2.+The+Renaissance



**HISTORICAL THEMES**

**A rebirth of Classical learning**  The rediscovery and reevaluation of writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans suggested a "rebirth". Nineteenth-century historians seized on the idea to create our present image of "The Renaissance".

 **The gradual change from the feudal system to the modern state**  Starting in northern Italy, the hierarchical state -- led by either the urban bourgeoisie or despotic nobles -- replaced the fluid and often chaotic feudal system of the Middle Ages. For this reason, some historians refer to the Renaissance as the Early Modern Era.

 **A change in the views of the earth and the cosmos**  Christopher Columbus (1451?-1506) and Ferdinand Magellan (c.1480-1521) expanded Europe's view of the world. The astronomical studies of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) -- later championed by Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) -- called into question the old earth-centered view of the universe.

**MUSICAL CONTEXT**

 **Increased Interest in Humanist Learning**

**Increased Patronage of Music** **Territorial Expansion and Increased Wealth**
 * The arts became an important measure of learning and culture.
 * Music moved from the science of number to an expressive art viewed as an equal to rhetoric.
 * The rise and rapid spread of music printing increased access to music and books about music.
 * The rich courts and civic governments of the Renaissance supported music to a degree not previously seen.
 * This level of musical support was also provided by the religious institutions of the day.
 * As a result of colonial expansion, great wealth flowed into European cities and courts.
 * Travel and the resulting musical exchange became a driving force for the creation of a more international musical style.

**MUSICAL STYLE**

**The composers of the Renaissance concerned themselves with three different areas of music:** **All three types of music share many musical features:**
 * Sacred music: Composers continued to work with the older forms such as the motet and Mass. It is in this music that we find the clearest international style.
 * Secular music: Composers created new forms that reflected national trends, such as the Italian madrigal and the French//chanson//.
 * Instrumental music: The rise of music printing encouraged the spread of instrumental music for amateurs, and more specific types emerged.
 * The use of four-voice choirs or groups of like-sounding instruments (consorts)
 * //Imitative or homorhythmic textures// (often alternating within a single piece).
 * Smooth, gentle rhythms.
 * Melodies with balanced phrases.
 * Harmonies that use full triads.
 * Vocal forms tied to structure of texts. Dances based on simple binary forms.