
* However, other schools became important including
the Spanish school, the English school, the
Venetian school and the German school.

12. *
* The Protestant Reformation created many new
developments in church music.
* Germany
* Martin Luther, who began the Protestant Revolution
in 1517, believed that the congregation should be
involved in the service by singing hymns.
* Chorale
* One of the most important musical forms to come
from the Protestant Reformation.
* It was a hymn sung by the congregation.

13. * France
* The Huguenot movement started an important
literature of psalms set to music.
* Psalms
* Biblical psalms were translated into French and set
to melodies.
* They were sung by the congregation during mass
and also at home.
* English Church Music
* Psalm singing was also popular.
* English equivalent to mass was „service‟.
* Also Catholic anthem (motet) and verse anthem
(vocal and instrumental) were present.
* English language replaced Latin.

14. *
* Secular music developed geographically during
the second half of the Renaissance.
* It had specific rules according to Hugh M.
Miller:
* 1. secular music was against sacred music.
* 2. the rise of national schools was more
pronounced in secular than in sacred music.
* 3. secular music flourished all over Europe under
the patronage of nobility.
* 4. entertainment music, not concert music.
* 5. composed and performed as chamber music
for small groups, not large groups.

15. * Italian Form
* In the late 1400s, popular vocal forms (canzoni)
appeared in Italy.
* In 4 parts, predominantly chordal with dance like
rhythms.
* French Form
* Most popular secular form was the polyphonic
chanson and solo chanson.
* English Form
* English madrigals were popular during the 16th
century.
* 5 voices were used.
* Ballett was also popular – lively contrapuntal style
alternating with chordal style.

16. * German Form
* Popular at the time was the polyphonic lied.
* Written in 4 voices with imitative counterpoint.
* Based on popular songs.
* Quodlibet was also popular – humorous mix of
popular tunes and their texts.
* Spanish Form
* Villancico was the main Spanish secular form.
* 4 parts written in chordal style with regular metric
construction.
* Based on a 3 stanza poem, musically structured to
an A B B A formula.
* Performed as solo songs with instruments playing
the lower parts.

17. *
* Not as important as vocal music but it
still played an important part in music
in general.
* Gained popularity and developed a
musical form that was distinct from vocal
music.
* Specific rules for writing music:
* 1. improvisation was very important
* 2. transcriptions of vocal music for performance
were numerous.
* 3. instruments were freely employed in the
performance of vocal music.
* 4. some instrumental forms were borrowed from
vocal forms, while others were instrumentally
invented.

18. * Specific style:
* Wider melodic range
* Colouration, embellishment and figuration
* Freer treatment of dissonance
* In lute and keyboard music contrapuntal parts were
freely added or dropped without indicating rests
* Long and rapid scale passages
* Numerous wide skips

19. *
* Viol
* An important instrument in this period
because it could be used in a variety of
ways.
* It is a bowed instrument with frets. It
has a very recognizable, nasal tone, and
was often used by upper class musicians
who had formal training.
* The strings of a viol could also be
plucked or hammered using a plectrum,
which at the time was a piece of quill,
ivory or wood.
* The violin was another instrument in
the viol family.

20. *
* Lute
* The lute was a very important
instrument in the middle ages and a lot
of music was written with it.
* Lutes are commonly played on the lap
by plucking the strings with a plectrum
or the fingers. The left hand is
positioned on the fretboard.
* They have up to 15 strings and go out of
tune easily. This is why it was replaced
by the keyboard in the Baroque period.
* The lute is not the predecessor of the
guitar, but in fact, the guitar got its
roots in Spain. Its ancestor was known
as a Vihuela.

21. *
* Recorder
* Recorders from the middle
ages were very similar to
today‟s instruments of the
same name.
* Recorders were played
simply by blowing on the
lip (or hole at the top of
the instrument), and
putting the proper fingers
over the finger holes.

22. *
* Crumhorn
* The crumhorn is unique
because the player‟s lips do not
touch the reed. There is a cap
with a slot in it which the
player blows strongly into. This
process causes the reed to
vibrate, and create sound.
* The crumhorn‟s sound is very
distinctive. It has a nasal buzzy
tone.
* The crumhorn has very limited
range due to the lack of reed
control.

23. *
* Sackbut
* The sackbut was the
earliest ancestor of the
trombone.
* In the middle ages, the
sackbut was considered
the instrument of
virtuosos.
* The sackbut was of the
first instruments that
could actually be played
in tune.

24. *
* Organs
Positive Organs
* Large instruments which
required 2 people to
operate.
* One person pumped the
bellows while the other
person played the keyboard.
* Used in sacred music.
Portative Organs
* Smaller and quite versatile.
* Only required 1 player.
* Used in sacred music and
secular music, as a solo
instrument or in an
ensemble.

25. *
* Harpsichord
* The harpsichord is the
piano‟s predecessor. When
the player hits a key, a quill
inside the harpsichord
plucks a string, which gives
it a sharp, very recognizable
sound.
* Harpsichords were used
both as solo instruments and
accompanying instruments
in ensembles.

26. *
* Nothing like a present day orchestra.
* There were more like small chamber groups.
* Specific instrumentation for ensembles was seldom declared in the
music score.

27. *
* Dance Music
* Dance music was originally written for social gatherings.
* Later, in the 1700s, a more specific and structured style was developed.
* Dance music had a strong rhythm and repeating sections.
* The lute was a popular instrument for dance music along with the harpsichord
and small ensembles.

28. * Cantus Firmus forms
* Basically for use in the church as it was liturgical
music.
* It was usually played by an organist between verses of
hymns sung by the congregation or choir.
* Simplistic plainsong or secular song which was meant
to be played by a harpsichord, organ or an ensemble of
viols.
* Improvisational forms
* The prelude was the main type of improvisational form
during the Renaissance.
* Composed for keyboard or lute instruments.
* Made use of a collection of materials to appear
improvised to the listener.

29. *
* William Byrd (1543 – 1623)
* Born in Eincolnshire, England (Robin Hood).
* Composed music for both Catholic (masses, hymns, madrigals) and Protestant
(Great Service and Short Service) churches.
* Organist at Lincoln Cathedral and later at Chapel Royal with his mentor
Thomas Tallis.
* Famous for extraordinary masses, motets, vocal and solo songs and for
chamber music composed for strings without voice.
* “The Sweet and Merry Month of May”.
* Considered the best composer of keyboard music in all of Europe during his
life.

30. *
* Josquin Desprez (1440 – 1521)
* Born in Duchy of Burgandy (Belgium) and spent his life in Italian cities until he
retired to France.
* Spread polyphonic music in Italy.
* Repertoire made up of masses, motets and secular songs in French and
Italian.
* A master of four-voice and other large textures, parodies, light songs and
French chansons.
* Still renowned and respected today.

31. *
* Giovanni Gabrielli (1554 – 1612)
* Born in Italy.
* Composed sacred and secular vocal music.
* Also composed music for string, keyboard and ensemble pieces.
* Best known for perfection of the „cori spezzati‟ musical form, where choirs or
performing groups are broken up into sections and dispersed in and around
the performance space.
* Also famous for motets written about damnation and hell.

32. *
* Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625)
* Born in Oxford, England and was the greatest English composer of his
generation.
* Wrote new music and developed new techniques for consort music.
* Also famous for sacred choral music, English anthems and verse anthems.
* His madrigal “The Silver Swan” is his most famous.
* His music is still played today as part of the English Cathedral repertoire.

33. *
* Johannes Ockeghem (1410 – 1497)
* One of the fathers of Renaissance music and one of the most respected
composers of the 15th century.
* Best known for motets, masses and secular chansons.
* He had a distinct style in his vocal pieces as he placed and emphasis on
expressive and complex bass lines.
* A pioneer of Western polyphony and a master of lyrical and contrapuntal
invention.

34. *
* Giovanni Palestrina (1525 – 1594)
* An Italian composer who wrote over 100 settings of the mass.
* He composed sacred music and is best known for his “seamless texture” of
polyphony.
* Most famous works are his First Book of Masses, the Mass of Marcellus, and his
First Book of Motets.
* An example of his sacred work is “Adoramus te Christe”.
* His work is marked by purity, clarity, simplicity and the omission of secular
elements.
* Earned the title of “Prince of Music” which is written on his grave.