Music in the Renaissance era

The Renaissance era captures the period of Western music history from roughly 1450–1600. The Renaissance era follows the Medieval era and precedes the Baroque era.

Inbox

• renaissance is french for "rebirth!"

• church no longer monopolised information or art — becoming more about the people than god

• printing press, obvious. historical documentation of music improves

• educated people expected to be musically trained

• for musicians, your target audience shifts from the church to the rich.

  • church wants to keep a lid on creativity

  • while the rich want to be impressed!

• secular music

  • madrigal (several solo voices set to short poems usually about love)

• sheet music!!!!!!!!!!!!

• very polyphonic, music gets far more complex

• overlapping phrases

• while notation was born, there were still many undocumenting aspects.

  • specific instruments

  • tempo

  • dynamics

• finally let go of the chants lol. even in religious music.

• word painting: gimmicky expression of lyrics in musical features. e.g. descending in tone while singing the word "descending"

Compositions

• As Vesta was Descending

• Flow my Tears

• Ave Maria … virgo serena