The Renaissance part one: Sacred Music 1450-1600
Historical Overview Age of Discovery The New World Columbus (1492) Mapping navigable waterways to increase trade (Spain, Portugal, England)
Historical Overview Protestant Reformation 95 theses - Martin Luther (1517)
Historical Overview Scientific Revolution Heliocentric universe Copernicus (1514) Galileo (1612)
Historical Overview Printing Press Gutenberg (1440) movable type Enabled dissemination of knowledge
Art of the Renaissance All you need to know LEONARDO (da Vinci) MICELANGELO (Buonarroti) DONATELLO RAPHAEL (Sanzio)
Art of the Renaissance Leonardo Da Vinci (Mona Lisa -1519)
Art of the Renaissance Donatello (St. Mark 1411-1413)
Art of the Renaissance Raphael (The Parnassus -1511)
Art of the Renaissance Michelangelo (ceiling Sistine Chapel - 1512, sculpture of David -1504)
Art of the Renaissance Video Excerpt The Italian Renaissance (narrative)
Musical Characteristics (Sacred) Words and Music Word Painting musical representation of lyrics Texture Mostly Polyphonic 4, 5, or 6 vocal parts with equal melodic interest Addition of the Bass voice (wider range) A cappella unaccompanied chorus Rhythm & Melody Subtle pulse, gently flowing
Sacred Music Listening Examples Ave Maria Virgo Serena (Page 82) Josquin de Prez, (1475) Four voice motet, imitative polyphony Kyrie from Pope Marcellus Mass (Page 85) Palestrina (1562-1563) Six voices, a cappella, polyphonic
Council of Trent (1545-1563) Met to make recommendations for improvements in church procedures. Also known as the Counter-Reformation. Stated that music was too convoluted. Palestrina composed music indicating a sensitivity to these criticisms.
The Renaissance part two: Secular Music 1450-1600
The Renaissance Madrigal Composed for groups of solo voices. Sometimes had instrumental accompaniment. Usually was based on a love story or poem. As Vesta Was Descending Composer - Weelkes LISTENING EXAMPLE (page 87) Word painting on words: ascending & descending
Instrumental Music Generally were not used in sacred music. Most instrumental music intended for dancing. Music ensembles often performed at feasts and other special occasions. Court dances include: pavane, estampie & galliard.
Bagpipes The origins of the bagpipe can be traced back to the most ancient civilizations. The bagpipe probably originated as a rustic instrument in many cultures because a herdsman had the necessary materials at hand: a goat or sheep skin and a reed pipe.
Bladder Pipe The bladder pipe is a very distinctive loud instrument which has a reed which is enclosed by an animal bladder. The performer blows into the bladder through its mouthpiece, a wooden pipe.
Crumhorn Beginning with the fifteenth century a new type of double reed instrument was developed. The player's lips did not touch the reed because the reed was enclosed inside a protective cap with a slot at one end.
Cornamuse In sound they are quite similar to crumhorns, but quieter, lovelier, and very soft.
Dulcimer In English-speaking countries, dulcimer (from dulce melos, Greek for sweet sound) was the name given to the type of psaltery or box zither which was played by striking the strings with hammers.
Gamba The viol family may have originated by applying a bow to a pre-existing plucked string instrument. It may have developed in Spain during the late fifteenth century
Gemshorn The gemshorn is the only medieval flute with a sharply tapering conical bore. Its shape is determined naturally since it is made from the horn of a chamois or ox.
Harp The harp is one of the most ancient types of stringed instruments. It was important in pre-christian cultures and still survives today in many forms all over the world.
Harpsichord In the harpsichord family the string is plucked by a small plectrum, originally of quill. The variety of sound from these plucked instruments is achieved not primarily by finger pressure, but more subtly by phrasing and articulation.
Hurdy Gurdy The French name, Viella a Roue (wheel fiddle), describes the method by which sound is produced. The bowing action of the fiddle is replaced by a wheel cranked by a handle.
Lizard The tenor of the zink family (also known as lysard or lysarden) has the peculiar curved shape of a flattened letter s. Besides giving the instrument its name, this shape helps the player cover the finger holes on this longer zink.
Lute During the Renaissance the lute held the highest respect of all musical instruments. The lute was an ideal accompaniment for voice and other soft instruments, and the most eloquent of all solo instruments.
Organetto Relatively light in weight, the instrument, when equipped with a sling, could be carried about and played in religious processions. The player provides his own wind supply by pumping a bellows.
The Pipe and Tabor The pipe is a simple instrument leaving the other hand free to strike the tabor. Thus one performer accompanies himself, making an ideal combination for dance music of a rustic nature, or to supply background music for jugglers or performing animals.
Psaltery The strings were plucked with fingers or by plectra. The player performed with the instrument on the lap or on a table, or in front of the chest held with a strap around his neck if movement was needed.
Rebec The rebec came from the Arabian rabob. The rebec's rounded pear-shaped body is carved from a single block of wood and tapers in such a way that there is no visible distinction between the body and the neck.
Sacbut It is uncertain when the sackbut first appeared, but by 1500 it is illustrated and mentioned regularly. The tenor sackbut is the most useful size and it is this instrument which has evolved into the modern tenor trombone.
Serpent The serpent was probably invented in 1590 by Edme Guillaume, a canon at Auxerre. It was used as a military band instrument and later evolved into the ophecleide and tuba.
Shawm The late Middle Ages and Renaissance shawm uses a broad cane reed controlled by the player's lips.
Shofar The Shofar is the ritual instrument of the ancient and modern Hebrews, the only Hebrew cultural instrument to have survived until now. Of martial origin, the shofar was a priestly instrument in Biblical times.
Transverse Flute The cross flute, although not as popular at first as the recorder, has a long history in many cultures.
A Renaissance Band The following video features authentic Renaissance music by the Edinburgh Renaissance Band. Can you identify the instruments shown in the pictures? Can you identify the instruments by the way they sound? This video features authentic music and dance from the Renaissance by the Cortesia Ensemble of Europe.
Reference The pictures and the audio files of the instruments depicted in this PowerPoint are posted online at http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/instrumt.html