Music from Italy and England

The Renaissance (meaning rebirth) took place in Europe during the period between 14th and 17th century. The epicenter of this movement was Florence, Italy. The Renaissance influenced: the arts, music, literature, politics, religion, technology, and society. The Renaissance was the key in the development of Western Civilization.

Italy was considered the birthplace of both the Renaissance, specifically the Artistic Renaissance. The Renaissance was a period of rebirth (14th to the 17th century) of learning classical knowledge, which then went more specifically into the formation of ideals and thoughts such as the focus on man and their achievements, man being fundamentally “good”, the use of measurements and science in art and the overall shift into what is more appearance oriented as well as somewhat of a realistic art style. These ideals of the Renaissance were presented through the work that artists of this period were producing.

The Medieval Times had a lot of trading and invasions of new lands. Countries exchanged ideas to other countries, introducing new discoveries and inventions. During Medieval England, music was a current and changing development, with composers changing their music all the way to the growth and decisions of the Catholic Church. But without other foreign countries and kingdoms such as France and Germany, todays would have not been what it is now.

The Renaissance period, from 1450 A.D. to 1600 A.D., comprised of two main types of music, sacred and secular. In comparison with the Medieval period, where music was usually reserved for church purposes, the Renaissance period allowed music to expand beyond the church into upper aristocratic society. Sacred music included motets and mass, while secular included madrigals, instrumental and dance music. Motets initially came about during the late Medieval period, but grew sizably during the Renaissance,

Followed the Middle Ages in Europe and showed interest in classical learning and values of ancient Greece and Rome. With political stability and growing prosperity there was development of new technologies. This included the printing press. Paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts were discovered from Italy in the late 14th century. Some famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.

The Italian and Northern Europe Renaissances were both an important mark in history by changing the ideals of life, thought, culture, and art of the people’s of this time. In this paper I will explain the motive for change in these cultures, including the similarities and differences of the two cultures.

The madrigal was a type of chamber music that was founded in the fourteenth century in northern Italy. However, during the fifteenth century it became less popular; lucky it was revived in the sixteenth century. The madrigal had originated in northern Italy but had eventually spread to the England and Germany. Often,

The Renaissance was a period of great cultural and technological changes that swept Europe from the end of the 13th century. It was integral in developing Europe into a powerhouse. Although, each part of Europe was subjected to different changes, there were two primary renaissances, which were most notable. They were the Italian and the Northern renaissance. Both of these renaissances had a profound impact on Europe. But they also had some typical differences among them and each was unique in its own way.

The first madrigals evolved from the frottola, another form of vocal music (Strainchamps). The major difference between the two is that the four parts of the piece are prioritized differently (Strainchamps). In a frottola, the top and bottom voices of the piece are more significant that the two in the middle, but in the madrigal, all parts were given equal importance (Strainchamps). As time progressed, so did the style of the madrigal. For example, five parts became increasingly more prevalent in madrigals about halfway through its lifespan, and the amount of expression that was put into the pieces also grew (Strainchamps). Some of the most well known composers of madrigals are the contemporaries Carlo Gesualdo and Claudio Monteverdi (Strainchamps).

The term “Renaissance” is commonly believed as the rebirth of culture occurred in Italy during the period of 14th to 17th century. And it is also considered as a bridge connecting the medieval and the contemporary history. It is true to some extent, but not accurate. Renaissance is not only a revival of classical arts or the literature but also a significant change in the structure of the society and a reunion western world.

3. Medieval and Renaissance culture varied in many ways, aside from the differing music. In the Medieval age (the time between the 5th and 15th century), the church controlled many things, not only music. The church was in charge of education, the church also dominated politics. People very much feared God. Whereas in the Renaissance (15th and 17th century) the state ruled over the church. People in the Renaissance believed that God wasn’t some fearsome being, instead they believed more in logical and practical thinking.

The Italian renaissance was a period of creative explosion. The term renaissance symbolizes rebirth, which is exactly what occurred in Italy during this time. An entire culture was remade through art. There was a resounding interest in the classics created by ancient artists. The humanist movement encouraged the study of humanity’s history in order to create a deeper understanding of how to move forward as a society. There was a seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge and creation. Many new art forms developed in this period, including opera. The Florentine Camerata, a group of scholars, created early forms of opera. Claudio Monteverdi, a renaissance composer, developed opera into the art form that is still performed today. The work of the Florentine Camerata and Claudio Monteverdi worked in harmony to create and develop this new form of music. Monteverdi’s educational background, his rebellious drive to create, his serendipitous career, and his unequaled talent allowed him to develop opera into an art form that no other composer of the time could have produced.

The Renaissance Period was a time of immense cultural change. Music was an area that saw particular rebirth. The musical rebirth began in Italy, as the Renaissance Period did as well. The Renaissance was a time of innovation in music. Composers of the Renaissance Period contributed much too musical theory, and they have many musical revolutions that radically changed the nature of music from the Medieval Period. Some of these influential composers of the era were Leonel Power, John Dunstaple, Gilles Binchois, Bartolomeo de Bologna, and Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin des Prez, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and Carlo Gesualdo.

Italy, known as the birth of Opera has played a role in the progression of music of that country. Starting in the 1500s, the birth of music in Italy was during the Renaissance era, which took a tremendous impact on the role music played in Italy. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, born February 3, 1525 in Palestrina, Italy to a non wealthy family, working on farms trying to make a living. In Giovanni’s early life, it was said that he would sell his family farm products on the streets of Rome, while singing songs. One day, while Giovanni was doing his daily routine of selling farm products in Rome, when the choir master of Santa Maria heard him singing a song and, impressed with the boy’s vocal talents, asked him if he’d be interested in being

The 14th, 15th and part of 16th century was a glorious time for Europe, it was the reformation of many old ideas and the formation of many new, this was called the Renaissance. The Renaissance brought many changes to Europe, the economy was greatly boosted by of all the new explorations. The flourishing economy helped to inspire new developments in art and literature. And from that many new beliefs were formed.