1. The Renaissance 1450-1600
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2. Intellectual movement
 “Rebirth”
 Dates: ca. 1450
 (depending on country) to 1600
 Rediscovery of and inspiration from
Ancient Greece and Rome
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3. Renaissance Historical Milestones:
1453 Ottomans take Constantinople
1455 Guteneberg Bible is published
1492 "Columbus sails the Ocean Blue”
1500 Italian Madrigals appear
1517 Martin Luther started the Reformation
1562 Counter-Reformation was started by Pius IV.
All instrumentation is eliminated except for organ
All secular elements removed such as folk songs
Harmony was nearly abandoned. (Palestrina)
1573 First meeting of the Florentine Camerata (Opera)
1583 Gregorian Calendar established
1588 Spanish Armada defeated.
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4. “Age of humanism, optimism,
and reform”
• The secular takes a stronger role in the arts
• Individual assumes greater importance in society
• Humans are the measure of all things
• The exploration of the physical (outer) world
• The beginning of “science” as we define it
(empiricism)
• Artists now receives acknowledgement for their
works
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5. Music in European Society
• Printed Music— receives wide dissemination
• Generally participatory:
– many people of various social classes made
music, both singing and playing instruments, in
the homes in social entertainments and in large
scale entertainments
• There were also many professional
musicians and composers
Music in Your Life 5

6. Renaissance Painting
• Raphael: The School of
Athens (1508-11)
(at the Vatican Palace, in the
Stanaza della Segnatura-four rooms of
Raphael)
Called the “perfect embodiment of the classical
spirit of the High Renaissance” (Janson)
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7. NOTE: The two central figures are Aristotle (with
hand to heaven) and Plato (with palm to ground)
QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Other famous classical philosophers and scientists are
about (Socrates, Alexander the Great, Diogenes;
Euclid is at lower right)
Note use of perspective, and classical setting
Full Description 7

8. Renaissance Architecture
• Saint Peter’s Basilica,
Rome (various designers, dome
designed by Michelangelo)
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9. Music in Your Life 9

10. Music in Your Life 10

11. Music in Your Life 11

12. Renaissance Architecture
• Piazza del Campidoglio,
Rome
(designed by Michelangelo)
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13. Music in Your Life 13

14. Renaissance Architecture
Palazzo Farnese
Rome
(partially designed by Michelangelo)
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15. Music in Your Life 15

16. Motet
4 to 6 independent lines
• French for “little word”
• Might have different texts in each vocal
line
–One voice (generally tenor) sings the Cantus
Firmus
–Along with mass, becomes main form of religious
music in Renaissance
–Giovanni Perluigi Da Palestrina :
Canticum Canticorum
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17. The Reformation
1517, Martin Luther
Christian church separates
Two divisions:
Catholic Protestant
Liturgy remained Congregational singing
the same Development of the
Rome plans a Lutheran Chorale
counter attack THE CALVINISTIC.htm
Psalm singing
Music in Your Life 17

18. Church of England
– 1534, Church of England
– “Anglican”
– Service is in vernacular –
• Anthem counterpart to Latin motet
• Counter Reformation
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19. Listening Example
• “If Ye Love Me”, by Tallis Scholars
• Anthem by Thomas Tallis (c. 1510-1586)
• Anglican liturgy
• listen
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20. Giovanni Pierluigi da
Palestrina
(1525-1594)
• Counter Reformation
• “Gloria” from Missa Benedicta es
• Polyphonic setting of the second part of the
Ordinary of the Mass by Giovanni Palestrina
– Counterpoint
– Imitative counterpoint
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21. Secular Music: The
Madrigal
• Secular Italian literary form
• vernacular
• Vocal chamber music
– Metrical and lively
– England, Italy and France
– Social gatherings, court settings
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22. – listen
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23. French Chanson
• Passereau ( 1508-1547)
“Il est bel et bon”, 1534
listen
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24. Instrumental Music
• Instrumental music is mostly (but not
always) for dancing
• Double vocal parts
– Modeled after vocal style
• By 16th c. composed music
• Dance music
– Consort – “family” of same instrument
– Broken Consort—an odd man out
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25. John Dowland
(1563-1626)
• First collection of songs for lute and
voice
• One of few English composers
famous throughout Europe
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26. The Lute
Music in Your Life 26

27. Renaissance
Instrumentarium
• Strings: Viol family:
The viol family existed from
very small to very large
– usually 6 or 7 strings;
fretted; “c” holes
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28. modern
double
bass
(very
close to a
viol in
the
design of
the body)
bass viola da gamba
Music in Your Life 28

29. Left: cello –
Note the sharp
shoulders, four
strings, no frets,
“f” holes
Right: viola da
Gamba (a viol)
–
Sloped
shoulders,
seven strings,
with frets, “c”
holes
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30. Viol
• Detail of
Pegbox and
scroll
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31. Early Keyboards
• Harpsichord
• Virginal
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32. Instrumentarium
• Families of wind
instruments
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33. Instrumentarium
• Shawms
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34. Instrumentarium
• Recorders
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35. Birth
of
Opera
• Begins in Italy (Firenze)
• Italian word--“work”
• Musical dramas produced by amateurs
• Florentine Camerata 1600
• societies to write and produce musical
works
• Greek/Roman mythology
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36. First masterpiece
Claudio Monteverdi
of opera
(1567-1643)
transitional composer
listen
L’Orfeo 1607
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