Renaissance Composers
During the Renaissance vocal music was still the dominant musical expression which is shown in the church masses with Latin text from the Bible. Other sacred musical forms were the motet and the madrigal. The madrigal could also be secular and was usually composed for four unaccompanied voices. Monteverdi and Gesualdo were two masters of the madrigal.
Instrumental music was closely associated with and also beginning to take equal place to vocal music. Composers were beginning to pair fast and slow instrumental dances that eventually developed into the suites of pieces that became popular during the Baroque. The lute remained popular as accompaniment to secular songs, keyboard instruments came into wider use, the first violin was built by Andrea Amati and hundreds of pieces were written for chamber ensembles.
Below is a list of both vocal and instrumental composers. Choose one or two composers from the list below whose music made a strong impression on you.
Do an online search and find at least 3 useful websites (no Wikipedia!) that address the composer’s biographies and significant works and his cultural importance. Also, try to describe the general characteristics of the composer’s musical style.
Address the topic in complete sentences and full, detailed paragraphs. Your complete assignment should be the equivalent length of a minimum of 3-4 pages (12-pt. font, double-spaced).
Your essay should include a reference list at the end, showing your sources and in the essay, you should insert citations whenever you quote or paraphrase a source. Before writing your essay, make sure to read my instructions on references, quoting and paraphrasing under the Instructor Announcements on the homepage!
Choose one or two composers from the following list:
• Josquin des Prez (c.1450-1521)
• Thomas Tallis (1510-1585)
• Giovanni da Palestrina (1525-1594)
• Orlando de Lassus (1532-1594)
• Thomas Morley (1557-1602)
• William Byrd (1543-1623)
• Giovanni Gabrieli (1553-1612)
• Carlo Gesualdo (1560-1613)
• John Dowland (1563-1626)
Please use try to use more than 3 websites excluding Wikipedia.
