Renaissance music is
classical music written during the
Renaissance period, approximately 1400 to 1600 CE. Defining the end of the
period is easier than defining the beginning, since there were no revolutionary shifts in musical thinking at the beginning of
the 15th century corresponding to the sudden development of the styles corresponding to the Baroque era around 1600, and the process by which music acquired "Renaissance" characteristics was a gradual
one.
The increasing reliance on the interval of the third as a consonance is one of the most pronounced features of early
Renaissance European art music (in the Middle Ages, thirds had been
considered dissonances: see interval). Polyphony, in use since the 12th century, became increasingly elaborate with highly
independent voices throughout the 14th century: the beginning of the 15th century showed simplification, with the voices often
striving for smoothness. This was possible because of a greatly increased vocal range in music—in the Middle Ages, the
narrow range made necessary frequent crossing of parts, which also made it necessary to write highly contrasting parts.
Towards the end of the 15th century, polyphonic sacred music (as exemplified in the masses of Ockeghem and Obrecht) had once again become complex, in a manner correlating to the stunning detail in the painting at the
time; this was followed in the early 16th century by another trend towards simplification, as can be seen in the work of Josquin, and later of Palestrina, who was partially reacting to the strictures of the Council of Trent, which discouraged excessively complex polyphony as
inhibiting understanding the text.
In the late 16th century, there were several important, contrasting trends. In secular music, especially in the madrigal,
there was a trend towards complexity and even extreme chromaticism (as exemplified in madrigals of Luzzaschi, Marenzio, and Gesualdo). Meanwhile, beginning in
Florence, there was an attempt to revive the dramatic and musical forms of Ancient
Greece, through the means of monody, a form of declaimed music over a simple
accompaniment; a more extreme contrast with the preceding polyphonic style would be hard to find; this was also, at least at the
outset, a secular trend. In Venice, from about 1550 until around 1610, an impressive
polychoral style developed, which gave Europe some of the grandest, most sonorous music composed up until that time, with
multiple choirs of singers, brass and strings in different spatial locations in the Basilica San Marco di Venezia (see Venetian polychoral style). These multiple revolutions spread over Europe in the next several
decades, beginning in Germany and then moving to Spain, France and England somewhat later, demarcating the beginning of what we
now know as the Baroque musical era.
Music with essentially Renaissance characteristics continued to be composed, particularly in England, but also in Spain,
Portugal, and France, for the first few decades of the 17th century (see English Madrigal School, air de cour). In
addition, many composers observed a division in their own works between a prima prattica (music in the Renaissance
polyphonic style) and a seconda prattica (music in the new style) during the first part of the 17th century.
Principal liturgical forms which endured throughout the entire Renaissance period were masses and motets, with some other
developments towards the end, especially as composers of sacred music began to adopt secular forms (such as the madrigal) for their own designs. During the period, secular music had
an increasingly wide distribution, with a wide variety of forms, but one must be cautious about assuming an explosion in variety:
since printing made music more widely available, much more has survived from this
era than from the preceding Medieval era, and probably a rich store of popular music of the late Middle Ages is irretrievably
lost. Secular music included songs for one or many voices, forms such as the frottola, chanson and madrigal, consort music for recorder or viol and other instruments, and dances for various
ensembles; and towards the end of the period, the early dramatic precursors of opera such as monody, the madrigal comedy, and the intermedio.
Renaissance music was modal as opposed to tonal. Modality began to break down towards the end of the period, with root motions of fifths, one of the
defining characteristics of tonality, becoming common, especially near cadences.
Notation and performance
According to Margaret Bent (1998), "Renaissance notation is under-prescriptive by our standards; when translated into modern
form it acquires a prescriptive weight that overspecifies and distorts its original openness." Accidentals were not necessary,
somewhat like fingering notation today. However, Renaissance musicians would have been highly trained in dyadic counterpoint and thus
possessed this and other information necessary to read a score, "what modern notation requires [accidentals] would then have been
perfectly apparent without notation to a singer versed in counterpoint." A singer would interpret his or her part by figuring
cadential formulas with other parts in mind, and when singing together musicians would avoid parallel octaves and fifths or alter
their cadential parts in light of decisions by other musicians (Bent, 1998).
Forms
Sacred vocal
- Mass
- Motet
- Madrigale spirituale
- Laude
Secular vocal or vocal/instrumental
- Madrigal
- Frottola
- Caccia
- Chanson
- Rondeau
- Virelai
- Bergerette
- Ballade
- Musique mesure
- Canzonetta
- Villancico
- Villanella
- Villotta
- Lute song
- Intermedio
- Madrigal comedy
Instrumental
- Toccata
- Prelude
- Ricercar
- Canzona
- Intabulation
(intavolatura, intabulierung)
Dance forms
- Basse danse (or
bassedanza)
- Pavane
- Galliard
- Allemande
- Courante
Schools and Stylistic Trends
- Burgundian School
- Netherlands School
- Venetian School
- Venetian polychoral style
- Florentine Camerata
- Roman School
- English Madrigal School
- musica reservata
Composers
- Nicolas Grenon (c.1375-1456)
- John Dunstable (c.1380-1453)
- Hugo de Lantins (fl. c.1430)
- Arnold de Lantins (fl. c.1430)
- Leonel Power (d.1445)
- Gilles Binchois (c.1400-1460)
- Johannes Brassart (c.1400-1455)
- Guillaume Dufay (c.1400-1474)
- John Browne (?-1498)
- Conrad Paumann (c.1410-1473)
- Johannes Ockeghem (c.1415-1497)
- Walter Frye (fl. c.1450-1475)
- Robert Morton (c.1430-after 1475)
- Antoine Busnois (c.1430-1492)
- Juan Perez de Gijon (fl. c1460-1500)
- Francisco de la Torre (fl. c1460-1500)
- Juan de Triana (fl. c.1460-1500)
- Richard Hygons (c.1435-c1509)
- Johannes Tinctoris (c.1435-1511)
- Johannes Martini (c.1440-1497 or 1498)
- Heinrich Finck (1444 or 1445-1527)
- Hayne van Ghizeghem (c.1445-c.1480)
- Gaspar van Weerbeke (c.1445-after 1517)
- Alexander Agricola (1446?-1506)
- Josquin des Prez (c1450-1521)
- Edmund Turges (c1450 - ?)
- Walter Lambe (c1450 - after 1499)
- Robert Wylkynson (c1450 - 1515 or later)
- Heinrich Isaac (c.1450-1517)
- Jean Japart (fl. c.1474-1481)
- Loyset Compère (c1450-1518)
- Arnolt Schlick (c1450-c1525)
- Franchinus Gaffurius (1451-1522)
- Jacob Obrecht (c1453-1505)
- Jean Mouton (c1459-1522)
- Paul Hofhaimer (1459-1537)
- Pierre de La Rue (c1460-1518)
- Antoine Brumel (1460-after 1520)
- Robert Fayrfax (1464-1521)
- Richard Davy (c1465-c1507)
- William Cornysh (c1465-1523)
- Pedro de Escobar (c1465-1535)
- Juan del Encina (1468-c1529)
- Marchetto Cara (c1470-1525?)
- Carpentras (c1470-1548)
- Antoine de Fevin (c1470-1511 or 1512)
- Robert de Fevin (fl. late 15th, early 16th c.) (brother of Antoine de Fevin)
- Mathieu Gascongne (fl. early 16th c.)
- Francisco de Peñalosa (c1470-1528)
- Bartolomeo Tromboncino (c1470-c1535)
- Filippo de Lurano (c1475-c1520)
- Philippe Verdelot (c1475-before 1552)
- Jean l'Heritier (1480-1552)
- Gasparo Alberti (c1480-1560)
- Jean Richafort (c1480-1547)
- Hans Buchner (1483-c1540)
- Jacquet of Mantua (1483-1559)
- Robert Carver (1484-1568)
- Nicholas Ludford (1485-1557)
- Hugh Aston (c1485-1558)
- Clément Janequin(c1485-1558)
- Pierre Moulu (c1485-c1550)
- Martin Agricola (1486-1556)
- Ludwig Senfl (c1486-c1542)
- John Taverner (c1490-1545)
- Leonhard Kleber (c1490-1556)
- Bernardo Pisano (1490-1548)
- Thomas Crecquillon (c1490-?1557)
- Claudin de Sermisy(c1490-1562)
- Adrian Willaert (c1490-1562)
- Costanzo Festa (c1495-1545)
- Nicolas Gombert (c1495-c1560)
- David Peebles (fl. c1530-1579)
- Pietro Paolo Borrono (fl. c1531-1549)
- Johann Walter (1496-1570)
- Francesco da Milano (1497-1543)
- Luis de Narvaez (fl. c1540)
- Heliodoro de Paiva (c1500-1552)
- Cristóbal de Morales (c1500-1553)
- Luis de Milán (c1500-c1561)
- Tielman Susato (c1500-c1562)
- Bartolomé de Escobedo (c1500-1563)
- Jacques Buus (c1500-1565)
- Hilaire Penet (1501?-15??)
- Giovanni Paolo Paladini (fl. c1540-1560)
- Marco da l'Aquila (fl. c1505-1555)
- Jacques Arcadelt (1505?-1568) (also known as Jacob Arcadelt)
- Christopher Tye (c1505-1572?)
- Thomas Tallis (c1505-1585)
- Johannes Lupi (c1506-1539)
- Bálint Bakfark (1507-1576) (aka Valentin/Valentine/Valentinus Bakfark)
- Giovanni Battista Conforti (fl. c1550)
- Jacob Clemens non Papa (c1510-c1555) (Jacques Clément)
- Guillaume Morlaye (c1510-c1558)
- Claudio Veggio (c1510-15??)
- Loys Bourgeois (c1510-1560) (also known as Louis Bourgeois)
- Pierre de Manchicourt (c1510-1564)
- Juan Bermudo (c1510-c1565)
- Antonio de Cabezón (1510-1566)
- Jean Maillard (c1510-c1570)
- Diego Ortiz (c1510-c1570)
- Alonso Mudarra (c1510-1580)
- Andrea Gabrieli (c.1510-1586)
- Giuseppe Guami (1510-1586)
- Vincenzo Ruffo (c.1510-1587)
- Pierre Certon (d.1572)
- Agostino Agostini (d.1569)
- Giovanni Domenico da Nola (c.1515-1592)
- John Sheppard (c1515-1559)
- Cypriano de Rore (c1515-1565)
- Tomas de Santa María (c1515-1570)
- Adrian Le Roy (fl. c1550-1580)
- Antonio Carreira (c1515-c1590)
- Leonardo Meldart Fiamengo (fl. c1550-1600)
- Fabrizio Dentice (fl. c1550-1600)
- Gioseffo Zarlino (1517-1590)
- John Black (c1520-1587)
- Vincenzo Galilei (c1520-1591)
- Vicente Lusitano (fl. 1550-1561)
- Philippe de Monte (1521-1603)
- Girolamo Cavazzoni (c1525-after 1577)
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c1525-1594)
- Baldassare Donato (1525 to 1530-1603)
- Hermann Finck (1527-1558)
- Annibale Padovano (1527-1575)
- John Angus (fl. c1562-1595)
- Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599)
- Alberto da Ripa (1529-1551)
- Costanzo Porta (c1529-1601)
- William Mundy (c1530-before 1591)
- Rodrigo de Ceballos (c1530-1591)
- Guillaume Boni (c1530-1594)
- Fabrizzio Caroso (c1530-after 1600)
- Guillaume Costeley (1530-1606)
- Claude Le Jeune (1530-1600)
- Orlandus Lassus (c1531-1594) (also known as Orlando di Lasso)
- Jacobus de Kerle (1531 or 1532-1591)
- Hernando Franco (1532-1585)
- Giammateo Asola (1532 or earlier-1609)
- Claudio Merulo (1533-1604)
- Lodovico Agostini (1534-1590)
- Francesco Soto de Langa (1534-1619)
- Pietro Vinci (c1535-1584)
- Girolamo Conversi (fl. c1570-1590)
- Giaches de Wert (1535-1596)
- Robert Whyte (1538-1574)
- Giovanni Leonardo Primavera (1540-1585)
- Maddalena Casulana (c1540-c1590)
- Vincenzo Bellavere (15??-1587)
- Alessandro Striggio (c1540-1592)
- Francisco de Peraza (fl. c1575-c1600)
- Gioseffo Guami (c1540-1611)
- Hernando de Cabezon (1541-1602)
- Anthony Holborne (?-1602)
- William Byrd (1543-1623)
- Alfonso Ferrabosco (I) (1543-1588)
- Giovanni Maria Nanino (Nanini) (1543 or 1544-1607)
- Francesco Guami (c.1544-1602)
- Girolamo Dalla Casa (d.1601)
- Jacob Polonais (c1545 - 1605)
- Luzzasco Luzzaschi (c1545-1607)
- Giulio Caccini (c1545-1618)
- Marc Antonio Ingegneri (c1547-1592)
- Manuel Mendes (c1547-1605)
- Francesco Soriano (c1548-1621)
- Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)
- Giovanni de Macque (c.1549-1614)
- Emilio de' Cavalieri (c1550-1602)
- Jacobus Gallus (Jacob Handl) (1550-1591)
- Pomponio Nenna (c1550-1613)
- Pedro de Cristo (c1550-1618)
- Orazio Vecchi (1550-1605)
- Girolamo Belli (1552-c.1620)
- Leonhard Lechner (c1553-1606)
- Luca Marenzio (c1553-1599)
- Paolo Bellasio (1554-1594)
- Girolamo Diruta (c1554-after 1610)
- Alonso Lobo (c1555-1617)
- Nicholas Strogers (fl. c1590-1620)
- Gabriele Villani (c1555-1625)
- Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (c1555-c1635)
- Johannes Nucius (c.1556-1620)
- Giovanni Croce (c1557-1609)
- Conte Alfonso Fontanelli (1557-1622)
- Jacques Mauduit (1557-1627)
- Thomas Morley (1557-1603)
(1557-1612)
- Giovanni Bassano (c1558-1617)
- Giulio Belli (c1560-c1621)
- Ruggiero Giovannelli (c1560-1625)
- Antonio Il Verso (c1560-1621)
- Giovanni Bernardino Nanino (1560-1623)
- Peter Philips (1560-1628)
- Hieronymus Praetorius (1560-1629)
- William Brade (1560-1630)
- Dario Castello (c1560-c1640)
- Felice Anerio (c1560-1614)
- Jacopo Peri (1561-1633)
- Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)
- Hans Leo Hassler (1562-1612)
- John Bull (1562-1628)
- John Dowland (1563-1626)
- Giles Farnaby (c1563-1640)
- Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic (1564-1621)
- Sebastian Aguilera de Heredia (1565-<1627)
- Ascanio Mayone (1565-1627)
- Duarte Lobo (c1565-1647)
- Alessandro Piccinini (1566-1638)
- Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650)
- Carlo Gesualdo (1560-1613)
- Thomas Campion (1567-1620)
- Christoph Demantius (1567-1643)
- Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
- Adriano Banchieri (1568-1634)
- Diomedes Cato (c1570-after 1615)
- Giovanni Paolo Cima (1570-1622)
- Alphonso Ferrabosco (II) (c1570-1628)
- Michael Praetorius (c1571-1621)
- Thomas Lupo (1571-1627)
- Daniel Bacheler (1572-1618)
- Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)
- Juan Pujol (c1573-1626)
- John Wilbye (1574-1638)
- William Simmes (c1575-c1625)
- John Coprario (c1575-1626)
- Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623)
- Melchior Franck (1579-1639)
- Sigismondo d'India (c1582-1629)
- Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)
- Antonio Cifra (1584-1629)
- John Jenkins (1592-1678)
Music Theorists
- Johannes Tinctoris (c.1435-1511)
- Franchinus Gaffurius (1451-1522)
- Heinrich Glarean (1488-1563)
- Pietro Aron (1490-1545)
- Nicola Vicentino (1511-c.1576)[1] (http://www.hoasm.org/IVO/Vicentino.html)
- Tomás de Santa Maria (c1515-1570)
- Gioseffo Zarlino (1517-1590) [2] (http://www.hoasm.org/IVN/Zarlino.html)
- Vicente Lusitano (fl.1550-1560)
- Vincenzo Galilei (c.1520-1591)
- Giovanni Artusi (c.1540-1613)
- Johannes Nucius (c.1556-1620)
- Pietro Cerone (1566-1625)
