Renaissance Music: Sacred, Secular, and Instrumental Forms
Religious Music in the Counter-Reformation (16th Century)
The musical Renaissance in Italy culminated with the Council of Trent and the prominent figure of Palestrina. The Council of Trent aimed to create a musical art form that would serve as a defense against heresy, characterized by four qualities:
- Elimination of all profane aspects from the music.
- Music should serve the text.
- Use of Latin to easily reach the ear.
- The song should not provide mere satisfaction to the ear.
Thus, the Council of Trent significantly influenced music, much like it did with Michelangelo’s paintings and Vignola’s architecture. Palestrina was the key figure responsible for shaping this new musical style. His music is characterized by:
- An atmosphere filled with religious and spiritual sentiment.
- A clear polyphony that recites the text without confusion.
- A music full of plastic beauty, akin to Raphael’s paintings.
Schools and Composers of the Renaissance
Flemish School: Orlando de Lasso
Orlando de Lasso, along with Josquin des Prez, stands as a highly representative composer of the Flemish School. He masterfully embraced musical internationalism.
Roman School: Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina is the most representative composer of the Roman School. He held the esteemed position of Kapellmeister and director of the Sistine Chapel.
Venetian School
The Venetian School is distinguished by two primary characteristics:
- Venice saw the emergence of music for two choirs, which would later merge.
- An increase in the number of voices and the use of double choirs.
Spanish School: Morales, Guerrero, and Victoria
The 16th century also marked the golden age of Spanish music. Cristóbal de Morales was a prominent figure in the first half of the century. Francisco Guerrero‘s work is imbued with tenderness, compassion, and lyricism. Tomás Luis de Victoria is often referred to as the “prince” of Spanish polyphony.
Key Musical Instruments of the Renaissance
Lute
The lute was the favored instrument of the Renaissance. It featured a half-pear-shaped body with an elongated neck, a rosette in the center, and a folded-back headstock. Depending on its size, it was called an archlute or theorbo. The lute was a reliable companion for any dance or song.
Vihuela
The vihuela was a typical Spanish instrument of the time. Its body was flat, like a guitar, and it had a shorter neck.
Organ
The organ underwent significant improvements, such as the introduction of the pedal and dual keyboards. Antonio de Cabezón, a prodigious organist and chamber musician for Charles I and Philip II, was its most famous representative.
Musical Forms of the Renaissance
Romance
The romance is a polyphonic form based on themes from ancient Spanish ballads. It consists of four musical phrases corresponding to the four lines of each stanza.
Carol
The carol is a musical form of popular, secular origin. It comprises three parts: chorus, verse, and chorus.
Salad
The salad is an eclectic polyphonic genre that mixes various styles, including the madrigal, popular song, carol, romance, and dance. It incorporates a bit of everything, hence its name, “salad.”
Choral
The Lutheran choral is a sacred song adopted by Luther. It was harmonized with several voices and featured a rhythm of long, regular values with a characteristic rest at the end of each sentence. Bach brought it to its peak.
Pavana
The pavana is a Renaissance dance originating from the city of Padua (Pavia).
Fantasy
The fantasy is a musical piece based on imagination, either entirely or derived from a given melody.
Polyphony in the 15th Century: Features and Schools
At the end of the 15th century, a reaction emerged against the simplicity and perceived defects of the “new art.” The Hundred Years’ War in France led to a decline in French musical hegemony, shifting the focus from France and Italy to England, Burgundy, and Flanders. Princely chapels were established, attracting the finest musical artists in Europe. These chapels soon expanded to include instrumentalists. Generally, instrumental music was essentially vocal music without text, with some embellishments or colorations. The Flemish masters based their works on imitative canon and developed a prodigious technique of counterpoint and imitation. In response to these techniques, the second half of the 16th century witnessed a return to simplicity. The seriousness of Franco-Flemish art contrasted with the refined and gallant style of Burgundy. The former emphasized cathedral schools rather than the palate.
Two generations of authors are distinguished within the Franco-Flemish school: one represented by Guillaume Dufay and Gilles Binchois. Dufay cultivated the motet and mass, particularly during his time in Rome at the papal chapel. The second generation included musicians of great stature, such as Johannes Ockeghem, Jacob Obrecht, and, above all, Josquin des Prez. His motets, masses, and chansons are particularly noteworthy. Franco-Flemish musicians continued to be influential in Italy, including Heinrich Isaac and Alexander Agricola.
In 15th-century Spain, music held great importance in the court of Alfonso V the Magnanimous of Naples and in the chronicles of the kings of Castile.
While religious polyphony prevailed in the late 15th century, secular forms experienced greater development. In the religious realm, the Gregorian Mass remained prominent, but the motet underwent changes.
Main Compositional Techniques of Renaissance Music
Imitative Counterpoint
Imitative counterpoint involves presenting a brief melody in one voice and immediately repeating it in another voice.
Cantus Firmus Technique
In the cantus firmus technique, one voice sings a melody while the others weave a polyphonic fabric around it.
Variation Technique
The variation technique involves repeating a subject with modifications.