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Renaissance Music Overview and Impact
Sep 17, 2024
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.
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Full transcript