Introduction to Music History and Literature – MUL 2014 (Fall 2009) - Warfield

Review Sheet # 3 - Renaissance Music

This review sheet covers materials presented in Forney & Machlis, Enjoyment of Music, Unit IV (Chapters 14-16), which will be tested on the second test in MUL 2014 on Wednesday, 14 October 2009.

The following concepts and terms in boldface (as well as a few others not specifically listed, but indicated in these review questions) will be included on the first of the three large mid-term tests. You should know all of these terms, including their (1) spelling, (2) definition, and (3) be able to use them correctly in speaking and writing about music.

Dictionary definitions may be found in glossary section of your textbook or in the publisher-sponsored web site that supports your textbook.

Additionally, you should know by sound the five music examples (Listening Guides 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) that support this portion of the textbook.

    CHAPTER 14

  1. What are the rough dates of the Renaissance, and what are the eras on either side of it?
  2. What is "reborn" in this era, i.e., what forgotten culture, knowledge, or writings become important in this era? What is humanism?
  3. How are the arts (in general) in the Renaissance different from their predecessor forms in the Medieval era?
  4. How does the relationship between church and state, i.e., sacred and secular forces, change in the Renaissance? What effect does that have on professional musicians in this era?
  5. What effect does music printing have on the dissemination of music in this and subsequent eras?
  6. What are the most important stylistic traits of Renaissance music? (What is the "ideal" of Renaissance music?) What do the terms a cappella, imitation, point of imitation, and word painting mean, and how are they important in describing the music of this era?

    7. CHAPTER 15

  7. What is a motet, and what are its most important stylistic traits (how do you know it when you hear it)? How is it related to the mass (or is it)? Which parts of the mass were usually set in polyphony by composers in the Renaissance?
  8. Who was Josquin dez Pres, what sort of a career did he have, and how was his career different from the careers of Medieval composers?
  9. What is different about the way in which Josquin sets text, especially when compared to the manner of Medieval composers?
  10. What is the difference between the ordinary and proper sections of the mass?
  11. Who was Martin Luther and what religious movement is associated with him? What are the basic differences between his beliefs and those of the Catholic Church, and what effect might this have on the music of the late Renaissance?
  12. What is the Counter-Reformation? What was the Council of Trent, and where did it meet? What was discussed in Trent, and what effect did that have on sacred music of the late 16th century?
  13. What is the primary problem with polyphonic settings of the mass and how did Palestrina "solve" that problem? (i.e., What was sacred music like before and after Palestrina, and why was this change made?)

    14. Listening Guide 6 (pp. 91-2, Josquin des Prez, "Ave maria...virgo serena" ["Hail Mary...gentle virgin"])

  14. What kind of piece (genre) is this, and who composed it?
  15. When and where might this piece have been sung?
  16. How is this piece organized, and how is that reflected in the musical textures and other aspects of this piece?
  17. What are the primary musical traits of this piece, e.g., texture, rhythm, melodic characteristics, language, etc.? (How do you know it when you hear it?)
  18. What are the predominant textures and sonorities (harmonies) of this piece?

    19. Listening Guide 7 (pp. 95-6, Palestrina, Pope Marcellus Mass, "Gloria")

  19. What kind of piece (genre) is this, and who composed it?
  20. When and where might this piece have been sung?
  21. What are the primary musical traits of this piece, e.g., texture, rhythm, melodic characteristics, language, etc.? (How do you know it when you hear it?)
  22. What are the predominant textures of this piece, how do they compare to those of LG 6, and how does Palestrina achieve variety in this piece?

    23. CHAPTER 16

  23. What sorts of secular music were made in the Renaissance and by whom? What were the chanson and the madrigal?
  24. How was dance music made in the Renaissance? What instruments were used, and how much of this music was written down?
  25. What, specifically, was the madrigal, and what are its geographic origins? Who sang and listened to these sorts of pieces, what sorts of poetry did the genre use, and how were pieces organized? What is word painting? (Know a few examples of this technique.)
  26. How did the madrigal reach England? What was Musica transalpina and how were its contents made accessible (understandible) to the English? How is an English Madrigal similar to or different from an Italian madrigal?

    27. Listening Guide 8 (pp. 99-100, Susato, Three Dances)

  27. What kind of piece (genre) is this, and who composed it?
  28. When and where might this piece have been performed?
  29. How is this piece organized, and how does that reflect its primary usage?
  30. What are the primary musical traits of this piece, e.g., texture, rhythm, melodic characteristics, language, etc.? (How do you know it when you hear it?)
  31. What are the predominant textures and sonorities (timbres) of this piece?

    32. Listening Guide 9 (pp. 102-3, Monteverdi, "Ecco mormorar l'onde" ["Here now, the waves murmur"])

  32. What kind of piece (genre) is this, and who composed it?
  33. When and where might this piece have been sung?
  34. What are the primary musical traits of this piece, e.g., texture, rhythm, melodic characteristics, language, etc.? (How do you know it when you hear it?)
  35. How does the text determine the form of this piece?
  36. What are some examples of word painting in this piece?

    37. Listening Guide 10 (pp. 104-5, Farmer, "Fair Phyllis")

  37. What kind of piece (genre) is this, and who composed it?
  38. When and where might this piece have been sung?
  39. What are the primary musical traits of this piece, e.g., texture, rhythm, melodic characteristics, language, etc.? (How do you know it when you hear it?)
  40. How does the text determine the form of this piece?
  41. What are some examples of word painting in this piece?

NB. See the textbook, p. 107, for a list of style traits of Renaissance music (as compared to the emerging Baroque era). Also see the publisher's website (Enjoyment to Music) for additional study guides, practice quizzes, and additional music examples for this era.