MUSIC 326/526
Renaissance National Styles

National Styles: Italian

·         Italy has comparatively small amount of music from early 15th Century

·         There were some native composers and some who moved to Italy from other places (musicians still had the Wanderlust)

·         Main musical styles of later 15th, 16th Centuries: Frottola, Lauda and Madrigal

·         Lauda

·         More serious than frottola, often hymn-like (praise or devotion).  Could be performed in or out of church

·         Melodies sometimes borrowed from earlier French Chansons or other popular melodies, but fitted with more religious-oriented texts

·         2 to 4 voices; 4-voice was standard by 1500

·         Upper voice most important, largely homophonic texture

·         Frottola: popular in late 15th, early 16th C; may be a source of the Madrigal

·         Secular, popular style, but court entertainments; often settings of local poetry

·         Performed as vocal or instrumental chamber music at courts;

·         Some printed, so available to other musicians, but still rather restricted

·         Sometimes used in theatrical entertainments e.g. intermedi

·         Usually 3 or 4 voices, set in chordal style but with some sections of counterpoint

·         Main melody in top voice; other voices may be instrumental

·         Bass voice moves in skips of 4ths and 5ths (typical bassline movement)

·         Inner voices fill out harmonies, may also contain running figuration

·         Madrigal see separate outline

National Styles: France:

·         Frottola influenced forms elsewhere, esp. in France, a new type of Chanson emerged

·         Very light and fast, intensely rhythmic, set syllabically

·         Alternated chordal and imitative section

·         they also made instrumental arrangements: sometimes in other countries, e.g. Canzona Francesa.

National Styles: Germany

·         Even slower than Italy to get into polyphony; Meistersingers developed a polyphonic lied in 16th Century

·         Used borrowed melody, often German folk song but sometimes from France or Low Countries

·         Cantus firmus was in middle voice, slow notes; two outer voices in Flemish-style polyphony (e.g. used imitation) in faster notes. Outer voices sometimes instrumental

·         Later a 4th voice was added: middle 2 voices sung, outer often instrumental.

·         Quodlibet (“whatever you like”): principal voice uses melodies and/or texts of well-known songs; other voices are newly composed to go with.  Humorous and/or virtuosic results.  Esp. popular in Germany, but known elsewhere, and an enduring genre from Middle Ages on.

National Styles: Spain: very influenced by Netherlanders and Burgundians, songs from these places well-known and performed in Spain, but also a national style resistant to foreign influences. 

·         Secular: main genre is Villancico: melody in top voice, others probably to be played on different instruments or lute. Sometimes used in dramas (pastoral plays)

·         Sacred: mostly on Northern models. Northerners visited and worked in Spain

National Styles: England:

·         Mostly sacred music from this time; full sonority, they expand numbers of voices.  Most famous composer is John Taverner (1495-1545); his masses are good examples of voice expansion and full sonority