Renaissance Music: From Ars Nova to Madrigals
Renaissance Music
Ars Nova (14th-16th Centuries)
Bridging the gap between the late medieval period and the Renaissance, Ars Nova is characterized by a new expressiveness in music. A key figure is Guillaume de Machaut, known for works like the Mass of Notre Dame and secular ballads. The Vermell Book, a collection of songs sung by pilgrims on their way to Montserrat, exemplifies the Spanish Ars Nova.
Early Polyphony
From the 6th to 12th centuries, early polyphony emerged with forms like organum and discantus. The Ars Antiqua (12th-13th centuries) saw the rise of the School of Paris (composers like Pérotin and Léonin) and the School of Santiago. New polyphonic systems like clausulae, conductus, and motet developed.
Tomás Luis de Vitoria (1548-1611)
Born in Ávila, Spain, Tomás Luis de Vitoria studied in Rome before returning to Madrid. He served as chaplain to the Spanish royalty. His notable works include the Book of Masses and the Requiem Mass.
Religious Monody (7th-9th Centuries)
This period saw the development of new musical forms like organum, influenced by Hebrew and Greco-Roman cultures. Gregorian chant, a key element of religious monody, is characterized by:
- Modal scales
- Free rhythm
- Monophonic texture
- Latin text
Forms of Gregorian chant include stanzas, psalms, liturgical recitations, monologues, and dialogues. The Ordinary of the Mass consists of the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus et Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. Gregorian notation evolved through four stages: adiastematic, diastematic, notation on schedule, and square notation.
Secular Monody
Bards, traveling performers, transmitted secular monody orally, leading to variations in the works. Themes included love (courtly love and songs of friendship), chivalry, the Crusades, and religious songs (like the Cantigas de Santa Maria by Alfonso X). Regional variations in performers included:
- Minstrels (Aquitaine)
- Trouvères (Northern France)
- Minnesingers (Bavaria and Austria)
- Meistersingers (Northern Germany)
Musical forms of secular monody include the litany, sequence, hymn, and rondeau.
Instrumental Music
Renaissance instrumental music falls into four categories:
- Adaptations of vocal music (canzona, ricercare)
- Dance music (pavan, galliard)
- Improvisational forms (fantasia, toccata)
- Variations
Key composers include Girolamo Merulo and Giovanni Gabrieli, who developed a distinct instrumental style in Venice. Keyboard instruments (organ, harpsichord) and lute were prominent.
Religious Polyphony
The Council of Trent influenced religious music, emphasizing polyphony and excluding secular elements. Important schools of religious polyphony include:
- Franco-Flemish: Composers like Guillaume Dufay (motets, cyclic masses), Jacob Obrecht, and Josquin des Prez.
- Italian: The Roman School (Palestrina, known for the Pope Marcellus Mass) and the Venetian School.
- English: Shifted to English texts after the separation from the Catholic Church.
- French: Influenced by Calvin’s reforms, emphasizing vernacular psalm settings.
- Spanish: Juan del Encina and Tomás Luis de Vitoria adhered to the Council of Trent’s guidelines.
- German: Linked to Protestantism, with simple melodies and German texts.
Secular Polyphony: Madrigal and Chanson
The madrigal, a key Renaissance form, is a descriptive, expressive polyphonic work for four or five voices, often performed a cappella. It explored human emotions and experiences, particularly in courtly settings. The madrigal evolved through early (1530-1550), classic (1550-1580), and late (1580-1620) phases.
The chanson, a major French genre for four voices, was influenced by the madrigal in the 16th century. The carol, a popular form with a chorus and verses, flourished in Spain.