1. The Renaissance
Music

2. Renaissance Music by 1425
Mensural (Measured) Notation had reached the point of using dots, flags, white and colored notes

3. Consonance vs. Dissonance
Consonance: What sounds good
Dissonance: What sounds bad
3rds and 6ths added to the list of consonant sounds (Perfect 4th, 5th, 8ve)

4. Renaissance Music Johannes Tinctoris
Renaissance Music Theorist and Composer
Pythagoras-Antiquity
Boethius-Medieval
Believed in what sounded good to the ear
“[T]he pleasure of the ear is derived…then, not by heavenly bodies, but by earthly instruments with the cooperation of nature.”-1477 Book on the Art of Counterpoint

5. Renaissance Music Johannes Tinctoris
Tinctoris wrote that the musical Renaissance began in England and moved to France
COMPOSERS INCLUDE:
John Dunstable ( )-English used interval of thirds—Triads
Guillaume du Fay ( )-Belgium-Italy
Johannes Ockegham ( )-France
(among others)

6. Renaissance Music
Texture-homogeneous texture (same part, different time, forms vertical structure)-polyphonic—employs uses of pervading imitation
Rhythm-Flowing, less strong downbeats (specifically vocal)—tactus (steady pulse) governs work
Melody-usually newly composed-lyrical
Harmony-3rds, 6ths added to 4ths, 5ths, 8ves
Compositional Buzz Words-cantus firmus, motet, chanson, frotolla, cyclic Mass

7. Renaissance Music John Dunstable
♫2:4
English Composer given credit for being among the first to use new harmonies
Qulam pulchra es (“How Fair You Are”) c.1430
Motet (polyphonic religious work)
Uses consonant sounds, moving chordally, hymn-like (strophic)
Very few dissonant sounds used

8. Renaissance Music Guillaume du Fay
♫2:6
Born in what is now Belgium, moved to Italy for most of career (spent time in France) p
Last well-known composer to write plainchant, upon commission in 1457 (found in 1988)

9. Renaissance Music Guillaume Du Fay
♫2:6
Nuper rosarum flores (“The Rose Blossoms”)
Motet
Written for the consecration of the dome of the cathedral in Florence March 25, 1436
Sounds very similar (rhythmically) as middle ages, harmonically (chordally) much different
Uses cantus firmus-fixed melody (chant or melodic line that music is written around)
All parts singing the same thing, one moving faster

10. The Florence Cathedral Dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi Smaller inner shell helps support the outer shell

11. Renaissance Music Jousquin des Prez
♫2:7
Born in Belgium/France c and spent most of life in either Italy or France p.108-9
Ave Maria…virgo serena (Hail the Serene Virgin Mary) c (page 108, 110, 111)
Published in Petrucci’s First Book of Motets
Uses not only normal Renaissance harmonies (triads-3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 8ves) but…
Pervading imitation…series of musical ideas presented imitatively (echo)—replaces isorhythm
The point that a new idea is presented is the “point of imitation”

12. Renaissance Music Cyclic Mass
OLD
Liturgically Appropriate
No Unifying musical concept throughout
Monophonic, Polyphonic
Only later instrumentally accompanied
NEW
Focus placed on musical continuity
Based on single Cantus Firmus (presented throughout)—May or may not be chant related
Polyphonic
Usually accompanied (organ, other instruments)

13. Renaissance Music Guillaume Du Fay
♫2:9 (0:0-:34, 7:28-end)
Cyclic Mass
Missa Se la face ay pale (“Mass: If My Face Is Pale”)-p.117
First to be based on secular tune (composed by Du Fay)
Tenor no longer lowest voice—allowed more harmonies (still fairly consonant)

14. Renaissance Music Cantus Firmus
Generally applied in one of three ways:
Strict Technique: Cantus Firmus remains constantly in one voice (usually tenor)
Ostinato Technique: Cantus Firmus repeats constantly, always appearing in at least one voice
Free Technique: Cantus Firmus migrates from voice to voice or may drop out completely
May be canonic: in the form of a canon…strict imitation (parody) of original theme or altered (augmentation, inversion, retrograde, retrograde inversion)

15. Renaissance Music The Motet
Religious Polyphonic Work—Prayer set to music
Three types:
Liturgical—written within the liturgy of the Mass Proper (usually Offertory texts)
Devotional—Non-liturgical services or gatherings (including confraternities and Memorial Services)—(Usually non-liturgical poetry)
Occasional—Commissioned for special circumstances (Usually non-liturgical poetry or prose)

16. Renaissance Music Word-Painting
The use of Musical Elements to imitate the meaning of a specific passage of text

17. Renaissance Music Word-Painting Example
♫2:15
Musical Example: Absalon, fili mi (“Absalom, My Son”) Josquin (possibly Pierre de la Rue)
In the Bible, a son of David who staged a revolt against his father's kingship and was defeated and killed in the ensuing battle.
His body was then taken down and cast into a pit dug in the forest, and a heap of stones was raised over his grave. When the tidings of the result of that battle were brought to David, as he sat impatiently at the gate of Mahanaim, and he was told that Absalom had been slain, he gave way to the bitter lamentation: "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Sam. 18:33. Comp. Ex. 32:32; Rom.9:3).

18. Renaissance Music Word-Painting Example
♫2:15
Motet
Written in lament of a lost son. Exact loss unknown (p )
Uses Word-Painting to symbolize the Depths of Hell
Another example would be an ascending line while text is saying ascending in to heaven or climbing a mountain.

19. The Renaissance
Secular Music

20. Secular (vocal) Music of The Renaissance
Most music was still memorized, improvised or embellished from what we have—Fewer works are available than sacred for this reason.

21. Renaissance Music The Chanson (French: song)
Secular Polyphonic Work—Poem or Prose set to Music (Secular Version of the Motet)
Instruments often replaced text (served same melodic purpose)
Progressed much like the motet—from several non-related lines to a unifying theme and mood prevailing throughout AND more rhythmic denotations

22. Chanson Examples Du Fay
♫2:16
Adieu ces bons vins de Lannoys (“Farewell These Good Wines of Lannoys”) Ca
Three melodic lines (superius, tenor and contratenor) only superius is vocal—can be vocal or instrumental.

23. Chanson Examples Hayne van Ghizeghem
♫2:17
De tous biens plaine (“Of All Good Things”)
Ca 1470
Three melodic lines (superius, tenor and contratenor) again, vocal or instrumental.
More fluid melodic line
Very popular—several arrangements survive

24. Chanson Examples Heinrich Isaac
♫2:18
Helas, que devera mon coeur (“Alas, that my heart will devour?”) p.130
Ca late 1480’s
Pervading Imitation
Paratactic structure-successive points of imitation present new material—all voices are equal
Three-Voiced Rondeau (each strophe consists of eight lines of text set to music following the rhyme scheme ABaAabAB—Uppercase letters show Refrain that remains constant strophe to strophe)

25. Renaissance Music Frottola
Italian version of the Chanson
Lighthearted and sarcastic rather than the courtly love themes in chansons
Characterized by dance-like rhythms with syncopation (hemiola)
Highly published by Petrucci
Most for solo voice, lute or keyboard
Spread throughout Europe—did not remain just in Italy
Occasionally written in antiphonal style (moving back and forth)

26. Frottola Musical Examples Marchetto Cara (c. 1470-1525)
♫2:19
From Mantua, Italy
Hor venduto ho la speranza (“I have just sold hope”)
Published in 1504 in Petrucci’s first book of frottolle (plural)

27. Frottola Musical Examples Josquin des Prez
♫2:20
El grillo (“The Cricket”)
Antiphonal
Only partially imitative

28. The Parisian Chanson Claudin de Sermisy
♫2:21
Parisian Chanson, influenced by Frottola—Lighter text. (Based in France)
Still Polyphonic, and homorhythmic (moving together).
Tant que vivray (“As Long As I Live”)-1528
Parisian Chanson began to become more complicated, some using onomatopoeic techniques (words that describe sounds “crash, kaplooie, bang….’Batman’”)—Described subjects such at War, Birds, Cries, Gossip

29. The Italian Madrigal Developed in Italy Similar to Frottola,
Differences:
More rhythmic variation (contrapuntal)
More “daring” harmonies (use of dissonance)
Through-composed—Each line of text set to new music (allowed for word-painting)
This is different than the madrigal encountered in the Middle Ages

30. The Italian Madrigal Music Examples-p.145
♫Bonus:1
Jacob Arcadelt
Il bianco e dolce cigno (“The White and Gentle Swan”)-1539
Early Italian Madrigal

31. The Italian Madrigal Musical Examples
♫Bonus:3
Madalena Casulana (p )
Morir non puo il mio cuore (“My Heart Cannot Die”)-1566—p.147
Among earliest published female composers

32. The Italian Madrigal Musical Examples
♫3:1
Matona mia cara (“My Dear Lady”)-1581
Orlando de Lassus (p.171)
Considered an anti-madrigal from its light-hearted parody on the madrigal style
Difficult to translate to English as it is intentionally written as a German soldier speaking broken Italian

33. Review of Secular Vocal Music of the Renaissance
Call and Answer of musical genres (more of variations on innovations):
France: Chanson ( )
Italy: Frottola (1480s)
France: Parisian Chanson (1520s)
Italy: Madrigal (1530s)

34. Renaissance Music-Germany
Lied (“Song”) and Tenorlied (“Tenor Song”)-Musical selection prominent in Germany
Meistersingers (“Master Singers”)-Group of singers, sophisticated
Most famous, Hans Sachs

35. Renaissance Music-Germany
♫3:2
Musical example:
Henrich Isaac
Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen (“Innsbruck, I Must Leave You”)

36. Renaissance Music-Spain
♫BONUS:4
Villancico-Musical form of the Renaissance
Similar to Italian Frottola
Al amor quiero vencer (“I Want to Conquer Love”)
Solo voice with vihuela (guitar-like) accompaniment
Specific directions for embellishment (do or don’t or do what I say)

37. Renaissance Music-England
♫3:3
Italian Madrigal form moved to England…English Madrigal
Thomas Morley ( )
Now is the Month of Maying (“Now is the Month of Maying”)-1597
Renaissance Ballata (Ballet), Fa-La
Lighter side (English Madrigals included light and more serious)

38. Renaissance Music-England
♫3:4
John Dowland ( )
Known for Lute Song (strophic, notated for lute and 1+ voices)
Come, Heavy Sleep
Serious side of English Renaissance

39. Again, To Review: France: Chanson (1450-1500) Italy: Frottola (1480s)
France: Parisian Chanson (1520s)
Italy: Madrigal (1530s)
In their own right:
Germany: Lied and Tenorlied (1500s)
Spain: Villancico (Late 1400s)
England: English Madrigal—Renaissance Ballet (Fa-La) and Lute Song

40. The Renaissance
Sacred Music

41. Renaissance Music: State of the Art
Up until the beginning of the Reformation, there was one church, one (religious) language and one liturgy
More churches (sects) began to form, regional vernacular slipped in and the liturgy was altered.

42. Music of the Reformation
Martin Luther, in addition to German Monk—Lutenist, flutist, singer and composer (admired works by Josquin des Prez)
Some Protestant composers still used parts of the traditional Roman Liturgy (i.e. Introits, Graduals)
Latin still used (some), vernacular used frequently
Communal Music important-CHORALES-German term for hymn (strophe)

43. Music of the Reformation
All Protestants did not embrace music like Luther
Jean Calvin-Calvinists (later Presbyterian) only allowed unaccompanied unison singing of the Psalms (NO OTHER MUSIC)
Ulrich Zwingli-NO MUSIC
Luther comments: “I am not satisfied with him who despises music, as all fanatics do,…Music is a gift of God, not a gift of Men.”

44. The Chorale: Meant to be sung by a congregation
Began to be combined for “special” music with form of tenorlied (polyphonic work set around tenor melody)

45. Musical Examples
♫3:5
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (“A Mighty Fortress is Our God”)-1551
Johann Walter (Protestant Composer)
Set using text that Martin Luther adapted for his own hymn (that he composed) by the same name
Elaborated chorale

46. Musical Examples Verily, Verily I Say Unto You
♫3:6
Verily, Verily I Say Unto You
Thomas Tallis ( ) (Protestant Composer)
Uses word-painting “I will raise Him up”
Anthem-meant to be sung by choir

47. Musical Examples Sing Joyfully Unto God
♫3:7
Sing Joyfully Unto God
William Byrd ( )-(Catholic Composer)
Anthem
6 voices

48. Music of the Counter-Reformation
Refer to earlier notes regarding Council of Trent’s Stand on the place of music
In addition: secular music was discouraged as a model for sacred compositions (motet)

49. Pierluigi da Palestrina
♫3:8
Missa Papae Marcelli (“Mass for Pope Marcellus”)-1567
Polyphonic work—Accepted by the Catholic church, as the TEXT does not get lost from moving parts
Palestrina considered poster-child for Catholic compositions

50. Instrumental and Dance Music
The Renaissance
Instrumental and Dance Music

51. Instrumental Music
See Instrument Presentation