History Main / RenaissanceMusic

Renaissance Music is obviously music written in UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance. The time-frame for this music, or the definition of it, varies, but the definition usually covers music written between the late 1300s and the early 1600s, with shady borderlines in each direction.

''Ars Nova'' followed by ''Ars Subtilior'' was the high fashion of the fourteenth century. UsefulNotes/{{France}} was the cultural centre for this music, and the style had already skipped a number of musical borders. But then, the hundred-years war came along, reducing France to a cultural wasteland for some time. The new cultural impulses were heavily influenced by the English - and, the dukes of Burgundy, whose power and prowess grew immensely from 1340 and onwards. Burgundy became the hub of European trade, between Italy in the south and Flanders in the north, and prospered at the cost of France. The court of the Burgundian kings became a hot spot for new music, and this alternative style developed with an earlier English style as a premise. Thus, Englishmen like John Dunstaple and Leonel Power provided new harmonics to a style developed by the Flemish musicians, who were invited to the courts of Italy, where newly minted Italian princes wished to hire them. Thus, the Flemish style entered Italy, soon to change the sound of music there for centuries.

The religious music in the late renaissance developed after two lines: One in Rome, and one in Venice. Composers like Orlando de Lasso was all over the place, travelling from court to court in northern Italy. But the TropeCodifier for music of the era was a roman, although he was born in the town of Praeneste. His name was Giovanni Perluigi, best known by the latinized name of his home town: Palestrina. The reason why he ended up a codifier for the Renaissance style is because he worked directly under UsefulNotes/ThePope, who had commissioned him to "restore" church music. This gave him a ''lot'' of good publicity. This also happened because of the council of Trent, put together when the Catholics understood Reformation had put up shop and planned to stay. The "Palestrina style" became so codified that every composer studying polyphony had to read his scores. It is still mandatory, although a lot of composers at the same time couldn't care less about him. The hub of Renaissance culture and music was still in the north of Italy.

Venice was by far the most powerful city in northern Italy, and while Palestrina polished his style in Rome, other composers developed new ideas in Venice. Among them was the Dutchman Adrian Willaert, himself an offspring of the Burgundian school, and employed in the church of saint Mark in Venice. His pupils developed his style further, and created what would be known as the "Venetian school". Because the church was designed with huge galleries on either side, Andrea Gabrieli (said pupil) and his nephew Giovanni began to juxtapose choirs for the sheer stereo effect it produced. The result was amazing. The Gabrieli style had influence far into the next century, beginning with German Heinrich Schütz, and (believe it or not) Antonio Vivaldi. For the record, The Gabrielis also "invented" the ''Sinfonia'' (literally meaning "coordinated sound"). For the time being, this meant a musical piece set for brass instruments and/or strings, made after the fashion of vocal polyphony. "Sinfonias" in this fashion (one movement) was in use all the way up through the Baroque period. The ''sonata'' was also developed in this period of the Renaissance.

As the sixteenth century dragged on, many composer, especially the Italian ones, became more and more elaborate, and the sense of artistry became prominent until the style of mannerism developed. Harmonies became increasingly difficult, and melodies likewise. This got so far that some composers began to use instruments for practical reasons, leaving one single voice for the actual melody. When the "camerata" club in Venice decided that a number of madrigals could be chained together to form a greater musical work, or even to tell a story, a new musical form came to life: The "musical work", or aptly called "opera in musica" - or to be fair: The ''opera''. When this happened, BaroqueMusic was emerging. Claudio Monteverdi was the central figure of this particular development.

But the Renaissance style did not die out over night because of the opera. It survived far longer, in the harmonic style, and also in the way church music was written. The style of Gabrieli, a born Venetian, came to inspire Music/AntonioVivaldi, nonetheless. The very end of the renaissance music may as well be the beginning of absolutism under UsefulNotes/LouisXIV in France, when Italy no longer was the centre of cultural innovation in Europe.

* Many film makers have used the music printed by Dutch printer Tylman Susato as "stock music" when indicating the period.

The Flemish composers, wave after wave of them, worked at the chapels of Italian princes. ''Outside'' of church, traditional Italian dances and folk songs lived their life, but many of those tunes and melodies were used by the same princes for secular purposes, like the carnivals, feasts and so on. Among them was the ''ballata'' and the ''frottola'', small secular songs and witty erotic ditties. When the elaborate style of the north met with the Italian lighter secular tradition, something had to happen. The frottola tradition merged with the northern style to form the ''madrigal'', a secular style that spread from Italy during the sixteenth century, finding fertile ground all over western Europe, and those songs are still in use.

'''Renaissance Music''' is obviously music written in UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance. The time-frame for this music, or the definition of it, varies, but the definition usually covers music written between the late 1300s and the early 1600s, with shady borderlines in each direction.

'''Getting started: The burgundian style'''

''Ars Nova'' followed by ''Ars Subtilior'', was the high fashion of the fourteenth century. UsefulNotes/{{France}} was the cultural centre for this music, and the style had already skipped a number of musical borders. But then, the hundred-years war came along, reducing France to a cultural wasteland for some time. The new cultural impulses were heavily influenced by the English - and, the dukes of Burgundy, whose power and prowess grew immensely from 1340 and onwards. Burgundy became the hub of European trade, between Italy in the south and Flanders in the north, and prospered at the cost of France. The court of the Burgundian kings became a hotspot for new music, and this alternative style developed with an earlier English style as a premise. Thus, Englishmen like ''John Dunstaple'' and ''Leonel Power'' provided new harmonics to a style developed by the Flemish musicians, who were invited to the courts of Italy, where newly minted Italian princes wished to hire them. Thus, the Flemish style entered Italy, soon to change the sound of Music there for centuries.

* Willem Ockeghem, said to have been inspired by, if not outright taught by Dufay.

* Josquin des Prez, another possible pupil of Ockeghem, said to have been one of the best of his time (abt 1500). Martin Luther was a fanboy. Josquin wrote a motet to commemorate Ockeghem.

Every country developed a distinct secular tradition, using their own languages. French composers (Sermisy, Verdelot, Janequin), called the songs ''chansons'', while the Germans (Senfl, Hassler, Peuerl), called them ''lieder''. The Spanish (Flecha, Pisador), called them ''canzonas'', while the English (Wilbye, Byrd, Dowland) called them ''ayres''. The styles could vary from the almost vulgar to high romance.

The religious music in the late renaissance developed after two lines: One in Rome, and one in Venice. Composers like Orlando de Lasso was all over the place, travelling from court to court in northern Italy. But the TropeCodifier for music of the era was a roman, although he was born in the town of Praeneste. His name was ''Giovanni Perluigi'', best known by the latinized name of his home town: ''Palestrina''. The reason why he ended up a codifier for the renaissance style, is because he worked directly under UsefulNotes/ThePope, who had comissioned him to "restore" church music. This gave him a ''lot'' of good publicity. This also happened because of the council of Trent, put together when the catholics understood Reformation had put up shop and planned to stay. The "Palestrina style" became so codified that every composer studying polyphony had to read his scores. It is still mandatory, although a lot of composers at the same time couldn`t care less about him. The hub of renaissance culture and music was still in the north of Italy.

''Venice'' was by far the most powerful city in northern Italy, and while Palestrina polished his style in Rome, other composers developed new ideas in Venice. Among them was the dutchman ''Adrian Willaert'', himself an offspring of the burgundian school, and employed in the church of saint Mark in Venice. His pupils developed his style further, and created what would be known as the "Venetian school". Because the church was designed with huge galleries on either side, Andrea Gabrieli (said pupil) and his nephew Giovanni began to juxtapose choirs for the sheer stereo effect it produced. The result was amazing. The Gabrieli style had influence far into the next century, beginning with German Heinrich Schütz, and (believe it or not) Antonio Vivaldi. For the record, The Gabrielis also "invented" the ''Sinfonia'' (literaly meaning "coordinated sound"). For the time being, this meant a musical piece set for brass instruments and/or strings, made after the fashion of vocal polyphony. "Sinfonias" in this fashion (one movement) was in use all the way up through the baroque period. The ''sonata'' was also developed in this period of the renaissance.

A small note on English cathedral music of the fifteenhundreds: Thomas Tallis should be mentioned, because he managed to put together no less than ''eight'' five-part voices, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2rK_Yhpui8 making the most elaborate piece of choir music for centuries to come]].

As the sixteenth century dragged on, many composer, especially the Italian ones, became more and more elaborate, and the sense of artistry became prominent until the style of mannerism developed. Harmonies became increasingly difficult, and melodies likewise. This got so far that some composers began to use instruments for practical reasons, leaving one single voice for the actual melody. When the "camerata" club in Venice decided that a number of madrigals could be chained together to form a greater musical work, or even to tell a story, a new musical form came to life: The "musical work", or aptly called "opera in musica" - or to be fair: The ''opera''. When this happened, BaroqueMusic was emerging. ''Claudio Monteverdi'' was the central figure of this particular development.

* ''Claudio Monteverdi'', said to have kickstarted the Baroque era with his sixth book of madrigals in 1607. Also known for having written the earliest opera to still be commonly performed today, ''Theatre/LOrfeo''.
* ''Don Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa'', a MadArtist, as far as harmonies go - his inventiveness was not matched until the end of the nineteenth century. He was a virtuoso player on the theorbe (a lute with extended neck and bass strings), and also for having killed off his wife, her lover and his little son. An early example of TrueArtIsAngsty.

But the renaissance style did not die out over night because of the opera. It survived far longer, in the harmonic style, and also in the way church music was written. The style of Gabrieli, a born Venetian, came to inspire Music/AntonioVivaldi, nontheless. The very end of the renaissance music may as well be the beginning of absolutism under UsefulNotes/LouisXIV in France, when Italy no longer was the centre of cultural innovation in Europe.

!! Stock musical phrases assossiated with the period

* Many film makers have used the music printed by dutch printer ''Tylman Susato'' as "stock music" when indicating the period.

* The french pavane ''Belle Qui tens ma vie'' used to prop up pretty often. The ball scene in the Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet movie featuring Creator/LaurenceOlivier used it prominently. The 1968 Zefirelli movie averted this by writing new music, although the dancing was pretty authentic in style.
* In the movie version of Theatre/JuliusCaesar, featuring Creator/MarlonBrando, a snippet of John Dowland`s ''frog galliard'' (now oh now I needs must part...) can be heard (counting as a ShoutOut to the time frame in which the play was written).
** The music of Dowland tends to be used a ''lot'' in movies set in England from this period.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Most of the flemish composers before Josquin, from the early 1400s and onwards. The style becomes gradually more and more recognizable as time marches on.
* OminousLatinChanting: The melodies from the medieval plainchant became the framework for the ''cantus firmus mass'' which prospered in the fifteenth century and well into the sixteenth. All masses were based on a single cantus (obviously from the standard reportoire), framed by countering voices on all sides. In time, this cantus was imitated and ornated inn all voices (like, for instance in the works of Josquin).

** Of course, ''All'' religious music was written in latin, at least until reformation set in.
* OlderThanTheyThink: ''Stereo'', made possible by placing different choirs around a church room, making them sing towards oneanother in perfect harmony.
** Also the thought of "hits" - the madrigals are actually reckoned to be the very first example of commercial music, and would have made a veritable hit parade if anyone had thought of it. Thus, the Madrigal ''Il Bianco e dolce Cigno'' from 1540 might be said to have been at the top of the hitratings that year.

* TropeCodifier: Because of PopCulturalOsmosis, most people reckon Palestrina to be the man, but the true codifier of the polyphonic style is ''Josquin des Prez'', setting the codification at the end of the fifteenth century.

* ''Claudio Monteverdi'', said to have kickstarted the Baroque era with his sixth book of madrigals in 1607. Also known for having written the earliest opera to still be commonly performed today, ''L'Orfeo''.

Composers from this late period include

* ''Claudio Monteverdi'', said to have kickstarted the baroque era with his sixth book of madrigals in 1607. Also known for having written the earliest surviving opera.

!! tropes associated with the renaissance style

The religious music in the late renaissance developed after two lines: One in Rome, and one in Venice. Composers like Orlando de Lasso was all over the place, travelling from court to court in northern Italy. But the TropeCodifier for music of the era was a roman, although he was born in the town of Praeneste. His name was ''Giovanni Perluigi'', best known by the latinized name of his home town: ''Palestrina''. The reason why he ended up a codifier for the renaissance style, is because he worked directly under ThePope, who had comissioned him to "restore" church music. This gave him a ''lot'' of good publicity. This also happened because of the council of Trent, put together when the catholics understood Reformation had put up shop and planned to stay. The "Palestrina style" became so codified that every composer studying polyphony had to read his scores. It is still mandatory, although a lot of composers at the same time couldn`t care less about him. The hub of renaissance culture and music was still in the north of Italy.

* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: Subverted by history itself, because all music was linear in form, and the individual voices made intricate patterns which, after complicated rules, happened to form harmonies. Only in 1560, Gioseffo Zarlino indicated that a full chord actually had emerged from the linear vocal patterns.

But the renaissance style did not die out over night because of the opera. It survived far longer, in the harmonic style, and also in the way church music was written. The style of Gabrieli, a born Venetian, came to inspire Creator/AntonioVivaldi, nontheless. The very end of the renaissance music may as well be the beginning of absolutism under UsefulNotes/LouisXIV in France, when Italy no longer was the centre of cultural innovation in Europe.

'''Renaissance Music''' is obviously music written in UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance. The time-frame for this music, or the definition of it, varies, but the definition usually covers music written between the late 1300s and the earlu 1600s, with shady borderlines in each direction.

''Ars Nova'' followed by ''Ars Subtilior'', was the high fashion of the fourteenth century. UsefulNotes/{{France}} was the cultural centre for this music, and the style had already skipped a number of musical borders. But then, the hundred-years war came along, reducing France to a cultural wasteland for some time. The new cultural impulses were heavily influenced by the English - and, the dukes of Burgundy, whose power and prowess grew immensely from 1340 and onwards. Burgundy became the hub of European trade, between Italy in the south and Flanders in the north, and prospered at the cost of France. The court of the Burgundian kings became hotspot for new music, and this alternative style developed with an earlier English style as a premise. Thus, Englishmen like ''John Dunstaple'' and ''Leonel Power'' provided new harmonics to a style developed by the Flemish musicians, who were invited to the courts of Italy, where newly minted Italian princes wished to hire them. Thus, the Flemish style entered Italy, soon to change the sound of Music there for centuries.

''Ars Nova'' followed by ''Ars Subtilior'', was the high fashion of the fourteenth century. UsefulNotes/{{France}} was the cultural centre for this music, and the style had already skipped a number of musical borders. But then, the hundred-years war came along, reducing France to a cultural wasteland for some time, and heavily influenced by the English - and, the dukes of Burgundy, whose power and prowess grew immensely from 1340 and onwards. Burgundy became the hub of European trade, between Italy in the south and Flanders in the north, and prospered at the cost of France. The court of the Burgundian kings became hotspot for new music, and this alternative style developed with an earlier English style as a premise. Thus, Englishmen like ''John Dunstaple'' and ''Leonel Power'' provided new harmonics to a style developed by the Flemish musicians, who were invited to the courts of Italy, where newly minted Italian princes wished to hire them. Thus, the Flemish style entered Italy, soon to change the sound of Music there for centuries.

* OlderThanTheyThink: ''Stereo'', made possible by placing different choirs around a church room, making them sing towards another in perfect harmony.

* ''Claudio Monteverdi'', said to have kickstarted the baroque era with his sixth book of madrigals in 1607. Also known for having written the earlies surviving opera.

But the renaissance style did not die out over night because of the opera. It survived far longer, in the harmonic style, and also in the way church music was written. The style of Gabrieli, a born Venetian, came to inspire Creator/AntonioVivaldi, nontheless. The very end of the renaissance music may as well be the beginning of absolutism under UsefulNotes/LouisXIV in France, when Italy no longer was the centre of cultural innovation in Europe.

* ''Don Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa'', a MadArtist, as far as harmonies go - his inventiveness was not matched until the end of the nineteenth century. He was a virtuoso player on the theorbe (a lute with extended neck and bass strings), and also for having killed off his wife, her lover and his little son.

* Jacob Obrecht, a pupil of Ockeghem. Obrecht was of the "middle generation" and began to transform the older formz.
* Josquin des Prez, another possible pupil of Ockeghem, said to have been one of the best of his time (abt 1500). Martin Luther was a fanboy. Josquin wrote a motet to commemorate Ockeghem

As the sixteenth century dragged on, many composer, especially the Italian ones, became more and more elaborate, and the sense of artistry became prominent until the style of mannerism developed. Harmonies became increasingly difficult, and melodies likewise. This got so far that some composers began to use instruments for practical reasons, leaving one single voice for the actual melody. When the "camerata" club in Venice decided that a number of madrigals could be chained together to form a greater musical work, or even to tell a story, a new musical form came to life: The "musical work", or aptly called "opera in musica" - or to be fair: The ''opera''. When this happened, BaroqueMusic was emerging.

* Claudio Monteverdi was the central figure of this particular development.

* Jacob Obrecht, a pupil of Ockeghem and innovator of the older forms.
* Josquin des Prez, another possible pupil of Ockeghem, said to have been one of the best of his time (abt 1500). Martin Luther was a fanboy.

* Willem Ockeghem, said to have been inspired by, if not outright tought by Dufay.

''Venice'' was by far the most powerful city in northern Italy, and while Palestrina polished his style in Rome, other composers developed new ideas in Venice. Among them was the dutchman ''Adrian Willaert'', himself an offspring of the burgundian school, and employed in the church of saint Mark in Venice. His pupils developed his style further, and created what would be known as the "Venetian school". Because the church was designed with huge galleries on either side, Andrea Gabrieli (said pupil) and his nephew Giovanni began to juztapose choirs for the sheer stereo effect it produced. The result was amazing. The Gabrieli style had influence far into the next century, beginning with German Heinrich Schütz, and (believe it or not) Antonio Vivaldi.