MUSIC HISTORY I

CH. 4-6 STUDY GUIDE, TEST 2

PHILIP APPEDDU
Page | 1

RENAISSANCE THOUGHT
History: (1420-1600) inspired by recovery of ancient works, esp. from Greece. Encouraged discovery and independence.
Cultural developments: Italy: de Medici assembles largest library in Europe. Patronage encouraged production of works.
Political developments: Constantinople falls to Turks (1453), influx of Eastern thought. Population growth post-plague.
Increase in trade and prosperity. Promoted growth of cities and city-states. Banks and
insurance companies become more common.

Humanism: independent reasoning, study of ancient classics in their original language, reliance on original rather than
secondary sources. Encouraged discovery. Contrast to scholasticism (abstract thought with emphasis on
commentaries, tended to be speculative.

Protestant Reformation: Stemmed from Luther disagreeing with Catholic practices at the time. Embraced power of music,
never objected to polyphonic music, placed emphasis on communal vernacular singing.

Role of music and art: Emerged as a sense of grandeur and status; commissioned by wealthy. Reflection of culture
Music Theory: Re-definition of consonance/dissonance. Gave favor to Pythagoras approach (mathematical to an interval)
and reason over just its sound. Panconsonance (parent of) triads helps limit the use of dissonance.
Mode, conjunct motion, rhythm, harmony, paratactic form (no unifying themes), cadential structure

MUSICA FICTA
What were the rules/ how was musica ficta treated in the Renaissance?
The sharpening/flattening of certain notes that arent otherwise notated with an accidental. Two uses: melodic/harmonic (to
avoid linear and harmonic tritones); beauty (certain cadences needed to be approached by half-steps). Some people were more
open to the performers discretion, while others insisted on following the original intent of the composer.

COMPARE/CONTRAST
15th century

16th century
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Instruments

Pipe/portative/positif organs; lute, guitar,

Clavichord, harpsichord, virginal, viola de
braccio/de gamba, violin family, recoder,
curtal, shawm, crumhorn, trumpet;
Various percussion instruments

(Same as 15 century)

Ensembles

Organized by homogeneity of sound, high/low

instruments (basis of range); consorts:
collection of 4 matched instruments (i.e. viols)

Similar to 15 century, but with the addition

of vocal/instrumental combinations

Instrumental
Music

Still largely improvised/memorized.

adaptation of vocal music to instr./
Combination vocal/instr. No instr-only music

4 types: intabulation (arr. of vocal work for

instruments); variations (for keyboard); dance
music; freely-composed works (i.e. ricercar)

NOTES:

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MUSIC HISTORY I
CH. 4-6 STUDY GUIDE, TEST 2

PHILIP APPEDDU
Page | 2

COMPOSITION IN THE RENAISSANCE

Compositional techniques in the Mass
Cyclic Mass, head-motif, cantus firmus, canon, imitation/parody, paraphrase. Cantus firmi drew its source from plainchant,
secular song, arbitrary arrangement of solmization syllables, soggetto cavato (forming a CF based on a word/name)

Compositional style of the Motet

Word/text-painting; avoidance of cross-relations.

Functions of the Motet

Liturgical: often confined to Offertory texts. Devotional: songs used outside of the liturgy used for religious purposes.
Occasional: coronation, dedication, and other special events.

SECULAR MUSIC
15th century

16th century

Chanson

From layered to homogeneous texture, homorhythmic,

Structure based on pervading imitation
(series of musical ideas are stated imitatively
in all voices across the course of a section of a
work or its entirety.

Frottola

Secular Italian vocal genre in 15-16 centuries. Texture: chordal (usually)

Texts: lighthearted, comic, or ironic. Dance-like rhythms/patterns, usage of syncopation/hemiolas.

Madrigal

Poetic/musical form first used in 14 century Italy, and again in 16 century.

Consists of 2/3 strophes, 3-lines each
Poem of a single strophe using free-rhyme
and 2-line ritornello/refrain at end. Chordal
scheme and meter, i.e. alternation of 7/11texture.
syllable lines. Contrapuntal and throughcomposed.

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Concerto delle
Donne
Other styles
Outside of Italy

Influenced by frottola, it is lighter and

more chordally-oriented. Homorhythmic,
contains strong vertical sonorities (I, IV, V)
Although written polyphonically, melodies are
generally confined to upper-most line.

th

Group of professional female singers in the

late Ren. Court of Ferrara (Italy.) Known for
technical and artistic virtuosity.
Basse Dance

Germany: Lied, Tenorlied

Spain: villancico (poetic form equivalent to
French virelai (AbbaA)
England: English madrigal

REFORMATION MUSIC
Chorale: Protestant hymn in vernacular; association w/congregational music. Can be found in harmonized form or melody only
Anthem: name given to motet-like works based on English texts from the 16th century onward.
Full anthem: chorus throughout
Verse anthem: alternates choral passages w/ solo voice and instrumental accompaniment

NOTES:

MUSIC HISTORY I
CH. 4-6 STUDY GUIDE, TEST 2

PHILIP APPEDDU
Page | 3

DIFFERENCES IN MUSICAL STYLE (Medieval/Renaissance)

SEE p. 120 IN BOOK

RENAISSANCE MUSICAL PRINTING

Problems/Issues: Expensive, time-consuming, replication problems (i.e. alignment and durability of printblocks)
Important collections: Harmonice musices odhecaton A (Petrucci); Hor venduto ho la speranza: Marchetto Cara (Petrucci)
Printers: Petrucci; Italian; 3-step method of printing (staves/text/notes)
Attaingnant; French; 1-step method of printing

Composers
Dates

Dufay
(1397-1474)

Josquin
(1450-1521)

Palestrina
(1525/26-1594)

Lassus
(1530/32-94)

NOTES:

Education
(if significant)

Career
(positions, reception)

Output
(Principal works, best-known genre)

Leading composer of his

day.

One of the last composers to contribute to plainchant.

Nuper rosarum flores; Terribilis est locus iste

Leading composer of his

day; reputation extended
beyond lifespan

Ave Mariavirgo serena; wrote in all genres

Served as maestro di
cappella at various churches

104 settings of Mass Ordinary,375 motets, (+more

sacred music), 49 sacred and 90 secular madrigals.

Received many honors, held

many positions

Prolific writer, 2000+ works in all genres, both sacred/

secular. Wrote in Italian, French, German, Latin