Characteristics Between Medieval And Renaissance Music And The Renaissance Period

Improved Essays
As one takes a look back into the musical history of the world, they can see that today's musical society would not be anything like it is today without its past. From the medieval time period, we have received musical elements such as word painting and melismas. This was the start of melodic growth for the world. From the Renaissance time period, we have received musical elements such as harmony, improvisation, and Humanim. Without the characteristics of the Medieval time period, the Renaissance time period would not have been what it had grown to be. Each time period takes from one before and expands to a whole new level. Although there are many differences between the musical elements in the Medieval and Renaissance time periods, they in fact have similarities and have made music become what it is today.
Before music became what it is today, it was often used as a way to communicate with God. The church was a powerful educational source in the middle ages taking place from the fifth
…show more content…
The Renaissance began in Italy and literally means "rebirth". One of the major differences between the Medieval and Renaissance time periods is the musical texture. More artists began to be more interested and aware of harmony and focused on working gradually through a piece to play parts simultaneously (Fuller, 2010, p. 1). The Renaissance was the period in which the idea of humanism came about involving looking into human knowledge in diverse artistic ways. Although it is often believed to be a completely secular time period, they did in fact have prevalent church music. Most of the sacred work constructed during this era was by men because the church still had a ban on women musicians. The courts began to sponsor secular music for entertainment by songs and dances and by the end of this era, "women's role in music performance dramatically changed" (Dunbar, 2016, p.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Renaissance which basically means rebirth, began approximately around the 1400’s. Throughout this era society took very high interest in the history of their culture. Greek and Rome were of those whom did it the most. Artists Donatello and Michelangelo used characters from the biblical times, which is a prime example of a what defines a Renaissance artist. As the definition of Renaissance artist states “when scholars and artists began to investigate what they believed to be a revival of classical learning”, this was a very religious era for both Donatello and Michelangelo.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Renaissance and how it changed man’s view of man. The Renaissance is the rebirth of many ideas and it’s a time period where changes were being made. The Renaissance took place in Europe and began around the year of 1400 and went on till about 1700. Many people were hugely impacted during this powerful life changing time.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As Vesta Was Descending

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1. Among all events during the Renaissance, the most crucial and fundamental event is the invention of printing. Because the countries is closely related to each other throughout history, the trade between countries is frequent. That makes the information travel fast, but before printing was invented, the information carries by the form of oral, which is highly possible to lose in memories through time.…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The middle ages was an era of European history caused by a gradual decline in the Roman Empire. It was known as “the dark ages” when society declined, taking place between the 500s to the 1500s. The renaissance took place between the 1300s and 1600s and was the “rebirth” of society. The renaissance began after the wars and plagues when people wanted to celebrate life and the human spirit. This was a period of revival for art, writing, and learning.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Visual arts were the major differences between the Middle Ages and the…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ap Euro Dbq Renaissance

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The main factor differentiating the Middle Ages from the Renaissance was a shift in the human awareness, be it about themselves, the world around them, or about religion. Jacob Burckhardt states that “In the Middle Ages both sides of human consciousness lay dreaming… beneath a common veil. In Italy... man became a spiritual individual, and recognized himself as such.”…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Middle Ages DBQ

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Middle Ages ran from the fall of the Roman Empire (around 500 CE) to about 1350 CE (Background Essay). During the Middle Ages people were known to be illiterate because of the lack of schooling. This time was known as the “Dark Ages” because of the diseases and deaths that happened all the time, which is partially because “most of the population, more than 85 percent, was peasant farmers called serfs” (Background Essay). The purpose of this paper is to explain how the Renaissance changed Mans View of the World.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hurrian Songs

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages

    It allows people to learn the composition without having to heard it again. Also musical composition helps to play the music even when the composer have passed away a long time ago. Many systems used in the past to write music without having to memorize it. 5. Describe medieval music's relationship with the Catholic Church.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What is the renaissance? The renaissance was a time period in which people grew as an individual. People around that time period grew intellectually and artistically. Many people started to build sculptures about the human body, others drew paintings, while other express what they though in writing. Laura Cereta became a writer she wrote many letters that address what she though, "Laura Cereta to Bibulus Sempronius: Defense of the Liberal Instruction of Women.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Renaissance and Medieval art differs in many ways. The size of the pictures vary in size. The colors differ. Also, the way the art was made also differs. The people in the artwork also have differences.…

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Baroque Music Dbq

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Question 3 Essay Response Music was originally crafted for religious and sacred use. These pieces were performed in churches, and used to enhance church services. The main type of music performed during the Middle Ages was the Gregorian chant. This music was written with sacred Latin text, and sung without instrumental accompaniment. There was no set beat for these songs, and they contained a free-flowing rhythm.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Renaissance Period which occurred between roughly 1400-1600 has influenced the modern world’s music through Renaissance composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli whose use of dynamics has helped shape music theory taught today. The Renaissance was a time of dramatic development in literature, music, art and science which ties in with the name of the period (Renaissance), as the meaning of it is “rebirth”, thus showcasing the era to be a time of growth. Music became increasingly popular with the arise of the printing press and secular music. The printing press made it easy for composers to int and distribute their compositions in mass to everywhere in Europe. Secular music was music created and used for outside of church.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Baroque and Classical eras of music were both amazing periods full of musical genius and ingenuity that has made them go down in history as some of the most influential time periods for music composition. Among some of the most praised and defining pieces from those time periods include Dido’s “Lament” from Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” from the Baroque period, while pieces such as “Queen of The Night” from W.A Mozart’s “Magic Flute” exemplify the Classical period. These pieces both exhibit exemplary musical qualities from their respective musical periods, and comparing and contrasting these two works will illuminate the magnificence of each period. Baroque music was a new art style that emphasized tonality. This is significant because of…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    From the 12th century to the 21st century music has been a way of living. People around the world listen to music every day, even though music has changed drastically over the years. But why did this happen? Music has been changed in many ways and this tells the difference of classical and modern music. For example music has changed by the: adding of effects, change of message and change of purpose.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the less obvious of these changes was that of music. In comparing Medieval and Renaissance times we can see a definite contrast in the style and content of what the music emphasized.…

    • 797 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays