The Renaissance Period (c.1450-1600) - Composers and Performers

So who was around to write such complex polyphonic music in the Renaissance Period? Quite a few people, actually, and this time, we actually know more of their names. I'm pretty much just going to list some of them with a fact or two about each. (I'll admit that these facts are taken from my notes, which are probably taken from the textbook, so they are pretty vague. Maybe one day I should get around to actually learning about them.)

Jacques Arcadelt wrote both secular and sacred music. He wrote in a simpler, lyrical style than many other composers in this age of complex polyphony.

Giovanni Gabrieli was the first to specify dynamics and instruments in his music. It's possible that he helped the shift from the Renaissance period to Baroque period.

Josquin des Prez also wrote secular and sacred music. In the realm of sacred music, he wrote Ave Maria, Virgo Serena, while in the realm of secular music he wrote many motets and chansons, including Mille Regretz. He focused on the text and having all voices in equality. His music had expressive harmonies and serene melodies.

Guillaume du Fay wrote with well-defined melodies and rhythms. His music contained some of the elements of the medieval style.

Alessandro Striggio wrote a mass in 40 parts. The mass actually got lost for many years because some idiot librarian filed it under "Strusco's mass in 4 parts."

William Byrd was another famous British composer who wrote works such as The Earl of Oxford's March (we played a band arrangement of this once, very fun).

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was another very important composer of the day. I'll write more about him in a later post.

Now for the people who were there to perform the music! In this time of learning, most well-to-do people could play an instrument or sing well. There were also performers who were employed in churches, cities and courts, just like in the medieval period. Now here's a sad story for you: since women still weren't allowed to sing in churches (some did become professional singers, just not in churches), and they needed someone to sing high parts, churches often used boys to sing these high parts. The issue was that eventually these boys would grow up and lose their nice childlike voices, so what did the church do? The Church had some of them castrated so that the boys would keep their childlike voices. These singers were known as castrati. When women were finally allowed to sing in church, the Vatican issued an apology to all of those boys who were castrated. I'm not sure how many there were, exactly, but there were a lot.

Next up: Palestrina and his Pope Marcellus Mass!