This brief slide presentation contains information about the music of the Renaissance period.

1. The
Renaissance Period
of Western Music History
circa 1400 to 1600 A.D.

2. “Renaissance,” is a word from Old French,
meaning “rebirth,” usually in a spiritual sense.
The Renaissance period in Western history
was a cultural movement that began
in Florence, Italy in approximately 1400 A.D.
and gradually spread through most
(but not all) of Europe.

3. The Renaissance marks the passing
of European society from
an exclusively religious orientation
to a more secular one, and from
an age of unquestioning faith
and mysticism to one of belief
in reason and scientific inquiry.

4. Types of Renaissance Music
Vocal Music
As in the Medieval period, sacred vocal music
(religious music that is sung) is still very
prevalent in the Renaissance.
But in addition to this, there is also a lot more
non-sacred (non-religious) music.

5. In addition to sacred choral music
such as motets and masses, there is
a new form of non-sacred vocal music
in the Renaissance called the Madrigal.
A Madrigal is a short composition for
a small group of voices singing
a cappella, or without accompaniment.
Madrigals were a form of
entertainment music in the Renaissance.

6. Important Musical Developments
During The Renaissance
The rise of instrumental music was
one of the two most significant musical
developments during the Renaissance.
During this time, music for
groups of instruments was written
to accompany vocal music such as motets,
as dance music, and also
as a pure form of art.

7. Important Musical Developments
During The Renaissance
Another very significant musical development
that took place during the Renaissance was
the development of an
organized system of harmony.
Although it wouldn’t be until the middle of the
Baroque period before harmony reached a point
that it was somewhat standardized, the beginnings
of what most people today would recognize as
harmony took place during the Renaissance period.

8. Important Renaissance Composers
• Josquin des Prez - (Flemish; 1455-1521)
• Giovanni Palestrina - (Italian; 1526-1594)
• Orlando de Lassus - Flemish; 1530-1594)
• William Byrd - (English; 1543-1623)
• Tomás Luis de Victoria - (Spanish; 1548-1611)
• Giovanni Gabrieli - (Italian; 1553-1612)
• Michael Praetorius - (German; 1571-1621)
• Orlando Gibbons - (English; 1583-1625)

9. Renaissance Art
Leonardo da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper (circa 1495)

10. Renaissance Art
Leonardo da Vinci’s painting,
Mona Lisa (circa 1503-1507)
The painting is widely regarded
as the world’s most famous
work of art.

11. Renaissance Art
Michelangelo Buonarroti’s
sculpture, Pieta (1498-1499)