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Jun 7, 2021 · Renaissance Era Music Guide: A History of Renaissance Music. Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 4 min read. The Renaissance era of classical music saw the growth of polyphonic music, the rise of new instruments, and a burst of new ideas regarding harmony, rhythm, and music notation. Explore. Articles. Sitemap. Gifts. About.
Music was an essential part of civic, religious, and courtly life in the Renaissance. The rich interchange of ideas in Europe, as well as political, economic, and religious events in the period 1400–1600 led to major changes in styles of composing, methods of disseminating music, new musical genres, and the development of musical instruments.
Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century ars nova, the Trecento music was treated by musicology as a coda to Medieval music and the new era dated from the rise of ...
- Josquin des Prez (1450 – 1520) The composer who is often heralded as the master of the High Renaissance is Josquin des Prez. He was a remarkable craftsman who was incredibly productive bringing the Renaissance style into an altogether more sensitive and communicative manner.
- Giovanni Palestrina (1525 – 1594) As the Renaissance moves in the Late Renaissance more familiar composers and famous compositions emerge. Giovanni Palestrina is one of the most celebrated names from this period of music.
- Gregorio Allegri (1582 – 1652) It would be a mistake in this article not to include the “Miserere” by the Italian composer Allegri. He was by all accounts a devoted and pure man whose compositions were dominated by vocal works, this perhaps being the most renowned.
- Thomas Tallis (1505 – 1575) Tallis was an English composer, and one of the most important figures in Renaissance music. There is little reliable information about his early years but it is likely Tallis like many of his contemporaries, began life as a chorister.
- Sacred Music
- Secular Music
- Renaissance Composers
- Renaissance Instruments
- Typical Features of Renaissance Music
- Renaissance Sheet Music
Early Renaissance music was dominated by the Latin Mass due to the supremacy of the Catholic church. As a result, the sacred music was mostly polyphonic masses and motets in Latin for use in church. Modal counterpoint was the dominant composition technique (probably due to its close relationship with liturgical plainchant). Have a listen to these 2...
Secular music in the early Renaissance was very dependent upon the courts, which could finance and support musicians. Secular songs, such as the chanson, the madrigal and the German Lied (pronounced “Leed”)were very popular. Have a listen to this madrigal by Monteverdi: Have a listen to this piece by Josquin Des Prez called Mille Regretz. You can s...
Early Renaissance composers mostly came from northern France or the Low Countries because of the strong court system, which supported musicians in these regions.. In the late Renaissance, Italy became an increasingly important musical centre. Here are some of the most well known Renaissance composers: Early Renaissance Composers: Guillaume Du Fay (...
The Renaissance was a time of great invention and this had a major impact on music in the form of new instruments. The main instruments associated with Renaissance music are:
There are a number of typical features to listen out for in Renaissance music: 1. Modes– Renaissance music retained the medieval system of modes 2. Polyphony– different melodic lines played by different instruments/voices at the same time 3. A strong sense of structure and textural integration. 4. Imitative part writing (but moving away from the st...
The invention of the printing press in c.1440 had an enormous impact on the Western musical world (and society in general!). It enabled music to be copied much more easily and so sheet music became more common. Renaissance notation has some similarities with modern day scores. Have a look at this example: 1. no barlines, 2. mostly used semibreves, ...
Nov 7, 2023 · The Renaissance Music Era. Renaissance literally means “rebirth”. The musical Renaissance period lasted from 1400-1600AD and was a time of huge growth and development, with music becoming more expressive, varied and complex. Composers had more freedom to write as they pleased and technological developments meant that their music could reach ...
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The Renaissance period became known as the golden age of a cappella choral music because choral music did not require an instrumental accompaniment. Instrumental music in the Renaissance remained largely relegated to social purposes such as dancing, but a few notable virtuosos of the time, including the English lutenist and singer John Dowland, composed and performed music for Queen Elizabeth ...
