Renaissance: Two main geographic areas: Netherlands and Italy

Netherlands: Three main composers:

• Johannes Ockeghem (1425-95)
• did lots of experimenting with Imitation: two or more voices have the same motivic material but state it in succession. His imitation often took form of canon (imitation of the complete subject or melody)
• canons can be at various intervals of time and pitch
• Jacob Obrect (c. 1450-1505), a student of Ockeghem, continued work with imitation
• used sections of imitation alternating with sections of chordal texture
• strong feeling of harmonic progression
• strong feeling of harmonic cadence
• Josquin Des Pres (c. 1440-1521): Greatest of the Netherlanders (culminating figure of the style)
• continued exploration of imiation
• very interested in text setting
• texture is very seemless; voices overlap at cadences

Italy: gradually gains dominance in 16th century

• North Europe had been dominating music center since 12th century or before; now Netherlanders, esp. Adrian Willaert, travel to Italy and balance shifts to Italy being the big European music center.
• Instrumental Music
• voice is still predominant, but instrumental music becomes much more important than previously
• composers start to write instrumental music with specific instruments in mind
• instruments grouped by similar tone quality to achieve homogenous sound: groups were called chests or consorts
• composers made instrumental arrangements of vocal works, e.g. instrumental arrangement of chanson was canzona.
• canzona began as keyboard version of chanson with keyboard ornamentation added. This eventually led to fugue
• also had ensemble canzonas; later leads to sonata
• chansons and canzonas tended to have clearly defined sections; these sections later lengthen in ensemble canzonas until they are separate movements