2. The Renaissance Spirit
• human destiny; secularization
• printing, explorations
• focus on human form in art
• musicians in the court, church, civic life
• little musical influence from the new world
• Renaissance style:
– a cappella
– polyphonic
– cantus firmus
– word painting
3. TIMELINE
• C. 1400-1474 Guiullaume Dufay
– Master of the Burgundian school
– Skilled in sacred and secular music
• Dufay’s “L’homme arme” Mass
– cantus-firmus Mass
– based on a popular song from the 15th century
– There were at least 31 Mass-settings based on the L'homme armé melody in the
Renaissance period.
• L'homme, l'homme, l'homme arme, l'homme arme,
• L'homme arme doibt on doubter, doibt on doubter.
• On a fait par tout crier,
• Que chascun se viegne armer, d'un haubregon de fer.
• L'homme, l'homme, l'homme arme, l'homme arme,
• L'homme arme doibt on doubter, doibt on doubter.
• 'Fear the armed man; word has gone out that everyone should arm himself with a
haubregon (a sleeveless coat of mail) of iron'
• 4-voice Missa L’homme armé Kyrie
4. Timeline
• 1430-1495 Rule of the Medici family
• C. 1450-1521 Josquin des Prez
– Born in Hainault, Belgium
– Flemish school
– One of the greatest composers of all time
– Most of his compositions were published during his lifetime
– Sacred works are contrapuntal
– Secular works are homophonic
– 19 Masses, 100 Motets, 70 Chansons
• Josquin: “Ave Maria. . .virgo serena”
– cantus-firmus Mass
– 5-note ostinato
5. Renaissance Sacred Music
• 1452-1519 Leonardo da Vinci
• 1483-1546 Martin Luther
• Renaissance Motet
– sacred
– Latin
– often dedicated to the Virgin
• Josquin des Prez: Motet: De profundis clamavi ad te
• 1545 Council of Trent and music:
– Abolished tropes, sequences, secular canti firmi
– Determined to stop the wave of secularization
– Nearly banned all polyphonic settings of liturgical
music and return to plainsong
7. Giovanni Pierluigi Da Palestrina
• The most famous composer of
his day
• Laid to rest in St. Peters
• The “Prince of Music”
• Born in 1525 near the town of
Palestrina
– Musical training in Rome at
Santa Maria Maggiore
– Appointed organist at age 19 in
the cathedral of Palestrina
– Married in 1547
• Cardinal del Monte became
Pope Julius III in 1550 and
brought Palestrina to Rome
8. Palestrina in Rome
• 1550 - became the Maestro of the Cappella Giulia,
one of the two musical units of St. Peters (the Sistine
Chapel Choir was the other)
• 1554 - Published compositions
• 1555 - Admitted to the Cappella Sistina
– Palestrina was married (forbidden to members)
– Palestrina was appointed on the orders of the Pope without
examination and without the consent of the singers
9. Trouble for Palestrina
• Three months later Pope Julius died and was
• Succeeded by Pope Marcellus II, who died three
weeks later. He was
• Succeeded by Pope Paul IV who defended the
Counter-Reformation and forced Palestrina and some
others who were married to leave their positions
• Pope Paul IV
10. Palestrina Moves on to
• Other positions
– Maestro di Cappella at St. John the
Lateran
– Returned to Santa Maria Maggiore
– Hired by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este
– Returned to Cappella Giulia
– Finally returned to St. Peter’s
11. Personal
• 1570s - plague caused the death of his
brother, two sons, and his wife
• 1581 - married Virginia Dormoli, a wealthy
widow, and Palestrina was now free from
financial worries
• Palestrina is considered to be one of three
great masters of the late Renaissance
– William Byrd
– Orlandus Lassus
– Palestrina
12. The Counter-Reformation
• Decree on Church Music by the Council
of Trent on September 10, 1562
• the elimination of all themes of reminiscent of, or resembling, secular
music;
• the rejection of musical forms
and elaborations tending to
mutilate or obscure the
liturgical text.
15. The Renaissance
• C. 1525-1594 Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina
– Considered the greatest master of Renaissance Catholic music
– Director of the Cappella Giulia at the Vatican
– Noted for his perfection of a purely vocal style, known as the
a cappella style
– Palestrina’s Pope Marcellus Mass is the model of pure Catholic
music
• Palestrina: “Pope Marcellus Mass” - Gloria
– Counter-reformation Mass
– emphasizing text declamation
16. The Renaissance
• C. 1557-1612
Giovanni Gabrieli
• C. 1557-1612 Giovanni Gabrieli
– Nephew and pupil of Andrea
Gabrieli
– Greatest composer of the
Venetian school
– St. Mark’s Cathedral
– One of the first to write for
combined voices and
instruments
– First to develop
orchestration
– First to indicate
varied dynamics
• Sonata Pian’ e Forte
17. The Renaissance
• C. 1560-1613 Don Carlo Gesualdo
– Italian madrigalist
– Represents the extreme of chromaticism
– Indicates a growing awareness of the
strength of musical expression
– Carlo Gesualdo: Madrigal:
“lo parto” e non piu dissi
18. Renaissance Secular Music
• Rise of amateur music making
• Burgundian chanson, fixed forms:
– rondeau, ballade, virelai
• 16th century chanson
– freer texts and forms
• Instrumental dance types
– pavane, gilliard, allemande, ronde
20. Renaissance Listening
• The Italian madrigal
– short, lyrical love poem, set with word painting
– works for professional singers
– Claudio Monteverdi: Madrigal: Cruda Amarilli
• The English madrigal
– adopted from Italy, preferred lighter forms
– Farmer: Madrigal: Fair Phyllis
21. More Renaissance? Listening
– PDQ Bach:
The Queen to Me a Royal Pain Doth Give
– PDQ Bach:
My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth