The rich interchange of ideas in Europe, as well as political, economic, and religious events in the period 1400–1600 led to major changes in styles of composing, methods of disseminating music, new musical genres, and the development of musical instruments. There are two main types of Renaissance music: church music, or ‘sacred’ music, and non-church or secular music. (There was folk music too, but that was for ‘common’ people, so no one wrote it down.)
To hear what’s special about renaissance music, listen first to this medieval church music, written by the French composer Machaut.
To hear what’s special about renaissance music, listen first to this medieval church music, written by the French composer Machaut.
It’s very grand – but to our modern ears the harmony is very strange. This is because the religious composers of the time didn’t think in our major and minor scales – they thought in scales called modes.
Now listen to this piece of church music by the Italian composer Palestrina, written two hundred years later.
Now listen to this piece of church music by the Italian composer Palestrina, written two hundred years later.
It still sounds very old, but it’s somehow more ‘normal’. This is because music was moving towards the major and minor scales we use today. Also, the rhythms are much smoother.