Rennaissance

Guillaume Dufay

Aug 5, 1397

Guillaume Dufay(1397-1474) was a French composer most famously known for his church music and his secular chanson. He wrote 87 motets, 59 French chansons, 7 Italian chansons, 7 complete masses and 35 mass sections. Most of his pieces were composed using the technique of fauxbourdon which is based on thirds and sixths. His chansons were normally three voices and were about springtime, love or melancholy. In his music he created a new style which linked late medieval music to the renaissance

Renaissance

Period: Jan 1, 1400 to Dec 31, 1699

The Medichi Family

Jan 1, 1419

The Medici family strongly supported the arts and humanities in Florence. This made Florence into the cradle of the Renaissance which is a cultural flower rivaled only bby that of ancient Greece. Four popes were part of the Medici family (Leo X, Clement VII, Pius IV and Leon XI). The family then had a major downfall of their bank so they were run out of Florence, Italy.

Joan of Arc burned at the stake

May 30, 1431

Joan of Arc helped lead France to victory against England in the Hundred Years' War. Due to being a heretic for France, she was eventually captured by Burgundians who sold her to the English. The English tried to question but she remained silent which angered them. For her crimes against England she was sentenced to death and burned at the stake. However, she became a martyr becuase Pope Callixtux II declared that she was innocent.

Gutenberg Bible

Jan 1, 1450

The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed. Forty eight copies were printed and it was originally written in Latin. It was also known as the forty two line bible. The second printed bible was known as the thirty six line bible.

Josquin des Prez

Jan 1, 1450

Josquin des Prez(1450-1521)was considered to be the greatest composers of the Renaissance. His compositions were mainly motets, masses, and chansons. Des Prez was called “master of the notes, which must do as he wishes; other composers must do as the notes wish” by Martin Luther who admired his music. In his motets, when the text spoke of death, he would take the voices gradually into their lowest registers. In his chansons he abandoned the rondeau and the ballade and used his own freer form

Hundred Years' war ends

Oct 19, 1453

Hundred Years' War ended in 1453. Bordeaux surrendered when he realized England will not help anymore which started the end of the war. The Treaty of Picquigny offically ended the war with Edward IV of England renouncing his claim to throne of France.

Martin Luther

Nov 10, 1483

Martin Luther(1483-1547) was a German Theologist. However, he was most commonly known for splitting from the Roman Catholic church and starting the Protestant Reformation. He was born into a musical family therefore, he felt that music was of God, not of man. Luther encouraged and pushed music into his masses and felt that music should be a part of everyone’s worship.

Discoverer of the New World

Aug 3, 1492

Christopher Columbus was known as the discoverer of the New World when he made a voyage with three ships (Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria). He was one of few people who did not believe that the world was flat. However, he did think the circumference of Earth was smaller than it actually is. He had a total of four voyages. On his first voyage he went to the Canary Islands, Bahamas and Cuba. Colombus did not know that is where he was though. He thought he had landed near Japan and China.

The Cricket

Jan 1, 1498

The Cricket was composed by Josquin de Prez in 1498 while he was Milan. The Cricket is also referred to as El Grillo. This piece avoids counterpoints and the voices move in similar rhythm. The paired quarter notes give a rhythmic cricket motive. This piece focuses on the purity of sound and harmony rather than vibrato. This piece is also accompanied with a cello quartet because the harmonies are rich and close to the cello range.

Chanson

Jan 1, 1500

Chansons are French art songs. The monophonic chansons show the development of intricate music-poetic forms coming from trouveres. Accompanied chansons are either ballade, rondeau or virelai form. The general topic of chansons were courtly love.

Mona Lisa

Jan 1, 1503

The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. Painting is a half body portrait of women with a distnant landscape backdrop. Da vinci uses sfumato(fine shading) to bring out the curves of the woman's hair and clothes. This painting revolutionized contemporary portrait painting. Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings encouraged other artists to have more freedom with action and thought.

Sistine Chapel

Jan 1, 1508

The Sistine Chapel ceiling was painted by MIchaelangelo from 1508 to 1512. It was painted at the commission of Pope Julius II. Various elements of this painting form a larger scheme of decoration within the chapel. The complex design includes several sets of individual figures, both clothed and nude, which allowed Michelangelo to fully demonstrate his skill in creating a huge variety of poses.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Jan 1, 1525

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina(1525-1594) was an Italian composer who wrote more than 105 masses and 250 motets. Growing up, he played the organ and helped teach music to the choir of his church. His music was known as an embodiment of purity and perfection. Palestrina also wrote three masses for the Council of Trent to help reform, without uprooting.

The Sack of Rome

Jan 1, 1527

The Sack of Rome symbolizes the downfall of Renaissance Italy. It all started when Pope Clement VII refused to grant the imperial army a ransom. The imperial army then attacks the city of Rome and taking it under control in only twelve hours.

William Byrd

Jan 1, 1543

William Byrd(1543-1623)was an English organist and composer. He learned his skills from Thomas Tallis who he later worked with at the Chapel Royal. Byrd wrote for every instrument except the lute. His organ music brought the English Keyboard style to new heights, his viol consort was more freely composed and his vocal music was conservative and made for a solo voice accompanied by a viol consort. Among his compositions were Ave Verum Corpus and Sing Joyfully.

Council of Trent

Jan 1, 1545

Council of Trent(1545-1563) was put together by Pope Paul III who was the first pope of the Counter-Reformation. This council was against the Lutheran emphasis on the role of faith and God’s grace. They also didn’t agree with the Protestant teaching the number and nature of the sacraments as well as having music in the church.

Tomas Luis de Victoria

Jan 1, 1548

Tomas Luis de Victoria(1548-1611)was a Spanish composer who wrote 21 masses and 44 motets. His music shows tonality contrast, and forshadows the major-minor tonality characteristics of the Baroque era.

Giulio Caccini

Oct 8, 1551

Giulio Caccini(1551-1618)was a singer and composer. His work helped establish monodic music that was introduced in Italy. His madrigals had an elegant and pliable vocal line, affective embellishments and stood out from the accompaniment that usually contained basso continuo. Some of his pieces are Amarilli MIa Bella and Euridice.

Claudio Monteverdi

May 15, 1567

Monteverdi(1567-1643) was an Italian composer who was very important in the genre of Opera. Monteverdi's pieces showed charm rather than express passion. He wrote nine books of madrigals and atleast nineteen operas.

Thomas Weelkes

Oct 25, 1576

Thomas Weelkes(1576-1623) was an English organist and composer. He is noted for his word-painting, lively rhythms, and highly developed sense of form and structure. One of his famous madrigals is Since Robin Hood.

Romeo and Juliet

Jan 1, 1662

First performancce of Romeo and Juliet was in 1662 written by William Shakespeare. This play is about two families, Capulet and Montague, that are rivals but Julietfell in love with Romeo. They werent allowed to see eachother due to this rivalry. Romeo secretly sees her anyway and to be together permanently Juliet fakes her death to trick her family. Romeo hears of her death so he drinks poison and Juliet finds his body and stabs herself. Thus being, a tragic romance.