Unit 3: The Renaissance 1450-1600

TIMELINE 1450-1500 Botticelli, La Primavera (1477) Fall of Constantinople (1453) Gutenberg Bible (1456) Columbus Reaches the Americas (1492)

1500-1600 Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa (1503)

1500-1600 cont. Michelangelo, David (1504)

Raphael, School of Athens (1505) 1500-1600 cont. Raphael, School of Athens (1505)

1500-1600 cont. Titian, Venus and the Lute Player (1570)

1500-1600 cont. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (1596) Martin Luther’s ninety-five theses, start of the Protestant Reformation (1517) Council of Trent (1545-63) Elizabeth I, Queen of England (1558-1603) Spanish Armada defeated (1588)

“Renaissance” 15th and 16th century Europe known as a “rebirth” or “renaissance” of human activity

GENERALIZATIONS Exploration Individualism (“universal man”) Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan Individualism (“universal man”) Leonardo da Vinci Painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, musician

Humanism The dominant intellectual movement Focused on human life and its accomplishments No concern with Heaven or Hell Even though many were devout religious believers, they were captivated by the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome Intoxicated with beauty of ancient languages – Greek and Latin – and with the literature of antiquity

Humanism cont… Painters and sculptors drawn to subjects from classical literature/mythology Art highlighted depictions of the nude body a favorite theme of antiquity, but an object of shame and concealment during Middle Ages. Medieval artists more concerned with religious symbols rather than lifelike representation Art more concerned in realism Linear persepective – geometrical system for creating an illusion of space and depth. Example: Raphael’s School of Athens

Example of Medieval art

Example of Renaissance art Raphael, School of Athens (1505)

Humanism cont… Painters no longer treated the Virgin Mary as a childlike, unearthly creature—they showed her as a beautiful young woman

Catholic Church Far less powerful, but the Christian church as a whole was still an important musical center The unity of Christendom was exploded by the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther (1483-1546) Aristocrats and upper middle class now considered education a status symbol; hired scholars to teach their kids Church no longer monopolized learning

Technology Invention of the movable type printing press by Gutenberg accelerated the speed of learning Before, books were rare and extremely expensive By 1500, 15-20 million copies of 40,000 editions had been printed in Europe

Chapter 1: MUSIC IN THE RENAISSANCE Idea of the “universal man” Every educated person was expected to be musically trained.

Musicians worked in churches, courts and towns MUSIC IN THE REN., cont… Musicians worked in churches, courts and towns Churches Church choirs grew Polyphonic music was no longer performed by several soloists, but entire choirs

MUSIC IN THE REN., cont… Courts (where most activity occurred) Kings, princes, dukes competed for best composers Courts had 10-60 musicians Nobility often brought musicians along when traveling Women employed in many Italian courts (late Renaissance)

MUSIC IN THE REN., cont… Towns Musicians played for civic processions, weddings, religious services Higher status and pay than before Composers started seeking credit for their work, unlike the anonymity of the Middle Ages.

MUSIC IN THE REN., cont… Most leading musicians came from the Low Countries (Flanders) Highly sought after, mostly in Italy, which became center of musical life

CHARACTERISTICS OF RENAISSANCE MUSIC Words and Music Vocal more important than instrumental Why? More connection between music and meaning/emotion of the text “When one of the words expresses weeping, pain, heartbreak, sighs, tears and other similar things, let the harmony be full of sadness.” –Zarlino (Renaissance music theorist)

CHARACTERISTICS, cont… Text Painting Musical representation of specific poetic images. How would you show: “Running” “Descending from Heaven” “Death” What are some other, less obvious ones?

CHARACTERISTICS, cont… Music still seems calm and restrained to us. All the emotion and expression in Renaissance music is expressed in moderation, balance No extreme dynamic contrast Little tone color contrast Little rhythmic contrast

CHARACTERISTICS, cont… What SHMRFT traits can you fill in so far?

CHARACTERISTICS, cont… Texture Polyphonic 4, 5, or 6 voices, nearly equal melodic interest Imitation Each voice presents the same melodic idea in turn (as in a round) Some homophonic texture is used, especially in light music, dances

CHARACTERISTICS, cont… Fuller sound Bass register used for first time, increasing number of octaves heard Composers began to think in chords, in addition to individual melodic lines In Middle Ages, entire melody lines thought up one at a time and then combined. In Renaissance, melodies were thought up in relation to how they accompany each other Mild, relaxed Lots of stable, consonant chords, many triads Very little dissonance

CHARACTERISTICS, cont… “Golden Age” of a cappella choral music Little instrumental accompaniment 2 Main uses for instruments 1. To duplicate vocal lines to reinforce the sound 2. Play the part of a missing singer Now what can you add to your SHMRFT traits?

CHARACTERISTICS, cont… Rhythm Gentle flow, not sharply defined beat Each melodic line held great rhythmic independence Made it challenging to sing – each singer had to be independently strong

CHARACTERISTICS, cont… Melody Melodies generally easy to sing Moves stepwise, few large leaps And your SHMRFT traits now?

LISTENING TO RENAISSANCE Sicut Cervus Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

VOCABULARY REVIEW Renaissance Individualism “Universal man” Humanism Realism Linear Perspective Text Painting/Word Painting Imitation Consonance/Dissonance A cappella

UNIT III PRESENTATIONS Exploration: Columbus, da Gama, Magellan Kieryn Claire Chris Taimoor Art: da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael Emma Aaron Sami Ryan Literature: William Shakespeare Anna Andrew Nathan Nick Technology: Movable Type Printing Press, Gutenberg Bible Kalyn Julian Blake Jacob Religion: Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation Dominique Phil Alec Bilal