Reading Quiz:


Renaissance Music Overview

Step 1

  • Summarize the appeal of early music: Early music does not require any special knowledge to appreciate, all you need are open ears. IT also has a sense of mystery, since it comes from a time very remote from our own. It adds newness to old music. It also has an incredible intimacy as it is generally small groups playing for each other. 

  • Describe the timbres of the instruments heard in this Sackbut example The timbre is very bright and sounds pretty much like a trombone. The only difference is this bright quality as mentioned. 

Step 2

  • Listen to the 4 examples below to answer the following questions

  1. Share your overall impression of Renaissance Music. Renaissance music is very rich, but simple enough not to be too much for the listener. 

  2. How does this music sound similar to Medieval Music? Renaissance music contains many similar timbres, such as the plucked sting instruments, and the echoing voices are also a similarity. 

  3. How does this music sound different from Medieval Music? In many of the examples shown, the overall homophony is more advanced and put together, with the accompaniment complimenting the melody in a more sophisticated manner. The polyphony is also more complex. 

A.  Dance Music

B.  Shakespeare

C.  King Henry VII

D.  Monteverdi Mass

 

 

Step 3

  • How does Josquin Des Prez convey a happy cricket in his composition El Grillo? The echoing parts of the voice parts is what conveys the "cricketing" of a horny cricket. The way the rhythms change from connected legato, to the staccato echoes shows the movement and behaviors of the caterpillars.  

 

Step 4

  • Listen to Sicut Cervus by Giovanni Palestrina to answer the following questions

 

  1. Is this example Sacred or a Secular? Sacred

  2. What is the language of the text? Latin 

  3. Is the texture monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic? Polyphonic

Step 5

  • Describe the use of dynamics and antiphony demonstrated in Sonata pian e forte by Giovanni Gabrielli  The group of people were very good about going to pianissimo then back to fortisimo in a very short amount of time, which really brought the piece alive. 

  • What are 3 musical clues/characteristics that identify it as being from the Renaissance Period? Some main characteristics of Renaissance music is that it was based on modes, had richer texture in 4 parts, included more blended parts rather than contracting parts, and harmony with a greater concern with the flow and progression of chords


Step 6

  • Use this Recorder Ensemble example by Merula to describe tempo and rhythm. This ensemble played a piece that was very fast in tempo with staccatos rhythms that were a mix of syncopation and straight sixteenth and eighth notes. 

Step 7

  1. Identify where individual motives and themes are first introduced and subsequently reappear The motif that was introduced first in the flute solo, where it was repeatedly brought back vocally in the "falala" sections. 

  2. Identify changes in dynamics and discuss the effect these changes create. Each time a verse changes into the chorus, theres is a change of dynamics, usually the verses being quieter with it crescendoing into the falala verse. Then, at the end the verse comes in at a forte with the chorus being quieter. Because this song is so repetitive, the dynamic changes, keeps interest in the listener. 

  3. Describe changes in texture in Month of Maying as monophonic, homophonic and/or polyphonic When the motive is brought repeatedly back during the "falala" section, the piece changes to a polyphonic texture where when they sing the verses they are all together in a homophonic texture, as the flute is playing the same part as the vocals, and the vocals are in parallel harmonies. 

Step 8

  1. Background & History There is a persistent belief that Greensleeves was composed by Henry VIII for his lover and future queen consort Anne Boleyn. Boleyn allegedly rejected King Henry's attempts to seduce her, and this rejection may be referred to in the song when the writer's love "cast me off discourteously", and was possibly composed between 1491-1547

  2. Meaning & Verses Greensleeves was all my joy

    Greensleeves was my delight,
    Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
    And who but my lady greensleeves.

    Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
    Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
    Now I remain in a world apart
    But my heart remains in captivity. "One possible interpretation of the lyrics is that Lady Green Sleeves was a promiscuous young woman and perhaps a prostitute. At the time, the word "green" had sexual connotations, most notably in the phrase "a green gown", a reference to the way that grass stains might be seen on a lady's dress if she had made love outside.

  3. Variations of Sacred & Secular. A sacred song using the melody of "greensleeves" is known as "What Child Is This". While "What Child Is This" is about the birth of Jesus Christ, "Greensleeves" is a love ballad. 


Period Research

Step 1

  • Gather resources of your own choosing to answer the following questions

1.  Provide approximate dates for the Renaissance punctuated with notable world/historical events

Image result for renaissance timeline

2.  Provide examples of how technological advances effected the development of music during the Renaissance. The most important technological advance of all, because it underlay progress in so many other fields, strictly speaking, had little to do with nature. This was the development of printing, with movable metal type, about the mid-15th century in German. This changed the form in which music was being written. Music publishing did not begin on a large scale until the mid-15th century, when mechanical techniques for printing music were first developed. The earliest example, a set of liturgical chants, dates from about 1465, shortly after the Gutenberg Bible. Prior to this time, music had to be copied out by hand. This was a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process, so it was usually undertaken only by monks and priests seeking to preserve sacred music for the church. Now that it was more accessible, more commonpeople were writing music that could be preserved in time through printed form. 

Instrument Research Slides:

Songs from the Labyrinth

Step 1

  1. Provide a description regarding this project Sting has always had such a connection while learning about John Dowland's music. He sees him as the first singer/songwriter that we know. This project is a part of a classical crossover where modern performers are delving into more early musical works. This project has been a huge stretch for sting, but him going out of his comfort zone is helping him evolve as a singer. 

  2. Provide a bit of trivia regarding John Dowland. He can be regarded as one of the first singer/songwriters that we know. He is best known for hypnotic songs filled with anguish. He wrote very long vocal lines, so his lute songs are very challenging, even for the most accomplished singers. 

 

Step 2

  • Watch the following "Message in a Bottle" videos using musical elements to guide your narrative

A.  The Police

B.  Sting & Eden

 

  1.  How did Sting/Eden manipulate the original Rock version to emulate the Renaissance Period? 

(Musical Elements; Pitch, Rhythm, Dynamics, Tempo, Texture, Timbre, Form, Purpose, Harmony, Melody, Expression, Mood, Language, Style, etc.)

Sting took the original rock version, and slowed the tempo way down, getting rid of the percussion beat and adding a more acoustic approach with the therobo. It With the instrumentation change as well as tempo, it is also at a lower dynamic and more calming than the loud, fast paced rock version. The mood is also a  lot more somber than upbeat. 

 

Step 3

  • Use the following text/music for your responses

  1. If you were asked to set these lyrics to music, what choices would you make about tempo, dynamics, tonality, texture, form, mood, timbre, etc.? If I were to compose music to these lyrics, I think I would write it in a soft, minor, key, but try and keep an uplifting quality by making the notes more bouncy and folk like, and not let it be too slow. I would have one voice singing wispily, with multiple plucked strings playing in harmony, almost creating a polyphonic texture. 

 

"In Darkness Let Me Dwell"

In darkness let me dwell; the ground shall sorrow be, 
The roof despair, to bar all cheerful light from me; 
The walls of marble black, that moist'ned still shall weep; 
My music, hellish jarring sounds, to banish friendly sleep. 
Thus, wedded to my woes, and bedded in my tomb, 
O let me dying live, till death doth come, till death doth come. 
In darkness let me dwell

 

2.  What choices did John Dowland make in his setting of In Darkness let me Dwell? In his setting of in darkness let me dwell, he begins with a pretty lute-like instrument that plays chords going from major to minor, but as soon as the haunting voice operatic voice comes in, it takes an extremely somber tone with the legato and sustained notes from the singer. 

3.  How did his musical choices differ from yours? My version picks up the pace a little bit more, and is not as legato as his. Mine also remains piano for the majority, and includes more than one stringed instrument. 

4.  Were there any similarities and if so, what were they?

I think attempting to maintain a somber tonality is the biggest difference, and both of our versions have hints of major moments, especially heard in his version with the lute. 

 

Step 4

  • Pair and Share the outcome of your step 3 creation

1.  Who was your partner? Carrie G. 

2.  Describe their musical choices compared to yours.  Similarities?  Differences?

She chose homophonic, at a slower tempo, lots of pitch variation, and it should have a "dark" tone. She was very adamant about textural painting as well. Mine is similar, but I didn't make mine as dark in mood and mine was a lot less heavy than carrie made hers. 

 

HONORS TRACK

Can Sting Come out and play?

Step 1

Use these resources to answer the following questions:  Link 1 & Link 2

1.  Title, Length, CopyRight Date, Creators & Actors Songs from the Labyrinth, 56 minutes, 2007, Edin Karamazov (performer), Jim Gable, Ann Kim (directors) James Arthur, Helen Ashby, Kate Ashby. 

2.  Brief Summary of the Viewing Material to include 3-5 quotes/passages(include time stamp)

- "if you can move people's passions with your oratory, you could have doors open everywhere" (24:00)

- "the only daunting thing is that I am putting myself in a very vulnerable position, it's not my world" (36:00)

- "What we did was end up respecting the score, but in the end we also came up with quite a few of our own ideas" (37:22)

- "One of the best songs written in the english language, and I cannot compare it to anything" (41:55)

- "I have maintained that silence is the perfect music" (42:35)

3.  Please answer the following

    •    Describe your thoughts, feelings and/or emotional response to the DVD. I loved seeing how much passion a rock performer could put into music history, and really let it engulf his career for a whole year. Sting devoted a big part of his career studying Dowland, and he really broke the stigma of a typical "rock star". I loved how much emotion he would put into the music he sang, and this devotion is shown as he learns how to play the lute (and is actually very successful!). I loved to discussions they had about the pieces about where to have dynamic changes, breathing, and purpose before signing and playing, really giving the song shape and meaning before releasing the final product. 

    •    What was the most important insight you gained? The most important insight I gained was that historical music isn't just one dimensional, and that it has many facets that must be explored to come with the best results. 

    •    What surprised you the most? I was surprised how Sting was able to take his "rock" aesthetic and be able to build a bridge between renaissance music and modern day style, and how it opened his audience to the beauty of music history.

    •    What did you already know? I already knew that in order to produce the best musical product, you must not look at it through one lens. You must focus on every aspect, down to the cut offs and releases. And I also knew that intent and purpose puts the color into a piece of music. 

    •    In what ways might you be able to apply this material to your musical interests? Next time we sing an early music piece, I will know the importance of doing my research and appreciating the age and purpose of the song that I am singing, and to look at it with more of an observatory style rather than just playing note by note.