Final - Renaissance Flashcards
What are the dates of the Renaissance?
- 1400-1600 CE
The Renaissance is the “rebirth” of what?
- Greek and Roman culture
How is humanism evident in the writings of the Renaissance?
- Focused on human nature and experience
- Shakespeare, Chaucer
- Written for its own inherent value
- Petrarch
- Introduction of (auto)biographies
How is humanism evident in the art of the Renaissance?
- Often was related to daily life (human experience)
- Realistic - valued the senses to inform the art
- Artists put their names (and images) to their works
- e.g., Mona Lisa, David
*How does the music of the Renaissance reflect humanist ideals?*
- Emphasis on the senses
- pleasing consonances (including 3rds and 6ths)
- Less reliance on pre-existing structures
- Focus on expressing the message/emotion of the text
How does the subject of “In arboris” compare to “Quam pulchra es”?
- “In arboris”: Poem about the Virgin Mary
- Expresses the need to follow faith rather than reason
- Plainchant in the tenor
- “Quam pluchra es”: Text from the Song of Solomon
- Expresses physical love
- Justified as a symbolic/allegorical text
- No chant
How does the number of texts of “In arboris” and “Quam pulchra es” compare?
- “In arboris”: 3 texts
- “Quam pulchra es”: 1 text
How does the concern for textual expression in “In arboris” and “Quam pulchra es” compare?
- “In arboris”: Minimal
- Voices singing different texts in different rhythms (isorhythmic)
- “Quam pulchra es”: Clear declamation
- All voices sing the same text and move together
- Musical and textual phrases correspond
- Mostly syllabic text-setting
- Melismas, fermatas, and accidentals draw attention to certain words
- Divided into sections based on speaker
How does the relationship between voices in “In arboris” and “Quam pulchra es” compare?
- “In arboris”: Voices move independently of each other and have specific roles
- Plainchant and harmonic foundation in the tenor
- Hocket in upper voices
- “Quam pulchra es”: Voices move together and are treated equally
How do the sonorities in “In arboris” and “Quam pulchra es” compare?
- “In arboris”: Perfect consonances and carefully placed dissonances
- “Quam pulchra es”: Consonances, including 3rds and 6ths, and very few dissonances
How does the rhythm of “In arboris” compare to “Quam pulchra es”?
- “In arboris”: Voices are rhythmically independent
- “Quam pulchra es”: Rhythmic unison derived from natural speaking patterns
How does Dunstable’s “Quam pulchra es” reflect humanism?
- Pleasing consonances, including 3rds and 6ths
- Not based on any pre-existent structures
- Demonstrates concern for textual expression
How is the life of Guillaume Dufay typical of a 15th-century composer?
- Trained in the north
- Educated through the church and held a position of authority
- Worked for courts and churches in the south
- Returned north in middle age
How does Dufay’s ballade compare to Caserta’s?
Form, relationship between voices, cadential organization
- Caserta’s ballade has a clear ballade form (aabC); Dufay’s has no clear musical phrases
- Voices move and cadence independently in Caserta’s ballade; voices move and cadence together in Dufay’s and are treated equally
- Caserta’s ballade includes cadences on many different notes; Dufay’s cadences fall mainly on the final
What is a cantus firmus mass?
- A polyphonic mass
- Same pre-existent melody used as the foundation for all the movements
- heard in its entirity in one voice
- Genre/process/technique that unified the mass
How is Dufay’s mass based upon the ballade?
- Original ballade is present in the tenor as the cantus firmus
How is the cantus firmus treated in Dufay’s mass?
- Drawn out to different rhythmic durations, getting progressively faster
What is a motto opening?
- The opening 3-4 bars of a movement that are the exact same in all voices
How is Josquin’s career typical of a Renaissance composer?
- Trained in the north
- Educated through the church (St. Quentin)
- Worked for courts and churches in the south (Italy)
- Wrote in the international style
- Returned north later in life
- Especially respected for “master works” that demonstrated his genius
What important elements of Josquin’s style are evident in “Ave Maria”?
- Primarily consonance
- Clear form with rhythmic reduction at the end
- Various types of textural contrast
- Homophony/polyphony
- Number of voices
- Equal treatment of voices
How does “Ave Maria” reflect concern for textual expression?
- Each stanza is represented with a new musical phrase
- Includes a secondary climax with no build-up at a key point in the text
What types of masses did Josquin write?
- Cantus firmus mass
- Paraphrase mass
- Imitation/Parody mass
How is the hymn used in “Missa Pange Lingua”?
- Present in all voices as a series of points of imitation
- Altered, fragmented, and combined with new material
