Renaissance Music
The music of the Renaissance Era.
Medieval Era ---> Renaissance Era. How are they different?
The French word "renaissance" means "rebirth". This word is used to describe a period of Western European history in which people changed their way of life in many ways. Before the Renaissance, people were living in what we call the Medieval Era or "The Middle Ages". During the Medieval Era, people in Europe centered their lives around the church, religion, and getting into heaven. "The Black Death", a plague that killed one third of Europe's people, made daily European life scary and dangerous. To escape that danger, people turned to God and the church.
The beginning of the Renaissance
Europe emerged from the Middle Ages and experienced financial, artistic, social, scientific and political growth. The Renaissance was a rebirth that occurred throughout most of Europe but the changes that we associate with the Renaissance first occurred in the Italian city of Florence.
A Cultural Shift
The bottom line is that the Renaissance brought about a cultural shift. Every was changing, including music. Europeans saw improvement in the following areas:
* Lifestyle
* Trade and Exploration
* Arts, Architecture, and Music
* Everyday Life
* Science and Technology
These changes mark the beginning of our modern way of life. Many of these improvements are still in place today and help define the way we live today.
Middle ages and Renaissance music / Plucked string instruments (XIII-XVII centuries)
Renaissance Music in a Castle. Ancient Music in the Loire Valley.
Famous people from the Renaissance Era
Leonardo Di Vinci
(1452 – 1519) Leonardo was the supreme Renaissance painter, scientist, inventor, and polymath. Da Vinci is widely regarded as one of the greatest minds the world has ever produced. He was interested in everything from music to art and science. Da Vinci was an immense creative force at the start of the renaissance period. Amongst his many works was the immortal painting – The Mona Lisa.
Nicholas Copernicus
(1473- 1543) A renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a heliocentric view of the universe. His teaching that the earth revolved around the sun placed him in opposition to the established teachings of the church. He was also an astronomer, physician, economist, diplomat, classics scholar and jurist.
William Shakespeare
(1564- 1616) English poet and playwright. Famous works include Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice and Hamlet.
Famous Composer Profile: Claudio Monteverdi -->Moving us forward
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) Linking the Renaissance to the Baroque, Claudio Monteverdi's revolutionary music included the first dramatic opera, Orfeo. Much of Monteverdi's early years were spent composing madrigals; nine books in total. These books clearly mark the change in thinking and compositional style between the two periods.
Monteverdi - Orfeo - Rosa del ciel