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Religious Music - Renaissance to Baroque


             It was during this time that the three voice tradition was replaced by the four part texture we see today (composers would use five, six, or even more voices). At the turn of the fifteenth century composers moved away from counterpoint that involved the piece being built off the top voice, instead composers began to implement more equality in the importance of each voice in the texture. Along with this approach was the emergence of imitative counterpoint which was a texture in which the voices imitate a motive or phrase in another voice. There was also an emergence of the use of homophony which was a texture in which all the voices moved in the same rhythmic pattern. .
             Composers also began experimenting with the intonation systems that were standard. Because of the use of thirds and sixths that become more popular, there was a challenge to performing the piece as the tuning (Pythagorean intonation) was such that thirds and sixths were dissonant because of the ratios used in developing the tuning ratios. In 1482, Bartolome Ramis de Pareia, a Spanish mathmetician and theorist, created a system that produced perfectly tuned thirds and sixths. This had its challenges as well as it meant that a fourth, a fifth and a third would be out of tune (Arkenberg 1). Composers experimented with intonation with systems like the mean-tone temperament where fifths were tuned small so thirds could sound well, which differs greatly with the equal temperament system used today (invented in the sixteenth c.) in which all semitones are exactly the same. This intonation is not well suited for Renaissance music as only the octaves are in perfect intonation, and vocal renaissance music was especially noted for its perfect fourths and fifths (Norton 158). The experimentation of intonation is monumental to the world of music because it reflects the notion of focusing on the human perception rather than reliance on tradition.


Essays Related to Religious Music - Renaissance to Baroque

1. Baroque

Baroque refers to styles of theater, literature, architecture, and especially music. It developed from the Renaissance styles of France and Italy, making its first appearance in Rome around 1600. ... At the end of the Thirty Years War, when much of Austria, Germany, and Bohemia lay in ruins, the Baroque style became accepted for the rebuilding of religious, civil, and domestic structures. ... A common element of baroque music is counterpoint, the writing of separate melodies played against each other by different groups of instruments in the same orchestra, and the use of ornamentation....

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2. The Longevity of Classical Music

Classical music can be broken down into six distinct musical periods (there are a few periods that have been omitted in order to remain succinct): Medieval (500-1450 C.E.), Renaissance (1450-1600), Baroque (1600-1750, approx.), Classical (1750-1830), Romantic (1830-1910), and 20th Century, or Modern, (1900-2000). ... The first important period in music history is the Baroque Period. However, in order to fully understand how Baroque style and Baroque music came to be, the Baroque period must be viewed in context with the other periods of music history. During the Medieval and Renaissan...

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3. Society of the Italian Renaissance Period

Music was a humongous part of the Renaissance. Baroque became the major style of music starting in the 1500's. ... All composers used Baroque styles in their music. ... The Vatican remains one of the most religious places on earth. ... Music in Italy is still big in classical music but toward the end of the Renaissance, a new style of music emerged. ...

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4. The Different Periods of Music

The six periods of music are the Medieval, the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Classical, the Romantic, and the Twentieth Century. ... During this period music was used strictly for the church to enable it to present religious text to an illiterate congregation. The Renaissance period signaled the beginning of polyphony and the beginning of music for entertainment. ... In the Baroque period music became entertainment for a greater portion of society and servants or church music directors composed the music. Music in the Baroque period was polyphonic (with some homophony), had unity of mood, ...

  • Word Count: 359
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5. Music from the Baroque Period

The Baroque era was a period of energy and motion. ... Painting and sculpting gained a new sense of motion like music did at that time. ... Churches spent a lot of money on decorations that would show the church's authority and inspire religious fervor. ... The art typically was done by the Baroque artists at the moment the action was occurring, which is different from the Renaissance art, which usually showed the moment before an even took place. With music the instruments were different too. ...

  • Word Count: 552
  • Approx Pages: 2
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6. The Baroque Era

It also revolved around the religious wars between the Protestants and the Catholics that would later affect the music world greatly. ... The Baroque Era featured such forms of music including: the Opera, the Cantata, the Oratorio, and the Concerto. ... One change in music that occurred between the Renaissance era and the Baroque era was the transition of polyphonic music to homophonic. ... Another type of music created and portrayed in the Baroque era was the sonata. ... Overall, the Baroque era was a very important time in the world's progress of music, art, and religion. ...

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7. Baroque Period

Choral Music of the Baroque Era The baroque style of music was different than its predecessor the renaissance period, because music during the renaissance period was sung in the a cappella choral style, while in the baroque era instruments played a huge role. ... Opera and solo singing helped form the baroque style, and this style was mainly a part of church music. ... The use of instruments like the organ or whole orchestras , enhanced the sound of the choir and added to the richness of Baroque choral music. ... Music scholars marked the end of the Baroque age in music, with Bach's d...

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  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Borque Music

Shakespearean Music Before the Baroque era in music there were many forms of western music. Most of this music was monophonic, sung in chant used mostly for religious purposes. ... Having the use of music notation set the foundation for Baroque music and for all music after that. ... Italy, where the renaissance started, was able to create a new type of music rich in feeling, but less intricate than much of the previous renaissance music that was centered towards the north (France and the area now occupied by the Netherlands). ... During the Baroque period new forms of presenting music...

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9. The Evolution of Music

Unlike the secular music found in the medieval period, music in the Renaissance could be printed thanks to the invention of the printing press. ... Sacred renaissance music came in two major forms: the motet, and the mass. ... Secular music in the Renaissance was spread with the help of the printing press. ... Most instrumental music provided entertainment rather than a religious purpose. ... Johann Sebastian Bach is probably the most well known composer of baroque music. ...

  • Word Count: 1860
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