IB HL Music: Renaissance Era (1450-1600)

IB HL Music: Renaissance Era (1450-1600)

1. Composers

   • Josquin des Prez (1450-1521)
     • Early-Mid
   • Giovanni da Palestrina (1525-1594)
     • Late
   • Guillaume Du Fay (1397-1474)
     • Very Early

2. Compositions

   • Sacred
     • Early Renaissance Mass
       • Concentrated on Ordinary
       • Polyphonic settings
         • Based on fragment of Gregorian Chant
           • cantus firmus (fixed melody)
             • Helped unify mass amongst polyphony
       • Requiem
         • Mass Proper
           • "Dies irae" - evocation of Last Judgement
       • Du Fay - Cantus Firmus Mass
         • Well-defined melodies
         • Fuller harmonies
         • taken from Gregorian Chant or popular song
         • L'homme arme Mass
           • More bare chords
           • Melody in upper voices
           • A Cappella
     • Motet - des Prez
       • Explored voices and different textures - homorhythm
       • Single Latin text for Mass
     • Late Renaissance Mass
       • Counter-Reformation: Catholicism
       • Restriction on instrumentation
       • Restriction on use of popular songs as cantus firms
       • Restriction on embellished melodies
       • Palestrina - "Pope Marcellus Mass"
   • Secular
     • Chanson
       • French
         • Through-composed
       • Mille Regretz - des Prez
       • Il est bel et bon - Pasereau
         • Mixture of homophonic + polyphonic
     • Frottola
       • El Grillo - des Prez
         • Mostly homophonic
       • Italian
     • German Lied
       • Innsbruch ich muss dich lassen
       • Usually strophic
         • Each verse has same music
       • Accompanied by a consort of viols
     • Villancico
       • Spanish
         • Oy comamos y bebamos - Encina
     • Italian Madrigal
       • Ecco mormorar l'onde - Monteverdi
       • Through composed
         • Mostly polyphonic
         • Much word painting
     • English Madrigal
       • fa la la refrain
         • Much word painting
     • Instrumental Music
       • Fashioned from chansons + madrigals
       • No particular instrumentation
       • Rondes
         • Binary form with embellishments in repeats
           • Round dance, performed outside
       • Precursor to fully instrumental
       • Pavane
       • Saltarello - jumping dance
       • Galliard - more vig. Saltarello
       • Allemande - German, popular during Bach's time
       • Tielman Susato: Danserye
         • variety of popular dance music

3. Context

   • Sacred
     • Rise in worship of Virgin Mary
       • Rise in Motets
     • Late Renaissance Mass
       • Counter-Reformation (1530s - 1600)
         • Countered Protestant revolt led by Martin Luther
       • Rise of Council of Trent (1545-1563)
         • Regulated every aspect of religious discipline
         • Restricted church music
           • No embellishments to chants
           • Restriction on instruments
           • Restricted popular songs in Masses
           • Irreverent attitude of church musicians
         • Giovanni da Pierluigi da Palestrina answered demands of Council of Trent
           • Pope Marcellus Mass
             • A cappella, homorhythmic + polyphonic textures
   • Secular
     • Professionals
       • Played in courts and festivities
         • Rise of women playing music
     • Amateurs
       • Music in homes
         • lutes or keyboard instruments
           • Study of music considered proper for girls (less for boys)
     • Poetry
       • Chanson
       • Madrigal
       • Petrarch (1304-1374)
       • Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585)
       • Helped to shape musical forms
     • Dance Music
       • Printing press made music more available
         • Venice, Paris, Antwerp
       • Often simplified vocal works
   • Instrumentation
     • Basically the same as in medieval times
       • More available/accessible