Renaissance music refers to European songs and compositions between the 15th and 17th century. Since it was an era of rebirth in all aspects and forms of the arts and learning in general, Renaissance music was characterized by artists and musicians who created works that had more artistic freedom and individualism compared to the medieval times.
Composers during this era were focused in three different areas of music which included sacred music, secular music, and instrumental music. Dance music also became very popular which were modified and developed by composers and went on until the Baroque period. In addition, Renaissance music gave birth to the Golden Age of Polyphony and the Madrigals.
Renaissance music was comprised of three major musical styles which included:
- Sacred music – this was the older form of music which was adopted from ancient times and the medieval period. The common sacred genres were the mass (similar to the Gregorian chant), the motet (a piece of music in several parts with words), the madrigale spirituale (a Capella music which was usually performed for noble men and aristocrats), and the laude (the most important form of vernacular sacred song).
- Secular music – this kind of music made composers create new forms of songs which reflected national trends such as the Italian madrigal and French chanson among many others. This included songs for one or many voices such as the madrigal (polyphonic, unaccompanied by instruments, and the number of voices vary from 2 to 8 or 3 to 6), the frottola (a composition for 3 or 4 voices), the caccia (canon music with one or more imitations of the melody), the chanson (any lyric-driven French song), and the lute song (a song performed accompanied by the lute) among many others.
- Instrumental music – included music played using different instruments and dance music. Examples include the toccata (played using a keyboard or a plucked string instrument), the prelude (overture), and the canzona (ancestors of the sonata) to name a few.
These three types of music share similar musical features such as using four-voice choirs or groups with like-sounding instruments, applying imitative or homorhythmic textures which are done alternately, using smooth and gentle rhythms, melodies had balanced phrases, harmonies used full triads, and the vocal forms were tied to the structure of texts.
Dance music on the other hand, included:
- basse danse or low dance which was a popular court dance during the 15th and early 16th century
- pavane – slow processional dance which is the ancestor of the hesitation step used in weddings
- allemande – from where the square dance and contra dance originated
The Renaissance period was also known as the Golden Age of Polyphony which was characterized by “equal-voice polyphony.” The complex texture of different voices creates a continuous harmonious work that uses different musical lines such as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Composers during this era, which include Pierluigi di Palestrina, Guillaue Dufay, and Josquin Desprez among many others, based their work on the eight church modes which are scales with patterns of whole and half steps.
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