The Renaissance Period

The Renaissance Periodof Western Music History

circa 1400 to 1600 A.D.

“Renaissance,” is a word from Old French, meaning “rebirth,” usually in a spiritual sense.

The Renaissance period in Western history was a cultural movement that began

in Florence, Italy in approximately 1400 A.D. and gradually spread through most

(but not all) of Europe.

The Renaissance marks the passing of European society from

an exclusively religious orientation to a more secular one, and from

an age of unquestioning faith and mysticism to one of belief in reason and scientific inquiry.

Types of Renaissance MusicVocal Music

As in the Medieval period, sacred vocal music (religious music that is sung) is still very

prevalent in the Renaissance.

But in addition to this, there is also a lot more non-sacred (non-religious) music.

In addition to sacred choral music such as motets and masses, there is

a new form of non-sacred vocal music in the Renaissance called the Madrigal. A Madrigal is a short composition for

a small group of voices singing a cappella, or without accompaniment.

Musical Example Madrigal: “Fair Phyllis I Saw Sitting All Alone”

by John Farmer (English; 1570- 1605)

Musical Example: Madrigal #2

“The Silver Swan”by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625; English)

(Please follow the text of the madrigal, The Silver Swan, as you listen to it.

Notice the very eloquent poetic statement in the last stanza. This is the voice of the swan, speaking for the first and only time in its life, making a very

ironic philosophical statement. Since this madrigal was written at the end of the Renaissance, it can be interpreted that the composer used a dying swan as a metaphor to express his personal

feelings about the passing of his era.

The silver swan, who living had no note,

when Death approached, unlocked her silent throat.

Leaning her breast upon the reedy shore,

thus sang her first and last, and sang no more:

"Farewell, all joys! O Death, come close

mine eyes!More Geese than Swans now live,

more Fools than Wise."

Important Musical Developments During The Renaissance

The rise of instrumental music was one of the two most significant musical developments

during the Renaissance. During this time, music for groups of instruments was written

to accompany vocal music such as motets, as dance music, and also as a pure form of art.

Musical Example: Renaissance Dance Music: “Bouree” from Dances for Terpsichore

by Michael Praetorius (German; 1571-1621)

Important Musical Developments During The Renaissance

Another very significant musical development

that took place during the Renaissance was the development of an organized system of harmony.

Although it wouldn’t be until the middle of the Baroque period before harmony reached a point

that it was somewhat standardized, the beginnings of what most people today would recognize as harmony

took place during the Renaissance period.

Important Renaissance Composers• Josquin des Prez - (Flemish; 1455-1521) • Giovanni Palestrina - (Italian; 1526-1594)• Orlando de Lassus - Flemish; 1530-1594)• William Byrd - (English; 1543-1623)• Tomás Luis de Victoria - (Spanish; 1548-1611)• Giovanni Gabrieli - (Italian; 1553-1612)• Michael Praetorius - (German; 1571-1621)• Orlando Gibbons - (English; 1583-1625)

Renaissance Art

Leonardo da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper (circa 1495)

Renaissance Art

Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, Mona Lisa (circa 1503-1507)

The painting is widely regarded as the world’s most famous

work of art.

Renaissance Art

Michelangelo Buonarroti’s sculpture, Pieta (1498-1499)

Important Dates in the

Late Medieval and

Renaissance Periods

1215 A.D.The Magna Carta is signed, establishing the rule of law in England, as opposed to the will of the King. It influenced the early settlers in New England and inspired later constitutional documents, including the

United States Constitution.

1295 A.D.Explorer Marco Polo publishes his tales of

China after visiting the Far East.1337 A.D.

The Hundred Years' War begins when King Edward III of England lays claim to

the French throne in 1337.

1338-1350 A.D.The “Black Death” plaque overtakes most of Europe, wiping out between

30% and 60% of the population. It would take more than a hundred years for European civilization to

recover.

Famous Late Medieval WritersDante Alighieri (1265–1321) 

Italian poet and writer; author of the famous Dante’s Inferno

 Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400?) was an English author, poet, philosopher,

bureaucrat, courtier and diplomat; author of Canterbury Tales

Famous Late Medieval Writers Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) Italian poet

and writer (1303-1374)famous for his Sonnets 

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) Italian author; student of Petrarch and

author of Decameron

1400 A.D.The Renaissance period begins in Florence Italy and slowly spreads

throughout most of Europe over the next 50 years.

In some places further away from Italy such as England, the Renaissance does

not fully begin until the early 1500s.

1439 A.D. Johannes Guttenberg invents the

printing press, leading the way to a revolution in communication and the

distribution of knowledge in Europe.

1492 A.D. Columbus sails to the New World.

1503 A.D. Leonardo da Vinci paints the

Mona Lisa. Over the next 5 centuries, it becomes known as the most famous painting in the world. 

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519 AD)The Original “Renaissance Man”

Leonardo da Vinci's scientific studies included aeronautics, anatomy, astronomy,

botany, cartography, civil engineering, chemistry, geology, geometry,

hydrodynamics, mathematics, mechanical engineering, optics, physics, pyrotechnics

and zoology.

Works of Leonardo da Vinci’s imagination include conceptualizations

of a helicopter, solar power,

a calculator and a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics.

Leonardo da Vinci’s conceptual drawing of a helicopter, made

nearly 400 years before the invention of

the modern helicopter.

1517German friar, priest and professor of

theology, Martin Luther writes The Ninety-Five Theses,

which initiated the Protestant Reformation,

a religious movement that spread throughout Europe and eventually,

around the world.

1509-1547 Henry VIII is King of England.

In 1534, the Parliament of England passed the Act of Supremacy, making Henry the

head of the Church of England. This is the beginning of what became known as the English Reformation.

 1564-1616William Shakespeare lives and works.

He eventually comes to be regarded as the greatest playwright and poet in the history of the English language, influencing nearly

all other writers who follow.

1512 Italian painter and sculptor Michelangelo (1475-1564)

finishes painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, considered to be

one of the largest and most ambitious artworks in history up to that time.

(At the time, it was also considered to be obscene.)

After the year 1600, the Renaissance came to a gradual end

with the emergence of a new period in the history of art and music,

the Baroque period.