1. The Renaissance Era
Audio Clip is Bovicelli

2. Important Developments
Secular music is non-religious music and it was becoming more popular during this time.  There was a rise in instrumental music and dance music, too.     
The printing press was invented during the Renaissance.  Some people consider the printing press to be the most important contribution to civilization in the last one thousand years!  The printing press allowed music to be printed quickly.  Before the Renaissance, music had to be copied by hand.  
One of the most famous persons from the Renaissance was Leonardo da Vinci.  He was known as a Renaissance man because he could do many things well.  He was a painter, architect, inventor, scientist, poet, musician, and teacher. 

3. A Rebirth of Knowledge Renaissance means rebirth.
This period saw a rebirth in knowledge.  
The focus of the Renaissance was turning from God to man. 
Science and the arts were becoming more important. 
Christopher Columbus discovered America
Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel. 
William Shakespeare was writing his famous plays. 

4. Medieval to Renaissance Melody
Long, asymmetrical
Texted melodies often melismatic
Shorter, balanced
Texted melodies often syllabic
Renaissance

5. Medieval to Renaissance Rhythm
Restless and active
Smoother, more regular
Often tied to rhythm of words

6. Medieval to Renaissance Harmony
Based on fifths and octaves
Unexpected, pungent dissonances
Based on triads
Dissonance less harsh, usually on weak beats
More adventurous in late Renaissance in portraying emotions

7. Medieval to Renaissance Tone Colour/Timbre
Voices and instruments mixed
Bright tone colors, freely mixed
Often a cappella or purely instrumental
Softer tone colors, ensembles of similar instruments (consorts)

8. Medieval to Renaissance Texture
Monophonic and polyphonic
Non-imitative
Mostly polyphonic
Often imitative

9. Medieval to Renaissance Form
Often based on cantus firmus and isorhythm (original chant form)
Vocal refrain forms (virelai, rondeau)
Some isorhythm, but usually based on text or dance forms
Through-composed vocal pieces (madrigal and motet)
Isorhythms: medieval musical technique: a technique of musical composition of the 14th and 15th centuries that uses a repeated rhythmic pattern

10. A Cappella: The Golden Age of Singing
This was the golden age of the a cappella style.  
Vocal music was still more important than instrumental music. 

11. The Madrigal Madrigals were popular during the Renaissance.
These song forms were performed in groups of four, five, or six singers. 
A madrigal is secular music.  This is non-religious music. 
Madrigals vary in terms of content, but many are about love, but could just as likely be about death. 
The text of the madrigal was the focus and the music was framed around this a cappella form.
England in particular has long been noted for its madrigals, with numerous composers of the form such as Thomas Morley.
There is no set form for a madrigal; in other words, no rhyming scheme dictates what is a madrigal and what is not, and the music does not have to follow a particular meter. By convention, a rhyming couplet ends most madrigals, although this is by no means required. The music may also be composed for any occasion, with madrigals appearing at celebratory parties, funerals, and a range of other events.

12. Sacred Renaissance Music
Religious music was still very important.  Choral music of the Renaissance was an extension of the Gregorian chant.  It was sung a cappella and sung in Latin. 
Motets were popular during this time.  A motet is a polyphonic work with four or five voice parts singing one religious text. 
Giovanni Palestrina was one the Renaissance period's most important Italian composers. He wrote mostly religious works.  He is considered one of the great masters of Renaissance music, writing motets, madrigals, and masses.    

13. Palestrina – Sicut Cirvus

14. The Mass
The musical mass was an important part of the Catholic Church's religious service.
Each part of the celebration would have a different musical number. 
The mass would be sung in Latin. 

15. The Order of the Mass Kyrie
Kyrie means God.  This is the first piece in a musical mass.  
Gloria
Gloria means Glory and follows the Kyrie.
Credo
Credo means Creed of Belief.  It follows the Gloria.
Sanctus
Sanctus means Holy.    
Benedictus
Benedictus means Blessed.  
Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei means Lamb of God.  

16. 3 Popular Song Forms of the Renaissance
Just remember the Three M's: 
Madrigal
This is a polyphonic work, which means it has many musical lines of equal importance. Madrigals were sung with lots of imitation, which means the voices take turns singing the same melody. Madrigals were performed in groups of four, five, or six singers. They sang secular (non-religious) music. Madrigals were usually love songs. 
Motet
A motet is a polyphonic work with four or five voice parts singing one religious text.  They are similar to madrigals, but with an important difference: motets are religious works, while madrigals are usually love songs (secular).     
Mass
A musical mass is like a motet, only longer.  It also follows the religious service of the Catholic Church and is sung in a very specific order:  Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei.  It is performed in Latin. 

17. Instrumental Music
There was a growth in instrumental music, especially the lute and keyboard. 
The most popular instrument of the Renaissance was the lute. 

18. Instrument Families
It was during this period that families of instruments started to develop. 
These families were called consorts.  This is where we get the word concert. 
This is the very first portrait of the violin family to appear in history. The ensemble consists of two violins, a viola and a violoncello, accompanied by lute and percussion. This exquisite fresco adorning the cupola of the Catherdral of Saronno was made around 1535 by Gaudenzio Ferrari, from Valduggia (Novara), Italy.

19. Dance Music Dancing was a favorite pastime during the Renaissance.
Educated people were expected to know how to dance.  There were simple dances that were usually danced in chains or circles. 
There were also more difficult dances that required lots of practice. 
Dancing encouraged new forms of instrumental compositions. 
Many songs were written just for dancing. 
Some popular renaissance dances were the branle, pavane, galliard and allemande.