Music of the Renaissance Period (1400 – 1600)


Music of the Renaissance Period (1400 – 1600)

 The term ―Renaissance‖ comes from the word ―renaitre‖ which means “rebirth‖, ―revival‖, and ―rediscovery‖. The Renaissance Period is a period of of ―looking back‖ to the Golden Age of Greece and Rome. The invention of printing in the 1400’s paved the way for a wide distribution of renaissance compositions. With the emergence of the bourgeois class, renaissance music became popular as entertainment and activity for amateurs and the educated. Lute was the prominent instrument of the renaissance era. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church started to decline as the new music genre arose. Though sacred music was still of great importance, secular music became more prominent in the renaissance period. This era was also known as the ―golden age‖ of a capella choral music. Other historical facts during this era is the discovery of the actual position of earth in the solar system by Copernicus, the invention of compass creating a wider navigation not only of the lands but also of the oceans, and Martin Luther’s Protestant reformation.

Characteristics of Renaissance Music:
· Mostly polyphonic
· Imitation among the voices is common
· Use of word painting in texts and music
· Melodic lines move in a flowing manner
· Melodies are easier to perform because these move along a scale with a few large leaps

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