RENAISSANCE1400-1600

The Time Period■This section of time is called the

renaissance, which means “rebirth”

■This period falls between the Middle Ages and Baroque and you see how each period influences the next

■Music does not change quickly but rather very slow and early renaissance music sounded very similar to medieval music

■It wasn’t until music writers started to try new ideas in the middle of this period that the music began to create its own identity.

What did it sound like?

■The music from this period started to become softer and smoother than that of the Medieval Period

■There was not as many rules, so composers wanted to create music with more of a melody

■By the end of this period composers had begun using major and minor keys in their music to support the tone they were trying to achieve

Vocal Music

■ There was a shift during this period from church songs to songs about love and other emotion. This is referred to as Madrigal

■ Madrigal songs were accompanied by a flute and became an essential part of civic, religious and courtly life during this period

■ What started this shift in music was the change in the climate in Europe.

■ Many political, economic and religious events happened that helped composers adapt their music

■ Originally during this period music was composed by the church but by the end composers began to take control of their work.

Music Notation:

■Musicians during this period wrote books about music theory.

■Music started to be written on a music staff with five lines. There were no barlines yet

■Sharps and flats were sometimes shown by the accidentally writing them as other notes.

■This is important because this is the first period we can learn about through written work composed.

■Music printing also began in the 16th century and composers were able to print their work and share it with others.

Instruments

■During this period many more instruments began to be used, such as:– Recorders and similar instruments

■Shawm- double based reed instrument – similar to a recorder

■Cornett- curved instrument that had finger holes similar to a recorder

New Instruments ■ Crumhorn

– A double reed instrument which had a cap over the reed. The player would then blow into this cap to produce a very reedy but quite soft tone. With finger holes like a recorder and shaped rather like the crook of a walking stick, the crumhorn came in a family of different sizes much like the recorder family.

■ Rackett– An aptly named instrument, this was a low pitched, double

reed instrument with a long length of tube coiled inside a cylinder of about 30 centimetres in length.

■  Sackbut– An early kind of trombone which had a much smaller bell

than the present-day instrument and as a result it had quite a round and mellow tone.

■ Trumpet– Early instruments had been a straight tube like the fanfare trumpets

used by the military today, but without valves. This tube was now folded up, similar to the shape and looks of a present-day trumpet but without the valves

■ Viol– The most important string instrument of the period. Here again

there was a family of instruments, a set of these being known as a ‘chest’, a name derived from the method by which they were stored.

– The instruments had six strings over a fretted fingerboard and a flat back with sloping shoulders, and were played with a bow which was more curved than the present-day bow. The instruments sat upright in front of the player, the smaller ones sitting on the player’s knees and the larger ones between, much like a present-day cello player.

■ Lute– Usually with 12 strings tuned in pairs stretched over a fretted

fingerboard like a present-day guitar.

■ Harpsichord– One of a number of keyboard instruments of the period. The

harpsichord looks a little like a modern-day grand piano, has strings which are layered vertically and are stroked by a metal quill.