The Renaissance period saw a rebirth of art and culture between 1400-1600 CE. Music during this time displayed more individualism and creativity as artists abandoned strict medieval styles. Polyphonic music became prominent, especially in masses, motets and madrigals. Instrumental music also grew, introducing new instruments like the clavichord and virginal. Imitation became an important polyphonic technique used by composers like Byrd, Palestrina and Lassus.

1. Renaissance period

3.  The Renaissance era encompasses Western music history from
1400 to the begining of the 1600’s. This period in time marked
the rebirth of humanism, and the revival of cultural
achievements for their own sake in all forms of art, including
music. The word "Renaissance" in itself is defined as a
"rebirth"or a "reconstruction".
 During this time, artists and musicians produced works that
displayed more artistic freedom and individualism. This
creativity allowed artists to abandon the stricter ways of the
Medieval Era. Their art forms rediscovered the ancient Greek
ideals. The great masters of the Renaissance were revered in their
own lifetimes (rather than after their deaths), which was
different from most of their Medieval predecessors. With the
new printing techniques, music and musical ideas were able to
be preserved and distributed to the people.

4.  The distinctive musical sounds of the Renaissance era were
comprised of a smooth, imitative, polyphonic style, as seen
in the music of Byrd, Palestrina, and Lassus. While sacred
music remained of great importance, secular music was
starting to become increasingly common. Therefore, the
polyphonic style was not only used in sacred music, but
also in secular madrigals .
 The repertoire of instrumental music also began to grow
considerably. New instruments were invented, including
two keyboard instruments called the clavichord and
virginal. In addition, many existing instruments were
enhanced. The lute became the favored instrument of the
time period, and it was established as the standard
instrument for family music making during the 16th
century.

5.  Masses and motets were the primary forms for sacred vocal
polyphony. These were accompanied by the lute or a small
instrumental ensemble or consort. Secular vocal forms included
motets, madrigals and songs, while instrumental pieces were
usually short polyphonic works or music for dancing.
 Renaissance polyphony was harmonious when compared with
the Medieval style. Imitation was a method that composers used
to make elaborate music more coherent and to give the listener a
sense of arrangement. Imitation, where one melodic line
shares, or "imitates," the same musical theme as a previous
melodic line became an important polyphonic technique.
Imitative polyphony can be easily heard in the music of
Byrd, Gibbons, and Gabrieli. Additionally, the masses and
motets of composers such as Josquin also displayed the imitative
polyphonic style. Imitative polyphony was so important that it
continued into the Baroque period, especially in sacred music for
the church.

9.  The Renaissance Period started about 1450 CE in Italy and
ended about 1600 CE. Hale (1993) notes that it was the first
age that the word "European" was used and understood.
Hale (1965) observed that the word Renaissance came from
the Italian word "renascrere" meaning to be re-born. Many
would say it was the age in which intellectual and creative
energy was re-born. Wilcox (1948) stated that the
Renaissance came to Italy a good 100 years before it even
reached north of the Alps. When French Kings Charles VII
and Louis XII invaded Italy they were astounded at the
elegance they found there. The Renaissance Period was the
first era that realized it was a new age in human history.
Lesley (1968) stated that it was marked primary by its
civilization, not by political organization.

10.  Hale (1993) observed that in the 15th century fashion
was re-born and beauty of the human body was
discovered once again. The dark, simple fashions of
the Middle Ages were replaced with elaborate, detailed
dresses as the Renaissance period went on. Bucknell
and Hill (1967) stated that much of the fashions of the
Renaissance were based on Spanish styles, such as
black on white embroidery.

12.  The picture on the left is typical men's attire of the Renaissance
Period. The picture on the right is a typical man's shoe of the
Renaissance Period.
 Men in the Renaissance period wore four essential pieces of
clothing. First, was the camicia or shirt. It was worn close to the
skin as an undergarment. Tortora and Eubank (1989) stated that
for upper-class men the camicia was made of silk or soft fine
linens. The camicia was never worn alone, for that only
symbolized a working man. Baines (1981) observed that lower-
class men's camicias were made of heavy coarse linen. A gusset
was inserted in the camicia to make it stronger and roomier.
From 1440-1500 the camicia was very plain and never
embroidered. Bucknell and Hill (1967) observed that throughout
most of the 16th century the camicia had cuffs and had black on
white Spanish-style embroidery.

13.  Over the camicia was the doublet, which was a close fitted jacket
worn with or without sleeves. A longer doublet was worn with a
small skirt. Hale (1993) stated that doublets were worn only until
the 16th century when the styles became fuller and less form
fitting. The top of the doublet stood away from the neck to create
a smoother more elegant look. Tortora and Eubank (1989) noted
that doublets were very plain until about 1515, when contrasting
fabrics were added.
 The next piece of dress for the Renaissance man was the hose.
Bucknell and Hill (1967) stated that the hose was attached to the
doublet and seamed together at the crotch. Until the later part of
the 15th century hose were worn by labor workers only.
According to Hale (1965) the fabric was woven and worn tight to
attain smoothness, yet hampering physical activity. Because of
the controlled physical activity many painters show men with
the laces of their hose untied and hanging in back.

14.  The outer-most piece of clothing worn by common-men
was the jacket. In the later part of the 15th century the
jacket was worn over the shoulders and chest then falling
in full pleats and belted at the waist. An alternative style
was a huke-like jacket. Tortora and Eubank (1989) reported
that early sleeves of jackets had puffs at the shoulders
which tapered at wrists. In the middle part of the 16th
century the sleeves of the jackets were worn severely tight
and tended to cause loss of circulation. Sleeve attachments
were worn purely for decoration. Tortora and Eubank
(1989) reported that hanging sleeves were generally non-
functional and attached to the jacket. An extra layer worn
by lawyers and high political officials only, was a
ceremonial robe.

15.  Hale (1965) stated that for outdoor weather a fur jacket
was worn over the jacket and/or the ceremonial rob.
Because of the stiff and tight clothing worn by the men
of the early Renaissance period, movement was
restrictive and mechanical. By the turn of the 16th
century the movement became more natural with
removal of padding from jackets. Lesley (1968)
observed that yet another thirty years later movement
was once again so restricted that it caused men to walk
with their hands and arms out in front of the body
with their feet turned out. The end of the
Renaissance, though, brought a natural movement
back again.

16.  Footwear was a big part of the men's fashion. Bucknell and
Hill (1967) reported that in the beginning of the
Renaissance Period the shoes were long, pointed, and
generally worn for indoor use only. Leather clogs with
wooden soles were worn for outdoor weather. Aston (1968)
stated that in 1485 shoes became less pointed and more
rounded. Most were calf length, form-fitting, and laced up
the sides. At the turn of the century men's shoes became
broader or duck billed with ribbons tied across the top of
the foot. Baines (1981) stated that toward the end of the
period the footwear became more natural and slipper-like
(p.176). Shoe-makers used slashing and pricking to give the
shoe a better fit. Tortora and Eubank (1989) reported that
at the end of the Renaissance Period the most popular
mode of footwear was the footed hose.

17.  Hats, hair styles, and accessories were the last essential
pieces that finished off the man's costume. At the
beginning of the Renaissance Period younger men wore
their hair long from ears to shoulders, while older men
wore their hair shorter and sometimes shaved. Aston (1968)
stated that along with the hair styles, the early Renaissance
brought turban-like hats that were worn with a white coif
beneath. As well as hair styles and hats, accessories were a
big part of the early Renaissance Period. Eubank and
Tortora (1989) reported that men of the early Renaissance
wore narrow belts, carried small purses and daggers. They
wore finger rings on the joints of their first and second
fingers only.

18.  In the middle Renaissance, men started to wear cleanly
shaved beards and mustaches, something never seen in the
Renaissance before. Turban-like hats were replaced with
beret-like crowns with upturned brims. The berets were
made with thick cloth, felt, beaver, or velvet. As an
accessory, the men in the middle Renaissance carried
walking sticks with their berets resting on top. Hair styles
of the late Renaissance Period were very short, even for
young men. Hair below the chin was rarely or never seen.
The hats of the late Renaissance Period were very elaborate.
Bucknell and Hill (1967) reported that black caps were
worn with ostrich feathers, brooches, and jewels. As an
accessory men of the late Renaissance Period wore huge
jeweled rings over gauntlet gloves.

20.  Eubank and Tortora (1989) stated that women's outerwear
during the 15th century did not noticeably change until
1440. From the years 1440-1500, dresses, worn over the
chemise or camicia, were worn in either a one or two piece
garment. The one piece was a cut from shoulder to hem,
with the top cut similarly to men's jacket styles and were
smooth fitting with yoke-like construction over the
shoulder, full pleats or gathers over the bustline and were
usually belted. Bucknell and Hill (1967) reported that two
piece styles consisted of a bodice and fully gathered skirt
with a similar construction to one piece styles and were
closed by lacing up the front or the side. There were many
different variations on the styles of women's outer dresses.

21.  During the early Renaissance, the necklines varied in cut
and height. Aston (1968) stated that in the mid 1400s,
necklines were rounded with a usually high cut. With the
end of the century came lower necklines with a more
squared cut or a deep v-neck cut held together by lacing
and showed the upper part of the chemise. Eubank and
Tortora (1989) reported that another style that arose were
two layer dresses which consisted of an underdress and over
that an outer dress. The underdress was one piece with the
bodice and skirt fully joined with a close fit to the body.
The underdress was often visible at parts of the outer dress,
whether it be the neckline, sleeves and/or under the arm.
The outer dress was sleeveless with seams at the shoulders
and an open arm to display the underdress.

22.  One variation on the outer dress was the Venetian dress which was not as heavy
as most other outer dresses but was made with a more rigid fabric. Bucknell
and Hill (1967) noted throughout the 16th century the outer dress remained
similar to the dresses of the 15th century with a few variations. The outer dress
was made wider and with more fullness. The necklines had more of a wider and
more square shape and cut lower to reveal more of the camicia. The sleeves
became wider, with more fullness. Baines (1981) stated that most sleeves were
puffed out at the top and had a close fit from above the elbow to the wrist. The
sleeves became more elaborate and decorated with the elaborate puffs and
decorative slashes. The waistlines of the outer dresses were designed straight
across at the beginning of the 16th century, but towards the end of the century,
the waistlines acquired a more v-shaped cut in the front and straight across cut
in the back adapted from Spanish styles. Eubank and Tortora (1989) reported
that Venetian outer dresses acquired a more u-shaped cut in the front of the
waistlines with a straight cut in the back. Women's outer garment styles kept
the same basic idea throughout the Renaissance, with slight alterations
throughout the years. Little changes in necklines, waistlines, sleeves and such
help identify the dress to the different time periods and different rulers.
Bucknell and Hill (1967) noted that with the change of rulers came a change in
what was considered fashionable depending on what the Queen or King wore.

23.  Women's undergarments were also important in the
Renaissance when it came to being fashionable and
distinguishing status and social class as with other,
more visible fashions, such as outer dresses, head dress
and footwear.

24.  During the end of the 15th century, part of the
neckline of the chemise was shown at the neckline of
the outer dress, fine embroidery, bindings, smocking
or edgings were added to the visible part of the
chemise. During the 16th century the chemise was cut
high above the neckline of the outer dress, sometimes
just high enough to see a small border. This was often
embroidered or decorated another way, it evened
formed a small ruffle on some dresses. Bucknell and
Hill (1967) noted that around 1470 the chemise was
replaced in favor of a petticoat which defined the
shape of the skirt of the outer dress.

25.  In 1485, corselets became popular, which was a
closefitting undergarment of a one piece girdle and
brassiere tightened with laces worn the squeeze the
woman's waist to give her a more curvy figure. Near
1550, corsets, made with stronger material and
reinforced with stays, replaced the
corselets. Stockings were also important Fashions of
the Renaissance were very complicated and elaborate
and undergarments, even though rarely seen, were no
exception.

26.  Women's hair and head dresses were the most
elaborate, ever-changing and time consuming parts of
women's fashions in the Renaissance. Baines (1981)
noted that women spent hours plucking hair from
their foreheads and side of their face to achieve a high
forehead, which was considered fashionable during
the Renaissance

27.  Along with all the other fashions, women's footwear was
not neglected. There were many extravagant designs and
trends. Wilcox (1948) noted that women had a restriction
put on the width of their toes if they wanted to buy shoes
that fit. These shoes were limited to six inches in width and
even in some northern countries (France, England and
Germany) the shoes were cut with a square shape in the
toe. Wilcox (1948) reported that styles of the shoes were
generally associated with the reign of Henry VIII and
Francois I, from whom some shoe styles originated. Shoes
were made out of wood in the platform and leather in the
slipper..