Types of Renaissance Music

1. Types of Renaissance Music
1. Sacred Vocal Music
2. Secular (non-religious) Music

2. Vocal Music of the Renaissance Period
1. Mass – a form of sacred music that sets texts of the
Eucharistic Liturgy into music.
Characteristics of the Renaissance Mass
• It could be sung a cappella (singing without any musical
instrument) or with orchestral accompaniment
• It is polyphonic (the simultaneous combination of two or
more tones or melodic lines (the term derives from the
Greek word for “many sounds” –(www.britannica.com).
• Its text may be syllabi (a single note is set to syllable),
neumatic (a few notes are set to one syllable), or
melismatic (many notes are set to one syllable
Five Main Sections of the Renaissance Mass
1. Kyrie “Lord Have Mercy”
2. Gloria “Glory to God in the Highest”
3. Credo “Apostle’s Creed” or “Nicean Creed”
4. Sanctus and Benedictus “Holy, Holy” and “Blessed Is
He”
5. Agnus Dei “Lamb of God

3. 2. Madrigal – is a secular vocal polyphonic music
composition which originated from Italy is written and
expressed in a poetic text and sung during courtly social
gatherings; a form of vocal chamber music that originated
in northern Italy during the 14th century. The origin of its
term is uncertain, but it probably comes from the Latin
matricale (meaning “in the mother tongue”; i.e., Italian, not
Latin).