Chapter 3: Secular Music

GET BOOKS TODAYGet in your presentation groups and discuss the

following topic. Be prepared to present your group’s thoughts/ideas to the class at 10:35:

Why was Leonardo da Vinci considered the epitome of the Renaissance Man? Would it be possible for

someone today to match his achievements? Explain.

VOCAL MUSIC

• Secular vocal music increasingly popular– Set to poems in Italian, French, Spanish, German,

Dutch, English– Printed music made performing it a leisure activity– Every educated person expected to play an

instrument and read notation– Written for groups of solo voices or solo voice with

accompaniment of instruments

VOCAL MUSIC

• Secular vocal music more popular– Text painting common– Composers imitated natural sounds like bird

calls, street cries.

Vocal Music cont…

• Renaissance Madrigal– For several voices set to a short poem– Usually about love– Like a motet, it combines homophonic and

polyphonic textures– Word painting, unusual harmonies– Originated in Italy around 1520– Published by the thousands in 16th. c. Italy

Vocal Music cont…

– Sung by cultivated aristocrats– 1588: after defeat of the Spanish Armada, a

volume of translated Italian madrigals was published in London.

• Triggered spurt of madrigal writing by English comp.

• Same time as Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare• Golden age of both English music AND literature,

but originated in Italy

LISTENING TO MADRIGAL

– As Vesta Was Descending (1601)Thomas Weelkes – one of the first English madrigalists

– See books pg. 112

Vocal Music cont…

• Renaissance Ballett (Fa-La)– Simpler than madrigal, dance-like– For several solo voices– Homophonic (a contrast to most Ren.

music), melody in highest voice– Same music repeated for each verse/stanza,

syllables “fa-la” used as refrain– Also originated in Italy, cultivated in England

LISTENING TO BALLETT

– Now Is the Month of Maying (1595)Thomas Morley

– See books pg. 113

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

• Early 1500’s: inst. music was largely adapted from vocal music.

• Harpsichord, organ, luteLute – plucked stringinstrument with body shaped like half a pear

• Late 1500’s (16th c.): more music written specifically for inst.

• Mostly intended for dancing (common pass time)– Everyone expected to know how, taught by

professional dance masters– Popular dances:

• pavane or passamezzo (duple meter)• Galliard (triple meter)

Instrumental Music, cont…

• musicians distinguished between loud, outdoor instruments like trumpet, and shawm (ancestor of oboe), and soft, indoor inst. like lute and recorder.

• Other inst. of the Renaissance– Cornett – wooden,

cup-shaped mouthpiece

– Sackbut – early trombone

– Viols – pretty obvious– Regals (small organ with reed pipes)

• Passamezzo and Galliard from Terpsichore– Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)– From collection of over 300 dances

– Passamezzo (or pavane) – stately dance in duple meter

• This recording includes bowed strings, plucked strings, woodwinds, brasses, keyboard ints., timpani.

• 3 sections (abc), each immediately repeated louder, with more instruments (a a’ b b’ c c’)

– Galliard – carefree dance in triple meter• Same melody as our passamezzo, more upbeat• Smaller ensemble: bowed strings, plucked strings,

woodwinds, harpsichord• 3 short sections, each ending with a cadence and

brief pause, then repeated more fully (just like pavane)

– But then, each section is repeated in succession at the end.

– a a’ b b’ c c’ a’ b’ c’

• Renaissance Pavane• <iframe width="420" height="345"

src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hVBlFUb0g60" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

VOCABULARY REVIEW• Renaissance• Individualism• “Universal man”• Humanism• Realism• Linear Perspective• Text Painting/Word Painting• Imitation• Consonance/Dissonance• A cappella• Motet• Mass

– Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei

• Josquin Desprez• Imitation• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

• Protestant Reformation• Counter-Reformation• Council of Trent• Madrigal• Thomas Weelkes• Ballett• Thomas Morley• Pavane/Passamezzo• Galliard• Lute• Cornett• Sackbut• Shawm• Recorder• Regal• Michael Praetorius

UNIT III PRESENTATIONS

Technology: Movable Type Printing Press, Gutenberg Bible

KalynJulianBlakeJacob

Religion: Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation

DominiquePhilAlecBilal

Exploration: Columbus, da Gama, MagellanKierynClaireChris

Taimoor

Art: da Vinci, Michelangelo, RaphaelEmmaAaronSamiRyan

Literature: William ShakespeareAnna

AndrewNathan

Nick