The Music of the Renaissance

(1450 – 1600)

The Rebirth of Human Creativity

• Renaissance means “rebirth”– It was a re-birth of human creativity– It was a period of exploring and adventures– It was of the time of Christopher Columbus, Vasco

da Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan– It was the age of individualism in art – Leonardo

da Vinci – (painter, scultper, architect, engineer)• Leonardo was a fine musician too!!• Played piano, and several other instruments!!

The Humanists Belief:

• Humanism = “focusing on human life and it’s accomplishments”– Humanists are not concerned with afterlife,

heaven, or hell– Become involved primarily with culture and

beautification in Greece and Rome– Greek and Latin language is the “beauty”

languages– Greek mythology becomes HUGE (Orpheus)

The Universal Man

• “every educated person was to be trained well in music in order to be a person of prosperity”

• “I am not pleased with any man if they do not have a proper education in music”

• “the man that has no music in himself, nor is not moved with sweet sounds is fit for treason and spoils!”

WHO DO YOU THINK SAID ALL OF THESE THINGS?

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE!!

• Many always study the works of Shakespeare, but most do not know he was also an avid musician!

• Shakespeare wrote over 300 plays that called for music in over ½ of the entire performance

• Shakespeare has been known to be the “unofficial” father of musicals!

Who were the Musicians?

• Just like Middle Ages, the musicians were the church members.

• Church sizes began to grow from 10 to 30• Entire male choirs began to emerge• Music began to go from just church type

situations to the courts and towns• The nobility began to fight over who would be

their personal musicians

• Kings would begin to take their musicians around to their country meetings and would “show off” their music talent during meals

• Travelling minstrels became a well-known, high paying job for musicians– “Just like Monty Python – Brave Sir Robin”

• All musicians began to play for processions, royal weddings and celebrations, and continued to perform in religious services

FLANDERS

• Many leading Renaissance composers started coming out of a small low-income area known as Flanders (now part of the Netherlands)– Low paying jobs– Low income housing– Food / Drink was hard to come by– BUT…..Music education was top of the line!

Characteristics of Renaissance Music

• Vocal music now becomes more important than piano and organ music

• Musicians wrote to “word paint”– Music sets certain motions to what the text

describes

WORD PAINTING = “Musical representation of specific poetic images based on text”

--ex. Decending from heavenRunning through the fields

Texture of Renaissance Music

• “A cappella” = Music with no accompaniment– Barber shop quartets were born!

• Polyphonic texture began to emerge over monophonic Gregorian Chants

• Musical imitation begins – “the rise of the round” - ex. “row, row, row your boat”

• Musicians began to experiment with “crazy ideas, and began to make money this way”

Josquin Desprez

• (1440 – 1521) - Flemish composer• Spent most of his life serving duke’s private

chapels and services, and was forbidden to do anything against their wishes

• Was able to produce one of the world’s most noticeable pieces of work – “AVE MARIA”

• Was also able to produces one of the worlds most controversial pieces of the time

Ave Maria – J.DesPrez

• Books pg, 100-101 - • “Hail Mary, full of grace”• Known to have over 40 different versions

based off of this main version• The most known version is not the original!• High voices and Low voices imitate the

melody, which was a new “Renaissance” thing

“Josquin Des Prez” – The Cricket

• “The Cricket” was controversial• First time anyone ever wrote something so

diverse and different.• Gained great fame even though many felt it

made no sense• First piece that had a composer idolize

something so bizarre, but accepted as Des Prez work just because of who he was