The Renaissance Period

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The Renaissance Period The Renaissance, which literally means “rebirth” in French, saw movement and change in many different spheres of cultural activity as Europe began to rediscover and identify with its Greco-Roman heritage. The natural sciences (in particular astronomy) began advancing at a rapid pace, and some philosophers began to discuss secular humanism as a valid system. The discovery of the American continents by European navigators resulted in the first widespread speculations of international law and began a crisis of consci ence over human rights that would haunt the West for centuries to come. In particular, however, the Renaissance is remembered for a great a flourishing of the Arts. Secular instrumental music (for early instruments like shawms, crumhorns, and sackbuts) became increasingly popular during this period and composers began to write it down for the first time. The polyphonic madrigal became very popular in England thanks to composers like John Dowland and William Byrd. The motet, a three-part polyphonic composition written for voices or instruments, became popular around this time as well. Despite the increase in secularism, it was still within a religious context that the Renaissance arts truly thrived. Renaissance popes (corrupt as they were) were great patrons of such artists as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Gianlorenzo Bernini. Composers of church music expanded polyphony to six, eight, or even ten interwoven parts. The masses of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Tomás Luis de Victoria, and Orlando di Lasso in particular remain some of the most beautiful music ever composed. This polyphonic style was also used by the French composer Josquin des Prez, who wrote both sacred and secular music. The Renaissance Period at a Glance New Genres New Techniques New Media Composers Madrigals, motets, Polyphonic techniques Choirs were expanded to include John Dowland, polyphonic masses expanded for up to ten women. Composers began to William Byrd, simultaneous parts. write down music for early Palestrina, Victoria, Di instruments. Lasso, Des Prez Important Terms Madrigal – a usually upbeat polyphonic composition for vocal ensemble from England Motet – a three-part polyphonic piece for voices or instruments, can be sacred or secular Mass – the central worship service in most Christian churches; musically, a suite consisting of five movements called the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei (named after the first words of the text for each movement) .

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Use of the Simultaneous Cross-Relation by Sixteenth Century English and Continental Composers Tim Montgomery
University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Honors Theses Student Research 1968 Use of the simultaneous cross-relation by sixteenth century English and continental composers Tim Montgomery Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses Part of the Musicology Commons Recommended Citation Montgomery, Tim, "Use of the simultaneous cross-relation by sixteenth century English and continental composers" (1968). Honors Theses. 1033. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1033 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. USE OF THE SIMULTANEOUS CROSS-RELATION BY SIXTEENTH CENTURY ENGLISH AND CONTINENTAL COMPOSERS Tim Montgomery Music H 391 LmnARY ~tJ=N-IVE-R-·SJTY OF RICHMOND YIRGINIA 2317S The principle of the s~multaneous cross-relation in vocal music has generally and commonly been associated with the English composers of the sixteenth century.(M p.71; R 824 n.J4) This ~ssumption has been more specifically connected with secular music, namely the English madrigal.(Dy p.13) To find the validity of this assumption in relation to both secular and sacred music I have C()mpared the available vocal music of three English composers, two major and one minor: Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), William Byrd (1.543-1623), and Thomas Whythorne (1528-1596). In deciding whether the simultaneous cross-relation was an aspect of English music exclusively, I examined vocal music of three composers of the continent, con temporaries of the English, for the use, if any, of the simul taneous cross-relation.
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Direction 2. Ile Fantaisies
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A Byrd Celebration
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Multiple Choice
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Josquin Des Prez: Master of the Notes
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Stile Antico Josquin
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The Transcriber's Art – #51 Josquin
The Transcriber’s Art – #51 Josquin des Prez by Richard Yates “Take Five. There's a certain piece that if we don’t play, we’re in trouble.” —Dave Brubek It was a familiar situation: deep in the stacks, surrounded by ancient scores, browsing for music that might find artful expression through the guitar. Perusing pages of choral music, I was suddenly struck by the realization that what I was doing was precisely what lutenists 400 years ago had done. While not exactly déjà vu, there was a strong sense of threading my way along paths first explored centuries ago. And if I was struggling with this source material, did they also? What solutions did they find and what tricks did they devise? What can we learn from them to help solve the puzzle of intabulating Renaissance vocal polyphony? The 16th century saw the gradual evolution of musical ideals that culminated in the works of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–94). Polyphonic music was to be a smooth, effortless flow of independent voices. Predominant stepwise movement emphasized continuity of individual lines but without drawing undue attention to any particular one. Dissonance was largely confined to the weak beats and passing tones or softened through suspensions. With its unique capacity for continuous modulation of timbre, pitch and volume, the human voice was exquisitely suited to this style. The articulation of syllables, true legato and subtle, unobtrusive portamento that connects phonemes and that is inherent in singing all facilitated the tracking of voices through a closely woven texture. Renaissance choral music is inextricably bound up with, and dependent on, the qualities of human voice.
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'The Performing Pitch of William Byrd's Latin Liturgical Polyphony: a Guide
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Image and Influence: the Political Uses of Music at the Court of Elizabeth I
Image and Influence: The Political Uses of Music at the Court of Elizabeth I Katherine Anne Butler Royal Holloway, University of London Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Acknowledgements With thanks to all the people who supported me throughout my research, especially: My supervisor, Stephen Rose, My advisors, Elizabeth Eva Leach and Anna Whitelock, The Arts and Humanities Research Council for funding this research, Royal Holloway Music Department for conference grants, My proofreaders, Holly Winterton, Sarah Beal, Janet McKnight and my Mum, My parents and my fiancé, Chris Wedge, for moral support and encouragement. Declaration of Authorship I, Katherine Butler, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: ______________________ Date: ________________________ 2 Abstract In their Cantiones sacrae (1575), court musicians William Byrd and Thomas Tallis declared that ‘music is indispensable to the state’ (necessarium reipub.). Yet although the relationship between Elizabethan politics and literature has been studied often, there has been little research into the political functions of music. Most accounts of court music consist of documentary research into the personnel, institutions and performance occasions, and generally assume that music’s functions were limited to entertainment and displays of magnificence. However, Elizabethans believed that musical concord promoted a social harmony that would ease the process of government; hence politics and music were seen as closely connected. This thesis is an interdisciplinary investigation into the role of music in constructing royal and courtly identities and influencing Elizabeth’s policies and patronage.
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William Byrd Festival 2008
This book has been published by the Church Music Association of America for distribution at the William Byrd Festival 2008. It is also available for online sales in two editions. Clicking these links will take you to a site from which you can order them. Softcover Hardcover A Byrd Celebration William Byrd 1540–1623 A Byrd Celebration LECTURES AT THE WILLIAM BYRD FESTIVAL EDITED BY RICHARD TURBET CMAA Church Music Association of America Cover picture is of the Lincoln Cathedral, England, where William Byrd was the choirmaster and organ- ist for nine years, 1563–1572. Copyright © 2008 Church Music Association of America Church Music Association of America 12421 New Point Drive Harbor Cove Richmond, Virginia 23233 Fax 240-363-6480 [email protected] website musicasacra.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments . .7 Preface . .9 BIOGRAPHY . .11 William Byrd: A Brief Biography . .13 Kerry McCarthy “Blame Not the Printer”: William Byrd’s Publishing Drive, 1588–1591 . .17 Philip Brett Byrd and Friends . .67 Kerry McCarthy William Byrd, Catholic and Careerist . .75 Joseph Kerman MASSES . .85 The Masses of William Byrd . .87 William Peter Mahrt Byrd’s Masses in Context . .95 David Trendell CANTIONES . .103 Byrd’s Musical Recusancy . .105 David Trendell Grave and Merrie, Major and Minor: Expressive Paradoxes in Byrd’s Cantiones Sacrae, 1589 . .113 William Peter Mahrt Savonarola, Byrd, and Infelix ego . .123 David Trendell William Byrd’s Art of Melody . .131 William Peter Mahrt GRADUALIA . .139 Rose Garlands and Gunpowder: Byrd’s Musical World in 1605 . .141 Kerry McCarthy The Economy of Byrd’s Gradualia . .151 William Peter Mahrt 5 6 — A Byrd Celebration ENGLISH MUSIC .
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Research Papers Graduate School 4-2011 MANY GENRES; ONE INTENTION: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC IN THE CHURCH Renee A. Rybolt Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp Recommended Citation Rybolt, Renee A., "MANY GENRES; ONE INTENTION: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC IN THE CHURCH" (2011). Research Papers. Paper 106. http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp/106 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Papers by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MANY GENRES; ONE INTENTION: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC IN THE CHURCH by Renée A. Rybolt B.A., Saint Joseph’s College, 2009 A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music Department of Music in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale May 2011 RESEARCH PAPER APPROVAL MANY GENRES; ONE INTENTION: A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC IN THE CHURCH By Renée A. Rybolt A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music Approved by: Dr. Susan Davenport, Chair Dr. Melissa Mackey Dr. Christopher Morehouse Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale April 12, 2011 AN ABSTRACT OF THE RESEARCH PAPER OF RENÉE A. RYBOLT, for the Master of Music degree in CHORAL CONDUCTING, presented on 25 MARCH 2011, at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
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