Renaissance Music : European Classical Music

Music throughout the eras have differed and changed since the beginning of time. Each era has something special about it that is different from the last era, which makes each era something unique from the last. Just as in fashion you see trends change sometimes over night, but in the eyes of a decade, these changes are eras of fashion, just as the eras of music. Composers took the knowledge from previous composers and put their own ideas to use and sometimes created ground breaking movements. The movement between the Baroque era and the Classical era was a movement of almost all changes. Changes from the melody to the form of the composition. The Classical era following the Baroque era was full of changes, differing from one another drastically.

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 was a cultural movement in the 14th to 17th centuries during which European artists, scientists, and scholars, were inspired by classical achievements of the Greeks and Romans. Many scholars believe that the Renaissance was a separate period of time from the Middle Ages, however, some still believe that the Renaissance was just a continuation of the Middle Ages. The Renaissance is a distinct period of time due to the revival of education, scientific discovery and humanism.

The Renaissance was the period following the Middle Ages in Europe that emerged in Italy in the late 14th century lasting until the late 16th century. Renaissance, meaning rebirth, had and continues to have an origin that is unknown to most. This

Music has evolved too many different forms that we recognize today. We trace this development throughout time. Beginning in the middle ages, we have seen advancement from the Gregorian chant all the way to the Jazz of the 20th century. The current events, politics, religion, technology and composers can shape musical eras during time. Here I will look at the middle ages, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and twentieth century periods. I hope that a better understanding can be reached to why, when, where and who are the reasons for musical evolution.

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,

The Renaissance was a period in history following the Middle Ages in which a “rebirth” occurred. This rebirth refers to the increase of interest and emphasis on culture and learning that characterised this era. Art, music, philosophy and other aspects of European culture were embraced and strived in this period, which was unlike the Middle Ages that had just come to an end. This created a clear contrast between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. It started as a cultural movement in Italy and then spread to the rest of Europe rather quickly, due to the creation of the printing press. This period is looked at as a great and prosperous time in human history, and it is believed that the people of the time lived rather good lives and were

The term Baroque has been widely acknowledged as a period in Western European Art Music lasting for 150 years from early 17th to mid-18th century. The word itself is originated from barroco in Portuguese meaning “oddly shaped pearl”, which best describes the visual and details of the buildings existed during that period. Its flamboyant and ornate details of the building is what causes ornamentations and harpsichords to become an essential element of Baroque music. Bach, ornamentation, and harpsichord are few of the most recognisable elements of Western Art music during the Baroque period. Nonetheless, we all came to a second realisation that the Baroque era lasted for more than 150 years, meaning that it has its own remarkable history and

Music has gone through series of development since the ancient times to the modern days. Music in the middle ages had different characteristics as compared to the Renaissance period. Nonetheless, the use and application of music were similar. Middle Ages period runs from 400 to 1400, a time when the Roma Empire collapsed. Music during this time used notation systems that are hard to interpret currently. The notation system majorly depicted the intentions of the composer, and if it were translated today, then it might bring a different meaning from its original version. The middle ages period was replaced by Renaissance era running from 1400 to 1600. This period marked increased interest in music and art and more so among the middle class. Development of humanism concept began in this era, and through this, it is possible to understand the musical aspects of this period. This marked an era of sacred music being upheld. This took place in Rome, and the spread of music increased as boats sailed from one end of Europe to another. The difference in musical features music in the Middle Ages and that in the Renaissance period shows a clear evolution of both secular and sacred music over time.

It made it much easier to distribute music across longer distances and among more people. So, songs that had previously been learned and passed on by ear were sometimes written down and formalized/standardized into a single version -- the version printed by a printing press. Composers were also able to sell their compositions more broadly and to a wider audience

The Renaissance Period started in 1430 and ended in about 1600. It immediately followed the middle Ages. The Renaissance Period represents the rebirth from the fourteenth through the middle of the seventeenth centuries, this type of music was mainly in Italy. The Renaissance Period can be described as many different things, individualism, exploration and the rebirth of human creativity. This period started the movement for uniqueness and creativeness and difference. The composers of this time could be creative and write however they wanted and all the pieces of this period sounded different

Renaissance means “revival or rebirth of culture awareness and learning that took place during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries particularly, Italy, but in Germany and other European countries” (wiki 15) as well. A characterized period of renewed interest in ancient Rome and Greek art which design and included an emphasis on human beings, their environment, science, and philosophy. Humanism had their interest and assertion of importance of the person. The history originates to the beginning of the great Western age of finding and exploration. When a desire came about to develop and examine the every aspects of nature and the 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 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.

Music has been formed in every culture and generation serving all different purposes whether its religion or for entertainment it’s a unique way of expressing emotion through vocal and instrumental sounds. Through out the ages music has changed and influenced many people starting with the Middle Ages through the twentieth century. The renaissance more specially was a movement of humanism, which is the focus of the human life and its accomplishment, beginning in the 14th century through the 17th century the renaissance was a cultural rebirth, shaping music by reintroducing the arts and science. A very big component of the renaissance period was the madrigal, which is a secular multi-voiced music sung often with out accompaniment with poetry based lyrics. A great composer at this time was Thomas Weelkes who influenced even the music we listen to today, not only the music on the radio but also in movies, films, commercials and more using different madrigal techniques.