Music of Renaissance and Baroque Music and the Human Experience with Professor Kattari Reading Guide 3 The music of the Renaissance was reflective of its wealth extravagance and carpe diem attitude The printing press historically significant technological breakthrough kicks off the beginning of the Renaissance around 1450 1500 Due to the crises of faith and mass death during the late Medieval Era a humanistic trend started Imitative polyphony developed by Josquin des Pres found in Masses were musically different from anything that existed in the Medieval Era Proper parts of the Mass are frequently set to music by composers These parts of the Mass feature the same text each time but the music can be different Transubstantiation is the belief that their bread and cup of wine turn into Jesus flesh in their bodies The music they composed from were secular and then they turned it sacred Originally the war song L homme arm would have been sung monophonically while Josquin s L homme arm Mass was sung polyphonically It was originally about St Michael but it could have multiple religious meanings Luther s music was syllabic and very easy to follow whereas Josquin s music was melismatic This was because he wanted his Protestant assembly to be able to sing along in the vernacular which was German Madrigals were the polyphonic secular songs that developed during the Renaissance Developed first in England Acapella and word painting There were also Lute ayres secular songs sung by a soloist accompanied by chordal lute which was a plucked instrument homophonic Morley wrote O Mistresse Mine which was a consort music which is instrumental using the viol lute and recorder Performed in courts wealthy households by professionals First idiomatic instrumental compositions The Elizabethan Era was from 1550 1600 Madrigals spread to England English madrigals lute ayres and consort music are notated and performed in courts and theaters Chanson was French music that was usually polyphonic and secular and lyrically driven cantus firmus an existing melody as basis for polyphonic composition