Renaissance Period in Music

Overview

• Timeframe: 1400-1600 AD.
• Second half of the early period of Western music.
• Followed the Medieval era.

Cultural and Historical Context

• 14th-century Florence as the epicenter.
• Marked by political and economic stability.
• Spread of literacy and education.
• Renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy.
• Shift from theological to humanitarian focus.

Impact on Arts

• New understanding of perspective and geometry in art.
• Diplomacy and politics saw rethinking and transformation.
• Development of concrete manufacturing.
• Opera emerged as a modern recreation of Greek drama.
• Music as entertainment, not just for worship.
• Music demand exploited commercially; performed in homes.
• Families owned keyboards and instruments; rich hired musicians.

Notable Composers

• John Dunstable: English composer, influential in late Medieval and early Renaissance periods; also an astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer.
• Thomas Tallis: Served under four monarchs; regarded as a significant church composer.
• William Byrd: Received exclusive license to print music in England with Tallis.
• Antonio de Salazar: Spanish composer in Mexico; blended European and Mexican musical styles.

Musical Developments

• Reliance on interval of the third, previously considered dissonant.
• Emotional content in music increased through major/minor chords.
• Renaissance correlation between art and religious music complexity.
• Composers became celebrities.

Musical Printing and Distribution

• Johannes Gutenberg's printing press enabled duplication of musical manuscripts.
• Unified musical language.

Musical Styles and Ensembles

• European-Mexican hybrid works explored.
• By-Van: Slow, stately dance in two beats per bar.
• Galliard: Quick-paced dance with three beats to a bar.
• Courant: French ensemble in triplet time; performed by violins, viola, and harpsichord.
• Consort: Dance by similar or varied instruments, leading to Baroque Orchestra.
• Madrigal: Secular vocal composition; unaccompanied, with three to six voices.

Instrumental Developments

• Crump Horn: Woodwind instrument, similar to a bagpipe, J-shaped.
• Harpsichord: Early keyboard instrument, similar to a piano.
• Organs: Used in ceremonies and rich family homes; size indicated wealth.

Summary

• The Renaissance saw music and arts become accessible to a mainstream audience.
• Artists pursued individual talents, less focused on worship.

Next Steps

• Next lecture will cover the Baroque period.