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Compare and contrast medieval and renaissance music
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Music in the Renaissance differed from medieval music because Renaissance music tended to be more complex and polyphonic, while medieval music was often monophonic with one melody. Most music in the medieval era was written for religious services because the catholic church prohibited any other music. With the rise of the renaissance era, music was used for many other reasons. Composers created complex music by using notation and musical forms. During the medieval era, music often contained one tone and one or no instruments. Instruments were more widely accepted in music during the Renaissance.
The "old" European attitude, and the attitude that attracts many modern performers to early music, is exactly the opposite of the modern attitude:
Like the art of the Renaissance, Early Netherlandish art demonstrated a move from gothic art toward more realistic and natural depictions. Unlike Renaissance art, however, Netherlandish art kept some aspects of Gothic art. For example, it did not affect architecture. Gothic style remained the primary style for architecture in the North. Although Renaissance art included portraits, the view in Netherlandish portraits had the person almost facing forward rather than the classical profile, although the eyes of the person in the portrait was not looking at the viewer.
The Middle Ages and the Renaissance were different in their own unique ways. The Middle Ages, time was simpler. They relied more on the churches and their religious means. The Renaissance was during the year 1350 and didn’t last until 1700. The Renaissance means “rebirth” or “revival” (Background Essay). This was a time when art and science were popular and important. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the change of man’s point of view from the Middle Ages due to the Renaissance.
Religion has been an important part of man’s life. Man has allowed religion to control and influence his life in many different ways, affecting both his behavior and his actions. So its not surprising that music, one of man’s earliest expressive forms, has also been influenced by religion. Religion has had an effect on man’s music all throughout history, from the early Egyptians to even now. So it is only natural that Western music should also have been affected by religion. Western music, and its development by composers, has been strongly influenced by the Christian religion, especially in the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. The music in these periods laid the foundation for all the different types of music we enjoy today.
The Renaissance Period is widely known for the abundance of amazing portraiture that circulated around Europe. During the Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer, a German artist painted a self-portrait in 1500 that had qualities that differed from the usual style of artist in that time (Chauhan). Jean Clouet also painted a portrait for the King of France and became the official court painter. Both artists had a talent for portraiture, while their styles were quite different. King Francis I wanted to be seen as a powerful man, and appointed Clouet to paint him in a classically renaissance way that highlights his wealth and authority. Dürer, described as a cocky, self-centered man, painted himself in a light that is unique and puts him on a ‘holy’ pedestal (Stokstad 356). In this essay I will show how although both paintings have clear differences with their style, both men in the compositions are conveyed in a great and very powerful sense.
The Renaissance period of history occurred during the 15th and 16th centuries. Renaissance in its basic definition means rebirth. According to Merriam Webster, renaissance formally means, “a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary). Renaissance is the title given to the period of great change in music and art. The Renaissance period ushered in a culture of music that the public could enjoy. Most importantly it was a period that encouraged musicians and composers to create music and take risks with voices, instruments and notes.
The Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement that had its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries. During these times there was a heightened interest with the classical learning that was brought about in the middle ages. The renaissance first started in Italy and then eventually spread to Western Europe. During this period there was a high interest in the aesthetics of the classical world like architecture. The renaissance focused on the 17th century philosophy which came from the Greeks.
From the Early Renaissance to the High Renaissance, there was a movement from vocal music to a combination of vocal and instrumental music (Brown, 1976). There are seven categories of instrumental music: 1) vocal music played by instruments, 2) settings of pre-existing melodies, 3) variation sets, 4) ricercars, fantasias, and canzonas, 5) preludes, preambles, and toccatas for solo instruments, 6) dance music, and 7) songs composed specifically for lute and solo voice (Brown, 1976). Italy dominated the stage for instrumental music at this time, and it was not until the last decades of the sixteenth century that English instrumental music became popular (Brow...
In 500 A.D., western civilization began to emerge from the period known as "The Dark Ages," a time in which many invading forces ruled Europe and brought an end to the Roman Empire. For the next hundred year, the newly emerging Christian Church would soon govern Europe, administering justice, initiating the Crusades against the East, creating Universities, and for the most part dictating the destiny of music, art and literature. Pope Gregory I is believed to have collected the music known as Gregorian Chant, which was the approved music of the Church. Later, Notre Dame in Paris was accredited, with the creation of a new kind of music called organum. Which was created by much more melodic phrases then Gregorian Chant, organum was also the first type of music too utilize fourth and fifth intervals, which would become one of the building blocks of modern musical theory. Music in the church had not changed much during this time as said by Charles Burney in A General History of Music Volume I, “Music in the church, however, appears to have undergone no other change at this time than in being applied in some parts of the service…”(57). A type popular music began to erupt and was sung all over Europe by the troubadours and trouvères of France. The troubadours and trouvères played mainly lutes (a primitive guitar) and sung songs, which everyday people could appreciate and identify with. And it was during the middle Ages that western culture saw the arrival of the first great name in music, Guillaume de Machaut. De Machaut polyphonic style did not catch with many during the middle ages, but would later influence a flood of composers during the Renaissance.
During the middle ages, music was not very unique. A single melody, or plainchant, would be sung to words from the Bible or other religious texts. Songs were also performed at castles and marketplaces by composer-poets known as minstrels, troubadours, and trouveres. Composers included the German nun Hildegard von Bingen and the popular French trouvere Blondel de Nesle (Novak). Music either associated with the king and nobles, or it was composed for religious reasons. It was a very limited amount of creativity, only singing about heroism and nobility. Music in France had been influenced by many other European countries. They all shared the same style during that time. The instruments that were used during this time period, included wind, string, and percussion instruments.
Gregorian chant is recognized by its calm, ethereal sound. The magical sound comes from the unfamiliar church modes. It as little sense of beat and was often improvised, producing an uncertain and floating rhythm. The melody could be simple or elaborate based on the importance of text the chant is set to (Book). Gregorian chant was passed through oral tradition and only began notating to ensure musical uniformity. Neither dynamic markings nor instrument indication appear on the notations that have been preserved, so little is known about how the music actually sounded. Occasionally, the vocalized melody was accompanied by a drone, which consists of one or more long, sustained notes at the interval of a perfect fifth (Sherrane).
The shift between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was characterized by great socio-economic, political, and religious changes. Politically, the feudal system of the Middle Ages was exchanged for a more stable centralized republic/monarchy system that gave the people more freedom and input. Religiously, secularism became more important as stability gave people a chance to concern themselves with the “here and now” rather than simply the “hereafter.” Socially, there was a shift from dogma and unshakeable belief to humanism and the ability to interpret things for oneself. The Middle Ages began around 400 CE and lasted until 1400 CE while the Renaissance began around 1200 and continued until 1600. The 200 years that overlap between these two periods contain many pieces of “transition” art in which it is obvious that the change is beginning to take place. These collective changes that took place in this period dictated change in art as well. There were changes in iconography, style, purpose, and patronage that facilitated the overall transformation of art from a sense of illustrating what you are told to believe is true to optical realism and conveying how you yourself interpret that “truth”.
Music throughout the ages has changed dramatically. Starting in the Medieval period, from 400-1475, music was in the form of what is called the Gregorian chant. Instruments were very rarely used at this time. Since songs during this period were either troubadour or trouvere these chants had no real harmony. One example of this type of medieval composition is “Viderunt Omnes” by Leoninus. Like most Gregorian chants the texture of this piece is monophonic and polyphonic. “Viderunt Omnes” is a typical Gregorian chant in that it uses diatonic, not chromatic notes of the scale. Musical compositions during the Medieval period was made mostly by members of the church for the church. It was and is a very slow and steady movement that was meant to create a feeling of peace for worship purposes.
The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.
Societies progress can lead to intercultural similarities, and vastily obvious differences. These influences can be seen within the contemporary theatre of the times, explaining and progressing the status of community through storytelling and performance. The reactions to these changes are important, and help shape the society we have today. These elements are best seen between the medieval ans renaissance period.