Ch. 5 Genres of Renaissance Music

Chapter 5 The Genres of Renaissance Music, 1420–1520 History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-1 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Vocal Music Principal genres: Mass and motet Cantus firmus technique supplanted isorhythm as chief structural device in large-scale vocal works History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-2 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Vocal Music The Mass: Du Fay and Ockeghem Emergence of cyclic Mass – a cycle of all movements of the Mass Ordinary integrated by common cantus firmus or other musical device History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-3 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Vocal Music The Mass: Du Fay and Ockeghem Guillaume Du Fay credited with six complete settings of the Mass – Missa Se la face ay pale written c. 1450 First mass by any composer based on a cantus firmus from a secular source One of first masses in which tenor – line carrying cantus firmus – is not lowest voice History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-4 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 The Mass: Du Fay and Ockeghem Johannes Ockeghem’s Missa prolationum Almost every movement has each voice with its own mensuration When all four voices are present, so are all four basic mensurations (“prolations”) – hence the name of the Mass History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-5 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Vocal Music Sacred Vocal Music The Mass: Josquin des Prez and His Contemporaries Josquin’s Masses defined by one of four structural techniques: 1. Cantus firmus 2. Canon 3. Imitation (or parody) 4. Paraphrase History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-6 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Vocal Music The Motet Prayer text set to music Written to fulfill one of three principal functions: liturgical, devotional, occasional History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-7 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Secular Vocal Music Much of it never committed to writing History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-8 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Secular Vocal Music Chanson Showed move from layered to more homogeneous texture Showed rhythmic equalization of parts Showed increasing use of pervading imitation as principal structural device History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-9 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Secular Vocal Music Frottola In 1480s, native composers set texts in their own language once again Texts included freely structured poems Poetry tended to be lighthearted and often sarcastic or ironic History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-10 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Secular Vocal Music Frottola Chordal textures and lively, dancelike rhythms Frequent use of syncopation and hemiola (brief passage of duple-meter rhythms within triple-meter context) Harmonic progressions often simple History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-11 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 The instrument as a voice. The illustration shows two singers and three recorder players reading from part books. This kind of ensemble was typical in its day: instruments routinely substituted for voices or doubled them. The singer at the right, in fact, holds a sopranino recorder in his left hand, ready to move back to his instrument at any moment. History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-12 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Performers routinely played from memory and often improvised Notated vocal works easily adapted on variety of instruments History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-13 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments Musicians inherited and expanded the rich variety of instruments used during the medieval era History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-14 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments – Keyboard Organ expanded steadily in size, range of pitches, number of pipes, and variety of timbres Smaller portative (portable) organ popular for use in home Larger instruments, known as positive organs, rested on floor or on table History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-15 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments – Keyboard Portable, quiet clavichord evolved out of monochord in early 15th century Typical Renaissance harpsichord is single-manual (single-keyboard) instrument of four octaves with double stringing Virginal and spinet were generally limited to single set of strings and jacks and single keyboard History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-16 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments – String Lute was most common plucked stringed instrument Related instruments to lute include vihuela, guitar, cittern, bandore (pandora), orpharion History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-17 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments – String Viol and violin families emerged in late 15th century Viols distinguishable from violins by sloped shoulders, flat backs, fretted fingerboards, and six strings History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-18 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments – String In general, viols softer because force of bow on string reduced by no sound bar or sound post and underhand bowing Violin, viola, and cello were bowed overhand and strings exerted more pressure on bridge producing greater volume with more penetrating attack History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-19 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments – Winds and Percussion Recorders evolved from earlier pipe instruments with addition of thumbhole on upper back of instrument Shawm and crumhorn remained the principal double-reed instruments History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-20 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments – Winds and Percussion Most brass instruments limited to natural harmonics of a single note – determined by the shape of player’s lips (embouchure) Straight trumpet – a single, long instrument – began to be doubled back on itself History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-21 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Renaissance Instruments – Winds and Percussion Percussion instruments included drums, cymbals, tambourines, triangles, wooden xylophones Psaltery (hammered dulcimer) also a favorite domestic instrument History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-22 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Renaissance forerunners of the bassoon. Shown includes examples of the sordun (lengthwise across the bottom), various varieties of the curtal (numbered 2–7), and rackets of different shapes and sizes (8–9). The only remaining modern descendants of these various instruments are the bassoon and double bassoon. History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-23 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Instrumental Ensembles Great deal of instrumental music originally written for voices, and performers distributed instrumentation on basis of range Small ensembles of matched instruments (consorts) were often used such as a set of four recorders, crumhorns or viols History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-24 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Instrumental Music Dance Music Dance music was rarely committed to writing Performers typically worked from memory by embellishing new lines above standard bass patterns History of Music in Western Culture, 4e 5-25 © 2014 Education, Inc. By Mark Evans Bonds Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458