Research Point: The Renaissance

The Renaissance Period refers to music composed during the 15^th and 16^th century.  During the early period composers such as Guillaume Dufay, Josquin Des Pres and Giovanni Pierluigi sa Palestrina composed sacred music at a time when church music was at the cutting edge of music.  However, with the decline of church and the wider sharing of musical ideas, other secular styles such as opera began to appear. 

Forrest-Kelly (2011) writes that many early Renaissance sacred works by the likes of Dufay and Regis do not lend themselves to performances by modern day church choirs due to their setting for SATB.  Instead, it is suggested that, due to their complexity, many Renaissance works are recorded by professionals, not standard church choirs.

The article continues to detail how motets and masses formed the large majority of the sacred compositions and during the 15^th century, the technique of cantus firmus (described in my earlier research) was introduced. 

The OCA course material writes that another large feature of the Renaissance period was the idea of nationalism in music; particularly influenced by Italian, French and English composers.  This, alongside the rising system of patronage, saw the sharing of musical ideas and techniques between courts.   

In addition it seems that during this period more formal rules, published by Zarlino in 1558, defined the use of consonance and dissonance.  Intervals of thirds and sixths became know as consonance, whilst dissonant tones were reserved for the weak bears at cadences.  New forms of compositions began to appear too, including the use of the ‘strophic form’ and the madrigal. 

Perhaps the most famous example of a Renaissance madrigal composer is Carlo Gesualdo who used a range of chromatic pitches to add colour and emotional impact to the harmony.  Madrigals were often based on the ideas of heartbreak and the torment of love.  Details of my reflections of a madrigal can be found in my listening log. 

O-Rourke-Jones & Summers (2013) describes how the Renaissance period also saw a rise in instrumental music, moving away from the traditional vocal style.   This is largely due to the dissemination and printing of sheet music and the rise in musical education.  During this time many new, and sometimes experimental forms were introduced, such as the ricercar, which centred more on harmony than melody. 

Hughes & Abraham (1960) describe how the Reformation and the Lutheran Church played a large role in the development of chorale music.  In a time when the Catholic Church was unsure about the use of music for sacred purposes, Martin Luther, a keen composer and founder of the Lutheran Church, placed great importance in the power of the hymn.  The Lutheran church produced a great many hymns and experimented with the polyphonic chorale too. 

Research Point: The Humanist Movement

Kreis (2000) describes the changes in social philosophy and the influx of intellectual and literary developments (and reoccurrences) from 1400 – 1650, writing:

“The return to favor of the pagan classics stimulated the philosophy of secularism, the appreciation of worldly pleasures, and above all intensified the assertion of personal independence and individual expression. Zeal for the classics was a result as well as a cause of the growing secular view of life. Expansion of trade, growth of prosperity and luxury, and widening social contacts generated interest in worldly pleasures, in spite of formal allegiance to ascetic Christian doctrine.”

The OCA course material describes how this period saw a rise in the importance of both text and music together, creating composers who were also poets.  This led me to question whether this could be described as the earliest example of a singer/songwriter.

It stands to reason that secular music began to gain popularity as the world became smaller for composers who could now, through the miracles of printing, begin to explore great music, books and arts.  It seems that sacred compositions were both limited in their thematic abilities and also structural form.  Therefore, secular music must have provided composers with another ‘springboard’ from which to compose.