unit 3: the renaissance
DESCRIPTION
Unit 3: The Renaissance. 1450-1600. TIMELINE. 1450-1500 Botticelli, La Primavera (1477) Fall of Constantinople (1453) Gutenberg Bible (1456) Columbus Reaches the Americas (1492). 1500-1600 Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa (1503). 1500-1600 cont. Michelangelo, David (1504). - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Unit 3: The
Renaissance1450-1600
TIMELINE
• 1450-1500– Botticelli, La Primavera (1477)– Fall of Constantinople (1453)– Gutenberg Bible (1456)– Columbus Reaches the Americas (1492)
• 1500-1600– Leonardo da Vinci,
Mona Lisa (1503)
1500-1600 cont.
– Michelangelo,
David (1504)
1500-1600 cont.
– Raphael, School of Athens (1505)
– Titian, Venus and the Lute Player (1570)
1500-1600 cont.
– William Shakespeare,
Romeo and Juliet
(1596)– Martin Luther’s
ninety-five theses,
start of the Protestant Reformation (1517)– Council of Trent (1545-63)– Elizabeth I, Queen of England (1558-1603)– Spanish Armada defeated (1588)
1500-1600 cont.
“Renaissance”
• 15th and 16th century Europe known as a “rebirth” or “renaissance” of human activity
GENERALIZATIONS
• Exploration– Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand
Magellan
• Individualism (“universal man”)– Leonardo da Vinci
• Painter, sculptor, architect, engineer,
scientist, musician
• Humanism – The dominant intellectual movement
• Focused on human life and its accomplishments• No concern with Heaven or Hell• Even though many were devout religious believers,
they were captivated by the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome
• Intoxicated with beauty of ancient languages – Greek and Latin – and with the literature of antiquity
Humanism cont…
– Painters and sculptors drawn to subjects from classical literature/mythology
– Art highlighted depictions of the nude body
• a favorite theme of antiquity, but an object of shame and concealment during Middle Ages. Medieval artists more concerned with religious symbols rather than lifelike representation
– Art more concerned in realism• Linear persepective – geometrical system
for creating an illusion of space and depth.• Example: Raphael’s School of Athens
Example of
Medieval art
Example of Renaissance art
– Raphael, School of Athens (1505)
Humanism cont…
– Painters no longer treated the Virgin Mary as a childlike, unearthly creature—they showed her as a beautiful young woman
• Catholic Church– Far less powerful, but the Christian
church as a whole was still an important musical center
– The unity of Christendom was exploded
by the Protestant Reformation led by
Martin Luther (1483-1546)• Aristocrats and upper middle class now
considered education a status symbol;
hired scholars to teach their kids• Church no longer monopolized learning
• Technology– Invention of the movable type printing
press by Gutenberg accelerated the
speed of learning– Before, books were rare and extremely
expensive– By 1500, 15-20 million copies of 40,000
editions had been printed in Europe
Chapter 1: MUSIC IN THE RENAISSANCE
• Idea of the “universal man”– Every educated person was expected to be
musically trained.
MUSIC IN THE REN., cont…
• Musicians worked in churches, courts and towns– Churches
• Church choirs grew• Polyphonic music was no longer performed
by several soloists, but entire choirs
MUSIC IN THE REN., cont…
– Courts (where most activity occurred)• Kings, princes, dukes competed for best
composers• Courts had 10-60 musicians• Nobility often brought musicians along
when traveling• Women employed in many Italian courts
(late Renaissance)
MUSIC IN THE REN., cont…
– Towns• Musicians played for civic processions,
weddings, religious services• Higher status and pay than before• Composers started seeking credit for their work,
unlike the anonymity of the Middle Ages.
MUSIC IN THE REN., cont…
• Most leading
musicians came
from the Low
Countries (Flanders)
• Highly sought after,
mostly in Italy, which became center of musical life
CHARACTERISTICS OF RENAISSANCE MUSIC
• Words and Music– Vocal more important than instrumental
• Why?
– More connection between music and meaning/emotion of the text
• “When one of the words expresses weeping, pain, heartbreak, sighs, tears and other similar things, let the harmony be full of sadness.” –Zarlino (Renaissance music theorist)
CHARACTERISTICS, cont…
• Text Painting– Musical representation of specific poetic images.
– How would you show:• “Running” “Descending from Heaven” “Death” • What are some other, less obvious ones?
CHARACTERISTICS, cont…
• Music still seems calm and restrained to us.– All the emotion and expression in
Renaissance music is expressed in moderation, balance
• No extreme dynamic contrast• Little tone color contrast• Little rhythmic contrast
CHARACTERISTICS, cont…
• What SHMRFT traits can you fill in so far?
CHARACTERISTICS, cont…
• Texture– Polyphonic
• 4, 5, or 6 voices, nearly equal melodic interest
– Imitation• Each voice presents the same melodic idea
in turn (as in a round)
– Some homophonic texture is used, especially in light music, dances
CHARACTERISTICS, cont…
– Fuller sound• Bass register used for first time, increasing
number of octaves heard• Composers began to think in chords, in
addition to individual melodic lines– In Middle Ages, entire melody lines thought up
one at a time and then combined.– In Renaissance, melodies were thought up in
relation to how they accompany each other
– Mild, relaxed• Lots of stable, consonant chords, many
triads• Very little dissonance
CHARACTERISTICS, cont…
– “Golden Age” of a cappella choral music• Little instrumental accompaniment• 2 Main uses for instruments
1. To duplicate vocal lines to reinforce the sound
2. Play the part of a missing singer
Now what can you add to your SHMRFT traits?
CHARACTERISTICS, cont…
• Rhythm– Gentle flow, not
sharply defined beat
• Each melodic line held great rhythmic independence
• Made it challenging to sing – each singer had to be independently strong
CHARACTERISTICS, cont…
• Melody– Melodies generally easy to sing
• Moves stepwise, few large leaps
And your SHMRFT traits now?
LISTENING TO RENAISSANCE
• Sicut Cervus– Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
VOCABULARY REVIEW
• Renaissance• Individualism• “Universal man”• Humanism• Realism• Linear Perspective• Text Painting/Word Painting• Imitation• Consonance/Dissonance• A cappella
UNIT III PRESENTATIONS
Technology: Movable Type Printing Press, Gutenberg Bible
Kalyn
Julian
Blake
Jacob
Religion: Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation
Dominique
Phil
Alec
Bilal
Exploration: Columbus, da Gama, MagellanKierynClaireChris
Taimoor
Art: da Vinci, Michelangelo, RaphaelEmmaAaronSamiRyan
Literature: William ShakespeareAnna
AndrewNathan
Nick