Musics Chapter 05: The Renaissance: The Rebirth of Humanism

Prelude

Africa, in addition to continuing to explore the American continents. In Britain and on the continent of Europe, mail service began during the Renaissance, allowing communi-cation over great distances.

Literacy and a well-rounded education became so important that we sometimes use the term Renaissance man to credit a person who is well educated and talented in many fi elds. The most famous historical example of such a person during the Renais-sance is Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), who was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, poet, and musician.

In a different shift away from the domi-nance of the Roman Church, Martin Luther (1483–1546) and his followers in Germany split from the Church over claims of corrup-tion and disagreements about doctrine. Lu-ther ignited a fi restorm of confl ict in which Protestants saw themselves as individually responsible for their spiritual destinies, not subject to papal authority. John Calvin and several other religious leaders followed Lu-ther in forming new Protestant religions that still exist today. Having lost the allegiance of so many, the Roman Catholic Church made reforms in some areas of its practices. One primary reform required composers to sim-plify sacred music so that the liturgical text would be better understood.

The lives of average people during the Renaissance were much like those in the late

Although medieval Europe ideal-ized meditative withdrawal from worldly concerns, the Renais-sance (1450–1600) stressed ac-

tivity and worldly excellence. Renaissanceis the French word for “rebirth,” and what was reborn in 1450 was the kind of pride in being a fully realized human being that had been common in ancient Greece. With the invention of the printing press and, in turn, the spread of literacy, education in all fi elds expanded. Reason began to replace faith as the intellectual norm. In the new climate, portraiture and the ideal nude—kinds of art that had vanished since the fall of Rome—again became the fashion. Look carefully at the statue of David by Michelangelo and no-tice the sense of pride in the human body and spirit it portrays. Similarly, Renaissance portrayals of the Madonna and child, such as Raphael’s Madonna del Granduca (page 48), show the Christ child to be much more human and vulnerable than had the medieval ones.

Renaissance CultureInterest in exploration of the world outside of Europe increased during the Renaissance, and that exploration opened up many new cultures, attitudes, and goods to Europe-ans. After Columbus discovered the New World, such items as coffee, tobacco, and chocolate became part of Europeans’ expe-rience. Other explorers ventured to Asia and

The Renaissance: The Rebirth of Humanism

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David, by Michelangelo (1475–1564). This is one of many Renaissance sculptures that display the sense of pride in the human body that we see in Greek and Roman sculptures such as Poseidon and The Apollo Belvedere (page 29).

medieval period, except that increased trade and business allowed men to elevate their status and power in ways that women could not. Women lost much of the independence they had exercised during the medieval pe-riod and were seen primarily as assistants to their husbands, working alongside them to earn a living. Most women could not at-tain the Renaissance ideal of multiple skills because education was not as available to women. The daughters of aristocratic fami-lies learned Latin and Greek, which allowed them to read religious literature and classic texts. Some of these educated women be-came writers, but female artists and com-posers were rare.

The more worldly outlook of the Renais-sance infl uenced the music of the period. No longer required to refl ect the medita-tive simplicity of medieval styles, composers could develop the old religious chants into longer, more complex, multivoiced works. New secular vocal and instrumental dance music also emerged.

The printing press with movable type al-lowed easier reproduction of music, and printed music became more widely available. With the ability to purchase music by a variety of composers, the average educated person with no talent for composition could learn to read, sing, and play music in the company of family members and friends. Performers could make a good living by providing music


or dance instruction to members of wealthy families. They were also often hired to enter-tain at more formal parties.

The medieval focus on living primarily to glorify God and to reach the afterlife did not allow for the kinds of societal advancements that began in the Renaissance. In general, the Renaissance is considered the beginning of the modern world, because Renaissance atti-tudes of humanism, respect for the individual and for independent thought, and interest in learning about the world through scientifi c investigation led directly to the development of the sciences, arts, and philosophical con-cepts we have today. The Renaissance’s more humanistic outlook infl uenced European art for the next several hundred years.

Madonna del Granduca, by Raphael (1483–1520). Like Raphael and other Renaissance painters did in their art, Josquin des Prez depicted an idealized Virgin Mary in his music.


Renaissance Sacred MusicTh e Renaissance in literature and the visual arts began in the 1300s and was cen-tered in Italy. Th e Renaissance in music began around 1450 in what is today northern France, Holland, and Belgium. Th e style that developed in these countries spread to all parts of Europe.

Th e composers of this northern style, sometimes referred to as Franco-Flemish, most oft en wrote music in four voices. For many of their Masses and motets, they continued to use chant melodies as one of the voices, but for the fi rst time they did not keep the chant in the bass. Th ey composed new bass lines and placed the chant in another voice above it. Th ey sometimes even abandoned chant melodies altogether, creating completely new compositions. Occasionally, Renaissance composers used a secular tune as one of the voices in their religious compositions, something that composers of the medieval period would have thought inappropriate. Th is music is performed a cappella, or without instrumental accompaniment.

First Hearing)))Listen to the recording of “Ave Maria” by Josquin des Prez and take notes on what you hear. Even if you are working with other students in a paired or group listening session, keep your own notes. Give some attention to the following:

• How many voice parts do you hear? They enter one at a time at the beginning, so that will help you separate them as you listen.

• Are there any instruments accompanying the voices, or is the work performed a cappella?

• Most of the work is in duple meter, but there is a section that suddenly changes to triple before the duple meter returns. Listen closely for the change to triple meter and see if you also notice both the meter change and a change of speed.

• Is the texture polyphonic, homophonic, or some of each? Which texture do you hear at the very end?

• Can you tell the language of the text? Can you guess what kind of composition it is?

Keep your notes from this First Hearing to compare with your impressions about the piece after you study the information in this chapter.

The better the voice is, the meeter it is to honor and serve God therewith: and the voice of Man is chiefl y to be employed to that end. Since singing is so good a thing, I wish all men would learn to sing.—composer william byrd [1543–1623]

Renaissance Music

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CD 1: Tracks 2–3CONNECT


50 Chapter 5 Renaissance Music

Th e polyphonic style of these Franco-Flemish composers emphasized the true in-dependence of each of the four voices in their works. Imitation was common. At the beginning of “Ave Maria,” you will hear imitation when a melodic fragment is stated in one voice and is then repeated, or imitated, by another voice a measure later. Each voice comes in one at a time, imitating the melody that was sung fi rst. Th e imitation does not continue throughout the composition, but it creates an eff ective beginning that composers oft en used in the Renaissance.

Josquin des PrezTh e composer of “Ave Maria,” Josquin des Prez (“Joss-can de-pray,” ca. 1450–1521), was one of the most infl uential composers of the Renaissance; his style was copied by many other composers. It is not known exactly where Josquin was born, but it is generally assumed to be in what is today northern France or Belgium. Th e year of his birth is sometimes given as 1450, but that date is uncertain.

Josquin was a member of the choir at the court of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza in Milan in 1474. When the duke was assassinated in 1476, Josquin went to Rome, where he got a job singing at the chapel of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza. While in Rome, Josquin also spent some time singing in the papal choir. In 1501 Josquin went to France and spent two years singing at the court of Louis XII. He moved on to the Italian court at Ferrara but left there aft er only one year to avoid an outbreak of the plague. Th at was a smart move on his part, because his successor died from the plague. Josquin spent his last years singing at a cathedral in Condé, France.

Th roughout his life Josquin composed music and taught students while making his primary living as a singer. He was well aware of his talents and oft en demanded higher pay than was common for his colleagues. He did not put dates on his composi-tions, and his name was so well known in his own time that some other composers put his name on their works to sell them. All of this causes some confusion in the collection and evaluation of his work. Josquin left many motets, many Masses, and a considerable amount of secular music. He was also a gift ed teacher, and many of his pupils became outstanding fi gures in the next generation of composers.

As we discussed in Chapter 4, medieval motets had a sacred Latin chant as the low-est voice with secular texts in the vernacular (everyday language) above them. In some cases, there were two or three melodies with secular texts (diff erent texts on each part) above the sacred text. Th e texture was polyphonic, and a listener would have a very dif-fi cult time understanding any of the texts, particularly the sacred one. By the Renais-sance, motets dropped the secular infl uences and became sacred, with one Latin text for all voices. Josquin’s “Ave Maria” is a good example of a Renaissance motet.

JOSQUIN DES PREZ(ca. 1450–1521)

• Born in what is today northern France or Belgium; died at approximately age 71 in Condé, France.

• Best remembered for his Masses, chansons, and motets.


Chapter 5 Renaissance Music 51

In the motet discussed in the Featured Listening selection, notice the changes from polyphonic to homophonic (in which all voices are sung to the same rhythm) textures and notice when each is used. Sometimes the homophonic texture calls at-tention to the text because it is easier to understand the words, if one knows Latin. Homophonic texture is used at the beginning of the section in triple meter, helping to stress the new meter. Because of the importance of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) in Christianity, triple meter is sometimes used to signify purity. Is there anything particularly signifi cant about the text in the triple-meter section that the new meter might have been intended to stress? Notice that the three beats of the triple-meter bars are fi t into the same amount of time as the two beats of the rest of the motet, which is in duple meter. When Renaissance music changes from duple to triple meter, it is typical to have the notes in the triple section speed up to keep a constant pulse for each bar. Also, note the vocal part entries at the beginning of “Ave Maria.” Notice that the sopranos begin, followed by the altos, the tenors, and then the basses:

-i ri ve Ma aA

-i ri ve Ma aA

-i ri ve Ma aA

-i ri ve Ma aA

Th e “rebirth” of classical knowledge and humanistic thought of the Renaissance as well as the love of sacred subjects can clearly be heard in the following motet.

Featured Listening)))“Ave Maria” (“Hail, Mary”) josquin des prezDate: 1470s

Genre: Motet

Texture: Polyphonic and homophonic

Voices: Four

Meter: Duple, with one section in triple meter

Duration: 4:37

Context: This motet would have been sung in a cathedral or a monastery, but not as part of the Mass service.

Timing Latin text English translation Musical events

2 0:00 Ave Maria, gratia plena,Dominus tecum, Virgo serena.

Hail, Mary, full of grace,the Lord be with you, fair Virgin.

Polyphonic texture with much imitation

(continued)



Timing Latin Text English Translation Musical Events

0:45 Ave cujus conceptio,solemni plena gaudio,coelestia, terrestria,

nova replet laetitia.

Hail to you whose conception,full of solemn joy,fi lls heavenly and earthly

beingswith new gladness.

Homophonic texture

Polyphonic texture

1:22 Ave cujus nativitasnostra fuit solemnitas,ut lucifer lux oriens

verum solem praeveniens.

Hail to you whose nativitywas our solemn feast,indeed was the morning star

risingpreceding the true sun.

Polyphonic with voices paired

Imitative polyphony

1:59 Ave pìa humilitassine viro foecunditascujus annunciationostra fuit salvatio.

Hail, holy humility,fruitful without man,whose annunciationwas our salvation.

Homophonic with paired voices

More polyphonic with paired voices

3 0:00 Ave vera virginitas,immaculata castitas,cujus purifi cationostra fuit purgatio.

Hail, true virginity,undefi led chastity,whose purifi cationwas our cleansing.

Triple meter stressed by a homophonic beginning, then some-what polyphonic

0:37 Ave praeclara omnibusangelicis virtutibus,cujus fuit assumptionostra glorifi catio.

Hail, to you, admirable in allangelic virtues,whose assumption wasour glorifi cation.

Return to duple meter

Polyphonic texture

1:32 O Mater Dei,memento mei. Amen.

O, Mother of God,remember me. Amen.

Homophonic texture


Giovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaOne of the most distinguished of Josquin’s successors was Giovanni Pierluigi da Pal-estrina (1525–1594), who spent the greater part of his life as choirmaster of St. Peter’s in Rome. Palestrina’s great contribution was to return church music to the simplicity and purity of earlier times. Although his motets are masterpieces of composition, his Masses constitute his most important work.

Palestrina lived and worked during the Counter-Reformation, the reaction by the Catholic Church to the spread of Protestantism. Central to this reaction was the Council of Trent, which met from 1545 to 1563 to formulate and execute the means by which church reform could be accomplished. Th e Council investigated every aspect of religious discipline, including Church music. It was the opinion of the Council that sacred music had become corrupted by complex polyphonic devices that obscured the text and diverted attention from the act of worship. To remedy this situation, the Council called for a return to a simpler vocal style, one that would preserve the sanc-tity of the text and discourage displays of virtuosity by singers. In addition to this, the Council objected to the use of loud instruments such as sacbuts (early trombones) in indoor church services and banned all secular melodies from the composition of Masses. Th ey also decided to continue to perform services in Latin instead of chang-ing to the vernacular, as the Protestant churches had done.

Legend has it that in order to prevent the Council from abolishing the polyphonic style entirely, Palestrina composed a Mass of such beauty and simplicity that he was able to dissuade the cardinals from taking this drastic step. Palestrina composed many other Masses that are equally beautiful, and we do not know exactly how close the Council was to abandoning polyphony, but the story is that this particular Mass, Pope Marcellus Mass (1567), saved polyphony for the Roman Catholic Church. Th e



Kyrie from that Mass is the only section of the traditional Mass that is written not in Latin but in Greek.

Palestrina understood the Counter-Reformation leaders’ demands for respect for the Mass texts while still composing rich and beautiful polyphonic music, as can be heard in the Kyrie to the Pope Marcellus Mass. Pope Marcellus II died aft er only three weeks as pope in 1555. Palestrina, remembering the pope’s insistence on the text being clearly understood when the Mass was celebrated, named the Mass aft er him.

Listening Guide

“Kyrie” (“Lord”) from Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass) giovanni pierluigi da palestrinaDate: 1562–1563

Genre: Mass movement

Texture: Polyphonic

Voices: Six a cappella voices (soprano, alto, two tenors, and two basses)

Language: Greek

Meter: Duple, but with little accent on the beats; fl ows much like medieval chant

Duration: 4:23

Context: This is the fi rst section of the Ordinary of the Mass that would have been performed in St. Peter’s Cathedral at the Vatican in Rome. The voices imitate one another, but they blend so gently that the imitation does not cause them to sound separate from one another. All voices come together rhythmically at the close of each section.

Timing Greek text English translation Musical events

8 0:00 Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us. Tenors begin and are soon followed by sopranos and then other voices.

1:22 Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy upon us. All voices begin and end together, but gently imitate one another in between.

2:56 Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us. Sopranos begin and are joined by richly blended other voices; the duple meter is more obvious in this section than it had been in the others.

CD 3: Track 8CONNECT

See “Hearing the Diff erence: Josquin’s ‘Ave Maria’ and Palestrina’s ‘Kyrie’” to un-derstand how the music to each enhances the text.

Renaissance Secular MusicIn addition to being a time of great piety, the sixteenth century was also a period of bawdy earthiness, irreverent humor, and celebration of sensual love. Th e same com-posers who created works for the greater glory of God also wrote compositions of this character. In Italy and England, the principal form of secular vocal music was the madrigal; in France, it was the chanson; in Germany, the lied.



The Madrigal in ItalyTh e Renaissance madrigal is a poem set to music. It had its beginnings in the four-teenth century among the aristocrats of the small Italian courts. Th e texts, written in the vernacular, were oft en twelve-line poems or fourteen-line sonnets whose subjects were sentimental or erotic. Th e early madrigal was written in a predominantly ho-mophonic style. It was usually in three, but sometimes four, parts, and its expressive qualities were subdued and restrained. Th e madrigal of the mid-sixteenth century was written usually for fi ve and sometimes for four or six voices. Its texture was more polyphonic than that of the early madrigal, and a greater attempt was made to capture in the music the expressive possibilities of the words.

Th e fi nal fl owering of the madrigal took place during the closing decades of the sixteenth century. Th e late madrigal was an elaborate composition, invariably not strophic, with a mixture of homophonic and polyphonic textures. It used chromati-cism (the inclusion of notes that create tension through the use of dissonance) for bold eff ects, oft en to express sadness. Th e compositions also used coloristic and dramatic eff ects. One of the most interesting elements of the madrigal style was word painting, which meant that the melody was written to represent the literal meaning of the text being sung. For example, on the word heaven, the melody would ascend, or on the word water, it would rise and fall in a wavelike motion. On the word death, the music might become chromatic, creating dissonance and tension.

Many Italian composers wrote madrigals, not the least of whom was Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643), who published eight books of madrigals. Monteverdi was an active composer of the late Renaissance who changed his style to that of the next period, the baroque, in approximately 1600. His early madrigal books are wonderful examples of the madrigal of the Italian Renaissance, and his late ones represent the new style. We will study Monteverdi as an early opera composer in Chapter 6. Other major Italian madrigal composers include Adrian Willaert, Carlo Gesualdo, and Luca

Hearing the Difference

Both of these works (see Featured Listening on page 51 and Listening Guide on page 53) sound similar in a number of ways. They are both sacred polyphonic vocal works for a cappella voices, but they both also have some sections where the voices join together in homophonic texture. As you listen to the works again, try to concen-trate on the differences because that will help you appreciate how the music to each one enhances the text. Answer the following questions, as you listen from one record-ing to the other:

• Which work sounds fuller and richer? What might contribute to that fuller sound?

• Both works are in duple meter, but which one stresses the meter more and which one sounds more like smooth-fl owing chant?

• As discussed earlier, Josquin’s “Ave Maria” has a section in triple meter. Does the meter or the feel of the beat within the meter change in Palestrina’s “Kyrie,” or does it maintain a constant mood and rhythmic fl ow?

• When you listen carefully to the text, what one word begins most sections of “Ave Maria” and is not heard at all in “Kyrie”? Listening for that word is a good way to determine which of these works you are hearing.

JOSQUIN’S “AVE MARIA” AND PALESTRINA’S “KYRIE”



Marenzio. “MusiCurious: Home Entertainment During the Renaissance” discusses the use of this form of music in personal life.

Th ere were many fewer women composers during the Renaissance than men, but one deserves mention here. Maddalena Casulana was one of the fi rst women compos-ers to consider herself a professional musician. She was an active singer, lutenist (lute player), and music teacher who composed and published three volumes of madrigals in addition to other, individual, works. Her books were so popular that the fi rst was reprinted twice. Th e dedication in her fi rst book says, “to show the world . . . the futile error of men who believe themselves patrons of the high gift s of intellect, which ac-cording to them cannot also be held in the same way by women.” She must have been quite a feminist for her time.

The Madrigal in EnglandAround the middle of the sixteenth century, the Italian madrigal was brought to En-gland. Th ere it fl ourished under a variety of names in addition to madrigal: song, sonnet, canzonet, and ayre. William Byrd (1543–1623) and his student Th omas Morley were the fi rst English composers to cultivate the genre. Morley wrote simplifi ed versions of the madrigal, known as balletts. Adapted from the Italian balletti, they were usually

MusiCurious

Since most of the kinds of entertainment we enjoy today were not available during the Renaissance, what did people do to entertain themselves?They made their own music. People could enjoy mu-sic in church services or even taverns, and plays were available to the general public during the Renaissance. Wealthy families would often hire musicians to come to their homes and perform for them and their guests. Many people, however, also regularly sang and played music in their homes for their own enjoyment.

The invention of movable type made printed music readily available to those who could afford to purchase it. In fact, a standard part of a good education was the requirement to learn to sight sing from music notation or to play an instrument. In England, books of madri-gals were often handed out to people after dinner with the expectation that everyone would join in singing the madrigals. The madrigal composer Thomas Morley told of this practice in his Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke, fi rst published in 1597: “But sup-per being ended and music books (according to the custom) being brought to the table, the mistress of the house presented me with a part earnestly requesting me to sing; but when, after many excuses, I protested unfeignedly that I could not, everyone began to won-

der; yea, some whispered to others demanding how I was brought up.” The story might well be one that Mor-ley made up in order to encourage more people to buy and sing his music, but the practice of group singing after dinner was very common in wealthy, noble, and royal households, including those of King Henry VIII and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I.

Today, re-creations of the Renaissance practice of singing around the dinner table have become increas-ingly popular, usually around Christmastime. Early mu-sic societies, churches, or schools sometimes put on “madrigal dinners,” in which a madrigal group dressed in Renaissance costumes sits at the “royal” table in the front of the dining room, and the guests are served dinner while being entertained by the singing. In more elaborate dinners of this type, the entertainment will also include actors, jugglers, dancers, or other types of performers. Attending the dinners can be lots of fun for the guests who, today, are not generally required to participate in the singing. Many of the places that put on such meals do so for fund-raising purposes and advertise through local newspaper ads or even on the Internet. To fi nd one on the Internet, you can type “madrigal dinner” and your city and state, and treat yourself to an evening in the Renaissance.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT DURING THE RENAISSANCE



characterized by a “fa-la-la” refrain of the type that appears in the English carol “Deck the Halls.” Enlivened by accents and a regular beat, the music was largely homophonic.

Th e madrigal “Fair Phyllis” was composed by John Farmer. Not a lot is known about Farmer’s life. His birthplace and year are not known for certain, but around 1595 he was employed as an organist and choral director of Holy Trinity (now Christ Church) Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. He was in London by 1600 and is assumed to have spent the rest of his life there. He is best known for his four-part settings of bibli-cal texts from the Psalms and also for his four-part madrigals. Th e humanistic value given to everyday life that was popular during the Renaissance can be heard in the next work we will listen to, which is typical of many madrigals and other secular vocal works of the period.

Listening Guide

“Fair Phyllis” john farmerDate: 1599

Genre: English madrigal

Texture: Mostly polyphonic with a homophonic ending

Voices: Four

Meter: Duple

Duration: 1:20

Context: This might well have been sung in an aristocratic English home, after dinner, with the singers still sitting around the table, reading music from madrigal books.

Text Examples of word painting

9 Fair Phyllis I saw sitting all alone,Feeding her fl ock near to the mountainside.The shepherds knew not whither she was gone,But after her lover Amyntas hied.Up and down he wandered whilst she was missing;When he found her, O then they fell a-kissing.

Sopranos sing this line alone.More voices join as Phyllis is joined by her fl ock.Polyphonic texture as if singers were looking for her.

“Up” is sung to higher notes than is “down.”Homophonic texture as the two lovers kiss.


The Chanson in FranceIn the sixteenth century, the chanson (the French word for “song”) was to France what the madrigal was to Italy and England. Chansons modifi ed the motet style with strong accented rhythms, frequent repetitions, and short phrases ending simultane-ously in all parts. Th ey were usually sung by three, four, or fi ve voices, and sections of simple imitation alternated with sections that were essentially homophonic. Word painting occurred frequently in the early chansons, as it had in madrigals.

The Lied in GermanyIn Germany, the counterpart to the French chanson was the lied (plural, lieder), also meaning “song.” Th e lied dates from the middle of the fi ft eenth century, when both monophonic melodies and three-part settings appeared. Th e early lieder, which were



heavily infl uenced by the Nether-lands’ polyphonic style, later pro-vided the Lutheran Church with many melodies for chorale tunes (sacred songs).

In the sixteenth century, Ger-many looked to Italy and France for musicians to staff its courts and municipalities. As a result, lieder composers began to write in a style more typical of the chanson and madrigal, with various melodies set in imitative counterpoint.

Lute SongsIn Chapter 4 on medieval music we heard a troubadour song. Solo songs continued to be popular in later periods, but by the Renaissance composers usually wrote parts for specifi c instruments instead of leaving accompaniments to be improvised by what-ever instrumentalists might be available. Lute songs, also called ayres in England, were composed for a lute accompanying a solo voice. A Listening Guide to a lute song by English composer and lutenist (lute player) John Dowland (1563–1626) follows.

Listening Guide

“Flow My Tears” john dowlandDate: Late sixteenth century

Genre: Lute song

Form: Strophic (all verses sung to the same, or close to the same, melody)

Texture: Homophonic

Voices and Instruments: Tenor voice and lute

Meter: Duple

Duration: 3:41

Context: This is a secular composition that might have been performed by an individual both singing and playing, or by two people, one singing and the other playing the lute. It was probably performed in an aristocratic home, but it could also have been performed by professional musicians in public, perhaps before a play or other type of entertainment.

English text Musical events

10 Flow, my tears, fall from your springs. Exiled forever, let me mourn;Where night’s blackbird her sad infamy sings,there let me live forlorn.

Voice and lute enter together with the lute softly accompanying the voice and adding a little fl ourish at the end of the verse.

(continued)


Song accompanied by the lute was a popular form of entertainment during the Renaissance.


English text Musical events

Down vain lights shine you no more.No nights are dark enough for thosethat in despair their last fortunes deplore,light doth but shame disclose.

Second verse is sung to the same melody as the fi rst.

Never may my woes be relieved,since pity is fl ed,and tears, and sighs, and groans my weary days,my weary days of all joys have deprived.

Third verse follows the same melody as the fi rst two.

From the highest spire of contentment,my fortune is thrown,and fear, and grief, and pain for my deserts,for my deserts are my hopes since hope is gone.

Fourth verse follows the same melody as the fi rst three.

Hark you shadows that in darkness dwell.Learn to contemn light.Happy, happy they that in hellfeel not the world’s despite.

Melody changes for this fi nal verse, which is repeated.


Renaissance Instrumental MusicAlthough most of the music of the Renaissance was written for voices, the role of instru-mental music should not be underestimated. Instruments were used in church, at many festive and social occasions, as part of theatrical productions, and in private homes.

Th e earliest music played on instruments was sacred or secular vocal music. Dur-ing the Renaissance, some music was written specifi cally for instruments. Most of it was dance music, because dancing was an important part of Renaissance social life. A fairly large collection of this music has been preserved, but apparently much of it was improvised on well-known tunes or harmonic bass patterns, as jazz is today.

Th e most popular instrument of the 1400s and 1500s was the lute, a plucked string instrument with a bowl-shaped body and fi ngerboard. Th e earliest lute music con-sisted of transcriptions (arrangements of compositions for a medium other than those for which they were originally written) of vocal pieces and dance music, but in the sixteenth century, composers began to write original pieces for the lute. Th ese ricercari, or fantasias, were elaborate polyphonic pieces that demonstrated the vir-tuosity of the performer, who was oft en also the composer. Beginning in the early sixteenth century, volumes of solo music for the lute were published in Italy, France, Germany, England, and Spain.

Keyboard instruments, especially the clavichord, harpsichord, and organ, were also popular during the Renaissance. Keyboard music evolved through the same phases as lute music, from vocal music to dance music and then to original compositions that, in some cases, were quite complex.

Small chamber music ensembles, called consorts, were favored among those who performed music in their homes. When the consort was made up of all instruments of the same family, it was called a whole consort. Whole consorts could be made up of viols (bowed stringed instruments) or woodwind instruments, such as recorders. Sometimes consorts would include a mixture of instruments of diff erent types. Th ey were called mixed consorts. Music for brass and reed instruments was popular for outdoor occasions, for festive church ceremonies, and for dancing. Oft en, the exact instruments that should play the music were not specifi ed by the composer, so it was played using whatever instruments were available.

We will listen to three dances composed by Michael Praetorius (1572–1621), a German composer of the late Renaissance. Although Praetorius began his musical career as a church organist and organ consultant, he moved on to become a court



musician for a duke in Wolfenbüttel, near Braunschweig, Germany. In addition to working at the duke’s court, he also composed for and conducted a variety of musical ensembles in other parts of Germany. His works include many settings of Lutheran chorales, including some large-scale polychoral works. Th ese ballets were published in a set of 312 dances called Terpsichore (1612). Although this set of dances was com-posed when the next style period in music history—the baroque—was beginning in Italy, the collection of dances is very Renaissance in style.

A lutenist accompanying dancers, illustration in a Book of Hours, Tours, France, 1530–1535

Listening Guide

Three Dances from Terpsichore michael praetoriusDate: 1612

Genre: Dance music

Texture: Polyphonic

Voices and Instruments: Four melodic instrumental lines plus percussion

Meter: Duple

Duration: 3:16

Context: These dances might have been performed by the family and guests at an aristocratic home or a court with professional musicians playing the music.

Dance Instrumentation

11 Ballet des Baccanales SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) recorders, lute, and tambourine

12 Ballet des Feus SATB brass instruments and drum

13 Ballet des Matelotz SATB bowed string instruments with low brass and drum

14 Ballet des Matelotz Tutti (all instruments in the ensemble)




A set of dances like the one we just heard would have been played and danced to at a royal court such as the one at which Praetorius was employed. Renaissance mu-sicians generally embellished (added to or changed notes of the melody) the music when they repeated any section, allowing the composition to be extended without sounding too repetitious to the dancers.

Sacred music of the Renaissance was primarily vocal, polyphonic with occasional homophonic sections of pieces, and performed a cappella. Motets and move-ments of the Mass Ordinary were the primary types of compositions performed in the churches. With the ex-ception of the Kyrie, which was in Greek, the language of the Roman Catholic Church and of sacred works written for it continued to be Latin. Protestant churches broke away from that tradition and used the vernacular.

Secular music became popular for performance in no-ble, royal, or other wealthy and educated people’s homes during the Renaissance. Secular music was sung in the ver-

nacular so that the fun and sometimes quite bawdy texts could be appreciated by the singers and the audience. Common secular forms were the madrigal in Italy and England, the chanson in France, and the lied in Germany.

Instrumental music of the Renaissance evolved from vocal music to dance music and then to more complex original compositions. The most popular Renaissance in-strument was the lute, with keyboard music and chamber consorts also coming into use. Dancing was an important social activity, providing musicians with steady employ-ment at the homes and palaces of the wealthy.

Summary

a cappella, 49

chorale, 57

Council of Trent, 52

Counter-Reformation, 52

embellishment, 60

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, 52

imitation, 50

John Dowland, 57

John Farmer, 56

Josquin des Prez, 50

lute song, 57

madrigal, 53

Michael Praetorius, 58

Protestantism, 52

SATB, 59

sight sing, 55

transcription, 58

tutti, 59

word painting, 54

New People and Concepts

Finale)))Listen again to the recording of “Ave Maria” by Josquin des Prez and compare your im-pressions now with your notes from your First Hearing. Consider the following questions:

• How many voice parts are there, and in what order do they enter at the beginning?

• What happens to the speed of the beat when the meter changes from duple to triple? Might that change have been made to draw attention to the text at that verse? Why might Josquin have wanted to do that? (You might need to refer to the Featured Listening guide on pages 51–52 to check the text at that section.)

• You have heard both polyphonic and homophonic textures through the work, but the ending is clearly homophonic. What is the text at the very end? Might that texture have been used to signify unity of thought on the fi nal words? (Again, you might need to check the text in the Featured Listening guide.)

• The work is performed a cappella, as was usually the case for Renaissance motets; however, this same music, composed of clear, distinct melodies, could be played by

(continued)



instruments without voices at all—at least, no one could stop instrumentalists from trying that if they liked the sound of the music. How would the sound be different from the voices if it was played by all bowed stringed instruments, louder woodwind or brass instruments, or a combination of strings and winds? What if a group of musi-cians and singers decided to have some melodies played on instruments and others sung? Which instruments might sound best with voices, and which might not work very well?

• If you were going to describe this music to a friend, what would you say?


Renaissance Sacred Music

Josquin des Prez, Missa Pange Lingua. This Mass was com-posed around 1514, and was probably Josquin’s last Mass. One of the great masterpieces of the Renaissance, it was based on the plainsong hymn, “Pange Lingua gloriosi.”

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass). Only the Kyrie was covered in this chapter, but the entire mass is beautiful.

Renaissance Secular Music

Maddalena Casulana, “Morir no può il mio cuore” (“My heart cannot die”). A beautiful Italian madrigal about un-requited love.

Thomas Morley, “April Is in My Mistress’ Face” and “Now Is the Month of Maying.” Two of Morley’s most famous madrigals that are typical of the English madrigal style.

Clement Jannequin, “Chant des oiseaux” (“Song of the Birds”). A French chanson that includes singers imitating the sounds of birds such as the cuckoo.

Renaissance dance music. A great variety of recordings are available and the instruments used for the dances vary greatly. Because the music was often written to be playable on any number of instruments, you might fi nd the same pieces played by completely different instru-ments, depending on the composition of the group that made the recording.

Further Listening

CHARACTERISTICS OF RENAISSANCE MUSIC

Texture Mostly polyphonic

Tonality Church modes

Rhythm Measured

Singing style Four-part singing common, some virtuoso singing; late madrigal and chanson used word painting

Large vocal works Polyphonic Mass

Small vocal works Motet, madrigal, chanson, lied

Musical instruments Whole and mixed consorts, solo instrumental works

Instrumental music Ricercari, fantasias, dances


Documents

Musics Chapter 05: The Renaissance: The Rebirth of Humanism