The Renaissance-Chapter 7

Step 1

The Renaissance

• • Renaissance (rebirth) - name given to a complex current of thought that worked deep changes in Europe from the 14th to the 16th century, starting in Italy
  • Italians hoped they could bring the rebirth of their glorious past (from rediscovering and imitating their ancient Greco-Roman forebears)
  • It had no political impact since it was unrealistic
  • Italy didn’t become a new Roman Empire and became the same warring city-states wanting to kill one another from the Middle Ages
  • Revival of Greek/Roman culture provided a model for new values for all of Europe
  • Renaissance - “the discovery of the world and of man”
  • • Columbus, Magellan, Leonardo da Vinci, Copernicus, Galileo, and Shakespeare
    • Medieval society - stable, conservative, authoritarian, and oriented toward God
    • Laid groundwork for our current Western world
    • Human beings and nature > God were the measure in philosophy, science, and art
  • Artists (architects, painters, and musicians) focused on being more relevant to wants and desires, reinterpreting the world around them
• New Attitudes
• • Signs of the Renaissance mind-set in the early 15th century was a new way of treating plainchant in polyphonic compositions
  • Medieval composers writing organum/isorhythmic motets used traditional plainchant for so long they felt fine with distorting it
  • • Lengthened notes under counterpoints
    • Put unmetered song into fixed, arbitrary rhythms
  • Composers no longer felt obliged to use plainchant
  • • Used it as melodies listened to, not scaffolding polyphonic structures
    • Embellished chant with extra notes, set it to rhythms, and smoothed out awkward passages
  • Paraphrase - the modification and decoration of plainchant melodies in early Renaissance music
  • • Composers used this to emphasize sonorous/sensuous aspect rather than function/structure and control (authoritarian function)
  • Sonority - tone color or more loosely, rich tone color
  • This was one of the first signs of Renaissance attitude towards music
  • Composers put the melody in the top where they could be heard
  • 15th century saw beginning of composed homophony
  • • Melody on top supported by harmonization below
  • Guillaume Dufay, Harmonized hymn “Ave maris stella”
  • • A homophonic setting of a Gregorian hymn
    • D (Dorian) mode
  • New treatment of plainchant shows composers relaxed attitude towards medieval authority
  • New style was used for chansons and sacred texts in the Mass
  • Rejection of isorhythm did not mean it was abandoned, but composers focused on large-scale musical construction
  • First time they were written to last over 20-30 min.
  • Problem was how it would hold together through Mass
  • Mass - the largest and most important prayer of the Christian liturgy
  • 5 parts: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei
  • Earliest form of unifying was using the same music to open each movement
  • Another based each movement on the same Gregorian chant
  • Symphony to 19th century is to Mass and the 15th century
• The High Renaissance Style
• • ~1500 new style emerged for Masses, motets, and chansons
  • Chief characteristic was a carful blend of 2 kinds of musical texture: imitative counterpoint and homophony
  • Most polyphony in beginning of 15th century was non-imitative, most at the end was imitative
  • Change was mostly because it reflected the ideals of moderation and balance also showcased in visual arts
  • Imitative textures depends on carefully controlled balance among multiple voice parts
  • First voice begins, and another enters singing the same motive and words but at different pitch levels
  • Each voice has a general melodic quality (none is an accompaniment or filler, none predominates for long)
  • Almost all polyphony involves some chords because of its simultaneous sounding melodies
  • Late medieval composers focused on the horizontal at the expense of the vertical
  • Major achievement was creating a rich quality out of polyphonic lines while maintaining a sense of independence
  • Also used simply homophony (block chord writing), learning to use it as a contrast to imitative as well as an expressive resource
  • Ideal tone color became a cappella performance
  • A Cappella - choral music for voices alone, without instruments
  • Tempo and dynamics change little, rhythm is fluid without sharp accents.
  • Melodies never go very high or low, ups and downs are carefully balanced
  • Music in High Renaissance style can be considered “vague”
  • Josquin Desprez “Pange lingua Mass”
  • • First master of High Renaissance style
    • Point of imitation - short passage of imitative polyphony based on a single theme, or on two used together
• Music as Expression
• • Josquin Desprez (Chanson) “Millie regrets”
  • • A lover’s lament at leaving his/her beloved
    • An earlier polyphonic love song
    • Exuberant interplay of melodies rather than expression of the poetry’s sentiments
  • Like artists, architects, and writers; composers derived inspiration for their exploration of music’s expressive powers from music of Ancient Greece
  • Plato testified that music was capable of arousing emotions in a very powerful way
  • In Greek myth and history, there are stories such as Saul’s in the Bible where he cures an individual via playing his harp
  • Both music and words can express emotions, so music theorists were determined to match up the means
  • Two important new developments in music:
  • • Composers wanted the words of their compositions to be clearly heard. Aimed for accurate declamation (the way words are set to music, interns of rhythm, accent, etc.). This was not true of most medieval polyphony. Renaissance was the first era where words were set to music naturally, clearly, etc.
    • Composers began matching music to the meaning of the words that were being set. Word painting -musical illustration of the meaning of a word or short verbal phrase. Words like fly were at a fast tempo, and up or heaven were higher octaves. Grief, cruel, torment, etc. pushed composers to write dissonant harmony.
• Late Renaissance Music
• • High Renaissance style was remarkably stable, flexible for composers to mess with it til the end of the 16th century, primarily seen in church music, and allowed for new secular genres to use its ideas
  • Broad appeal shown in geographical spread via its 4 masters: Palestrina, Lassus, Victoria, and Byrd. They were located in Rome, Munich, Madrid, and Byrd (respectively)
  • Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina “Pop Marcellus Mass”
  • • Wrote secular music in his youth but later apologized and recanted for them
    • Composed over a hundred Masses
    • Since singing is considered such a powerful force in religion, societies have felt a need to control it carefully
    • Christianity has gone through periodic reforms to prune church services of musical features that came to be seen as extravagant
  • 16th century motet - a short composition with Latin words, made of short sections in the homophony and imitative polyphony
  • • Words are nearly always religious (sometimes taken directly from the Bible)
  • Secular music had the greatest impact of music being an ideal expression
  • New Italian genre around 1530 called madrigal
  • Madrigal - a short composition set to a one-stance poem (typically love), with rapid turnover of ideas and images. The main secular vocal genre of the Renaissance
  • Sung by one singer per part in an intimate setting, in imitative polyphony or homophony

Renaissance Music Overview

Step 1

Summarize the appeal of early music in this Folger Consort video

It does not require any knowledge to understand the music, you can listen to it with an open ear and not need to know any background. There is also a sense of mystery to it, since the music comes from a time period that is very far from our own modern times and music. It not only simulates a sense of adventure, but covers a vast period of time in our past. On top of all of this, all of the instruments from the time period have such a distinct and unique sound which intrigues individuals even more. One of the players states that he personally enjoys it since the music was crafted for this intimacy between performers, almost playing for each other while playing together.

Describe the timbres of the instruments heard in this Sackbut example

The Renaissance trombones played in this piece have the faintness of modern trombone sound in them, but since their bells appear to be smaller, they have a slightly different sound to them. They don't sound as brassy, and almost sound more like trumpets. There is almost a hollowness or distance to them when they perform, even when they reach much louder portions of the piece.

Step 2

Share your overall impression of Renaissance Music.

I really have enjoyed the Renaissance music a lot. It is very similar to the Medieval music, but has a stronger sense of familiarity to me. I definitely could find myself listening to or trying to learn some of the music from the Renaissance period, especially in comparison to the past unit's eras. Not to say that they are any bad, but I personally think that there is some magical feeling to the Renaissance music that I really enjoy.

How does Renaissance music sound similar to Medieval Music?

The secular music of Renaissance sounds very similar to the Medieval secular music (if not almost identical), there is a very fast tempo to it along with several instruments performing many different pitches. The sacred music has the same vocal-only essence to it, but the style is significantly different (explained later). In the textbook it stated that they heavily focused of the development and embellishment of the already-existent sacred music that was performed in Medieval times.

How does Renaissance music sound different from Medieval Music?

The biggest difference I have noticed is that there is a very strong difference in their sacred (or religious) music. In the Renaissance, they developed  imitative polyphony and homophony, which significantly stands out compared to Medieval sacred music. Rather than the monotonous tone being sung by several individuals, now there are several layers of differing pitches and rhythms within one song.

Step 3

How does Josquin Des Prez convey a happy cricket in his composition El Grillo?

Josquin Des Prez's composition El Grillo is a very fast-paced song, and in doing so helps contribute to sounding like a happy cricket. When picturing a happy cricket, I picture it hopping around and chirping a tiny bit, which is exactly what the music conveys. In areas such as 0:10, the notes jump from the Soprano and Alto to the Tenor and Bass(?). In having this jump, it simulates the image of the cricket jumping around. Areas such as 0:04 where there sounds like some sort of grace note that may not be pictured and the Alto and Tenor lines at 0:07 having the wavering effect simulate the cricket chirping. These are repeated throughout the whole piece as well, showcasing the cricket through the whole piece.

Step 4

Is this example Sacred or a Secular?

Sacred

What is the language of the text?

Latin

Is the texture monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic?

Polyphonic

Step 5

Describe the use of dynamics and antiphony demonstrated in Sonata pian e forte by Giovanni Gabrielli

In the beginning they are all playing quietly and in unison. The first group of horns start to separate, shortly followed by the other group almost copies the exact same melody. This is what antiphony is, almost if not very similar to a round. The very beginning is very quiet and peaceful, and then has an instant jump in dynamics around 0:52, and then proceeds to decrescendo. They then continue to play very quiet and it has almost a whimsical feeling to it. This style repeats throughout the piece, remaining primarily quiet with a few occasional jumps in dynamics. There is then a call-and-response section, which I believe showcases some forms of antiphony as well.

What are 3 musical clues/characteristics that identify it as being from the Renaissance Period?

1. Antiphony, as mentioned above, was especially significant in the Renaissance Period due to its religious ties as well as heavy use in Gregorian Chant.
2. Another prominent trait in Renaissance music is the texture of the music being in 4 or more parts, clearly displayed by the different melodies/harmonies and pitches played by the horns.
3. Lastly, music (especially religious music) never had instruments playing by themselves until around the Renaissance era, as we can see in this piece. Almost ever piece prior had some vocal accompaniment or melody (especially in religious music!!!).

Step 6

Use this Recorder Ensemble example by Merula to describe tempo and rhythm

Right off the bat, I can tell that the tempo is very fast (probably one of if not the fastest piece we've listened to in this class). Around 0:40 the tempo has a brief ritardando, then continues to pick up pace again. This piece also has very complex rhythms compared to previous pieces, using sixteenth notes and what sounds like a few grace notes in the piece. Listening to this clearly displays the advancements that music made compared to previous eras, especially the secular music and its complex rhythms. There aren't any complex meters yet, but the rhythms are far more advanced than they were before.

Step 7

Identify where individual motives and themes are first introduced and subsequently reappear

The flute starts playing the main melody line, and the vocalists join it repeating the same line at 0:20. They repeat the line again at 0:30 at a piano dynamic, then around 0:40 they enter again at more forte dynamic. The same melody line that starts in the beginning of the song by the whistle is repeated over and over again at different dynamics throughout the entire piece. The differences are showcased by dynamics as well as the polyphonic texture; having the vocals separate a tiny bit and harmonize as well.

Identify changes in dynamics and discuss the effect these changes create

There is a strong layering effect to this piece, starting with only a drum and then adding a whistle and finally vocals. As I mentioned above, the vocalists are around a mezzo-forte dynamic when they start their melody, repeat at a piano dynamic in 0:30, and immediately jump to forte around 0:40. These dynamic changes not only add color, but keep you on your toes. Instead of being predictable and repeating the same line over and over again with no differences, it adds a spice to the music.

Describe changes in texture in Month of Maying as monophonic, homophonic and/or polyphonic

Briefly monophonic then polyphonic

Step 8 

Provide a brief narrative about Greensleeves

Greensleeves is a piece with a lot of mystery in its origin. It is a piece with a beautiful vocal line, accompanied by a string instrument (nowadays the guitar, compared to the Renaissance which was probably on a lute). There is the talk of Italian style, Chinese origins, and coming from Henry VIII's court. The piece is one that is very frequently heard, and one that I knew even before knowing the name. I have personally always loved the beauty of the piece, and am happy to finally know the name.

Background & History

The song is written in (based on) an Italian style of composition, so it complicates the theory of the songs origin. It is said that the song entered England after Henry's death, flawing the theory that it is composed by Henry VIII for his lover and future queen, Anne Boleyn. She rejected his initial advances, which is probably what hints at the ideas described in the "meaning and verses" section below.

Meaning & Verses

There are several interpretations, mostly debating whether or not the woman described is a prostitute. In the time of this song, the word "green" had sexual connotations, such as having grass stains on your dress after sexual intercourse. The alternative meaning is that individuals misinterpreted the meaning of her clothing, and the woman in not as sexually.... involved (oh lord) as she is assumed to be, especially due to her rejection of the singer's advances.

Variations of Sacred & Secular

The vast majority of versions of Greensleeves are secular pieces, used for people's entertainment or used one-on-one (Henry VIII and his lover). There are a small amount of sacred variations, such as ones used in Christmas texts or song books. Obviously, they changed the lyrics so it is not as scandalous as it is rumored to be.

Period Research

Step 1

1.  Provide approximate dates for the Renaissance punctuated with notable world/historical events

The beginning of the Renaissance is marked by individuals trying to recreate models of Ancient Greek and Rome. The Renaissance is said to be between the 14th and 17th century, and is marked by events such as the philosophy of humanism and the development of the movable printing press in 1450. The Renaissance started in Italy, with influencers such as the Medici family, bringing us 4 popes and financing the humanities and arts; and migrated to the rest of Europe. A large portion of recognizable names came out of the Renaissance period, such as: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, William Shakespeare, Nicolaus Copernicus, and Galileo Galilei. As we enter the end of the 16th century, we see the Age of Exploration and sailing discoveries from people such as Christopher Columbus. Religion maintained importance as the Catholic Church began to decline. Instead, new religions and ideals were being explored, such as the Protestant religion with Martin Luther. We saw iconic art pieces such as the Mona Lisa, The Virgin of the Rocks, and The Last Supper. The most common subjects for art were the Virgin Mary and ecclesiastical rituals. The decline of the Renaissance was showcased in the 1500s after the discovery of the Americas. Italy faced several crises such as being taken over by the Spanish army and the Protestant Church growth in Germany. In response, the Catholic Church decided on the Inquisition, which arrested every individual that contradicted the teaching of the Catholic Church (such as scholars, artists, and scientists) in Italy.

2.  Provide examples of how technological advances effected the development of music during the Renaissance

In the Renaissance period, there were advancements in furnaces and forges, which probably assisted in the development and making of brass instruments. Although the printing press was probably not as relevant to music due to it printing texts, its creation in the Renaissance is still significant. The printing press helped drastically increase the literacy and speed of learning for individuals, and there were probably texts produced about music as well. This also helped in the Protestant Reformation, which shaped the development of music and its style.

Step 2 

Link to google slide presentation

Songs from the Labyrinth

Step 1

Provide a description regarding this project

Sting was strongly interested in the music of John Dowland, one of the most important composers of the Elizabethan era. He paired with Edin Karamazov, a lutenist, and Sting's interest in Dowland's compositions even more. Together they decided to pair together and not only perform but record a CD of his compositions, exposing Sting/pop fans to become interested in the music. Although he is not the most classical-performer, individuals believe that he has done a pretty good job at giving the compositions justice.

Provide a bit of trivia regarding John Dowland

John Dowland was an English (pop) singer, lutenist, and Renaissance composer. According to Sting, he is one of the first famous pop singers in history. He has received large portions of popularity in his melancholy pieces, as well as in the 20th century revival of his music and books for lutenists and guitarists. Apparently he also was accused of treason since he was thought to have only been a court musician, but then travelled to Italy in hopes of meeting and studying with a famous composer.

Step 2

How did Sting/Eden manipulate the original Rock version to emulate the Renaissance Period? 

They played it on different instruments that are from the Renaissance period, which makes it sound very different immediately from the original. The style it is played in has more accents and pitches in the lute/guitar part, and the vocals have more phrasing and dynamic changes within singular lyrics and phrases. The tempo of the entire piece is much slower than the original, giving it a more laidback and Renaissance feeling to it. At the very beginning, the expression and phrasing of everything made it come off as a different language for a brief moment, but I realized that after a few moments that it was in English.

Step 3

1. If you were asked to set these lyrics to music, what choices would you make about tempo, dynamics, tonality, texture, form, mood, timbre, etc.?

I would set this to a very depressing, deep tone throughout almost the entire thing. When it starts to talk about the cheerful light, I would have it crescendo a bit and start to switch into some major rather than minor chords, but hit 'em with a change back to depressing stuff and start to get slightly quieter and darker as it starts to talk about tombs and death (since that seems fitting). The tempo would not be fast at all, around 70bpm or less. The most preferable vocal timbre would be a lower female or slightly higher male voice.

2.  What choices did John Dowland make in his setting of In Darkness let me Dwell?

In Sting's performance of John Dowland's In Darkness let me Dwell, the piece is very slow and dark. Each syllable and word is drawn out, and in between each line is usually some form of melody played in the lute part. It is in a minor key, there are a few occasional licks in the lute that sound remotely major, but I'm not 100% sure if it is or not.

3.  How did his musical choices differ from yours?

The performance by Sting is very similar to how my mind pictured the piece, but there are some big differences. The choices in tempo are so much slower than what I pictured, and it does not really have any major chords or vibes to it compared to the amount of minor there is in the piece. I pictured it being a bit faster, and definitely a bit more cheerful in some parts to provide some deceptiveness.

4.  Were there any similarities and if so, what were they?

A similar voice obviously, and the very depressing sounding tone to it. The tempo was almost exactly the same, and the quietness of it is definitely similar to how I picture it. I do like how this was made, but I definitely would like to see a version like how I pictured it and compare the two side-by-side and see which one each person prefers.

Step 4

Pair and Share the outcome of your step 3 creation

1.  Who was your partner?

Anna Freebern

2.  Describe their musical choices compared to yours.  Similarities?  Differences?

We both have almost the entire relative idea of how we wanted the piece to sound, having some more uplifting parts, but staying minor and relatively slow. I think she definitely pictured it being happier and a bit quicker than my piece, but we both have the same idea there. She has a more wispy voice though, whereas I have a more darker voice singing the piece. She also stated that she'd have more plucking and a polyphonic sound, whereas I was picturing just the 2 solo instruments like Dowland has it.

HONORS TRACK

Can Sting come out and play?

1.  Title, Length, Copyright  Date, Creators & Actors

Songs of the Labyrinth by Sting and Edin Karamazov. Length: 48:27. No displayed copyright. It was released on October 10th, 2006. The pieces are composed by John Dowland.

2.  Brief Summary of the Viewing Material to include 3-5 quotes/passages(include time stamp)

This documentary piece is about Sting and his journey in recreating John Dowland's pieces. Sting stated that the pieces were "haunting (him) for 20 years" but he "couldn't really see (himself) singing them." (3:56). Eventually, he met Edin Karamazov and they discussed that they should perform something together. Before Sting could even finish, "I just said John Dowland." (Edin, 10:02). A large portion of Dowland's popularity comes from his melancholy pieces, and Sting states that: "Melancholy comes about self-reflection, and it's not exactly a bad thing." (14:40) This is showcased in Dowland's ability to take this feeling and bring it into play in his work. A lot of research had to go into this process of learning about Dowland and discovering he is a very mysterious individual. It is definitely a fun and educational documentary.

3.  Please answer the following

    •    Describe your thoughts, feelings and/or emotional response to the DVD.

I really appreciated this DVD/documentary and really gained some inspiration from it. Although Sting stated that he did not see himself singing these pieces and some critics afterwards stated that it was not the best, he continued to make this entire album and thoroughly enjoyed himself. They delve into the emotional aspects of the pieces and why they are so powerful in the Renaissance era. It really made me appreciate this album a lot more, even if I don't believe it is one of the best ones out there.

    •    What was the most important insight you gained?

Despite String's love for John Dowland, he did not believe he had the ability to sing the pieces. The amount of encouragement he received from others lead to him eventually performing and recording the pieces. This was very inspiring for me, seeing that he did not believe he should perform something he loved since he was so passionate about it, but after some encouragement caused him to not only record the CD but perform concerts of the pieces. This made me realize that even when I put myself down, I really should allow myself to listen to others and push myself forwards rather than backwards.

    •    What surprised you the most?

The story of the labyrinth and how the one engraved on the lute lead to the naming of the album. My brain only associated the title with the movie, so seeing Sting rather than Bowie was a bit of a surprise earlier. I appreciated Dominic Miller's story of how he would reluctantly follow Sting in the labyrinth and despite disliking it, having the payoff of always getting "there". This is also an inspirational piece for me, but the idea of going from discouraging yourself to creating such beautiful work is so inspiring for me.

    •    What did you already know?

I knew a bit about John Dowland and Sting's covering of the piece due to the previous questions in this unit, but prior to today I knew nothing about this at all. Besides that, I knew nothing like the idea behind the name of the labyrinth and how it was relevant to this at all.

    •    In what ways might you be able to apply this material to your musical interests?

I believe I can apply this material to my musical interests by allowing myself to open up to new genres or ideas and allow others' opinions to more heavily impact my playing. After these past few units I have been very tempted to delve into playing music from these time periods, and seeing Sting do it shows me that anyone from any genre or musical style can step out of their comfort zone to try and perform a genre that they love and isn't exactly their usual style.