Power point 9: Secular Vocal Music of the 1500s

1. Music in the Renaissance Era
1420-1600

2. Part IV:
Secular Vocal Music
in the 1500s
This is the first printed music
for amateurs—our first
significant trace of music-
making of the general
populace.

3. Spain
Villancico
•Developed @ court of
Ferdinand & Isabella
•On rustic or popular
subjects
•aristocratic
representation of music
of the lower classes
•Short, strophic, syllabic,
homophonic
•“authentic,” “simple”
•Form:
•Refrain
•Stanzas
•Melody on top
•Often published for
voice and solo lute
•hemiola
•Juan del Encina,
Oy comamos y bebamos

4. Italy
Frottola
•Italian counterpart to Villancico
•Melismas @ cadences (improvised)
•Marco Cara, Io non compro più speranza
Villanella, Canzonetta, Balletto
•Villanella
•Lively, strophic, homophonic,
•Parallel 5ths, rustic
•Mocked madrigals
•Canzonetta
•“little song”
•lively, homophonic, simple harmonies
•Balletto
•“little dance”
•for dancing; have “fa-la-la” refrains
Madrigal
•serious music for Italian poetry
•music enriches text
•Text
•Single-line stanza of 7 or 11 syllables
•No refrains or repeated lines
•Ends w/epigram
•Music
•Through-composed
•Variety of contrapuntal & homophonic textures
•1 singer to a part

5. Early Madrigal
(1520-1550)
Jaques Arcadelt
•Franco Flemish,
active in Florence
& Rome
•4 voices
•Il bianco e dolce
cigno
Middle Madrigal
(mid 16th century)
Cipriano de Rore
•Frequent changes
of texture:
homophony; free
polyphony
•5 voices
•Da le belle contrade
d’oriente
Late Madrigal
(late 16th century)
Luca Marenzio
•word-painting, musical
imagery
•5 voices
Orlando di Lasso Carlo Gesualdo
•Solo e pensoso Io parto

6. France
New chanson
•Light, fast, rhythmic, syllabic,
repeated notes, duple
•4 voices, melody high voice,
homophonic, occasional pts. of
imitation
•Various forms w/short
sections/strophic
•No word-painting
•Amateurs; Popular
Claudin de Sermisy
The Later Franco-Flemish
Chanson
•maintained older Franco-
Flemish contrapuntal tradition
•di Lasso writes chansons in
the Franco-Flemish, new, and
madrigal styles.
Musique Mesurèe
•Greek ideals
•Academy of Poetry &
Music
•Improve society w/
music
•Poetic rhythm
•Influential irregular
rhythms in air de cour
Claude le JeuneJan Sweelinck
Revecy venir du printans;
chanson
Orlando di Lasso
La nuict froide
et sombre;
chanson
Tant que vivray;
chanson

7. England
•Consort song
•voice & string
ensemble
•Madrigals
•Italian influence
•For amateurs,
informal gatherings
•Lute songs
•solo w/accomp
•no text-painting
•tablature
William Byrd Thomas Morley Thomas Weelkes John Dowland
Flow, my tears;
air or lute song
As Vestas was;
madrigal
My bonny lass she
smileth; ballett

8. Germany
•Meistersingers—
sang
unaccompanied
solo songs
•Hans Sachs