In the musical culture of the Renaissance, several defining innovative features can be distinguished.

First, the rapid development of secular art, expressed in the ubiquity of many secular song and dance genres. These are Italianfrottols ("Folk songs, from frottola words - crowd), villanelles ("Village songs"),kachchii , canzone (literally - songs) and madrigals, Spanishvillancico (from villa - village), French chanson songs, GermanLied , english ballads other. All these genres, glorifying the joy of being, interested in the inner world of a person, striving for the truth of life, directly reflected a purely Renaissance attitude. For their expressive means, the widespread use of intonations and rhythms of folk music is typical.

The culmination of the secular line in the art of the Renaissance -madrigal ... The name of the genre means "song in the maternal (that is, Italian) language." It emphasizes the difference between madrigal and sacred music performed in Latin. The development of the genre went from an unpretentious monophonic shepherd's song to a 5-6-voice vocal-instrumental piece with a refined and refined lyric text. Among the poets who turned to the madrigal genre are Petrarca, Boccaccio, Tasso. The composers A. Villart, J. Arcadelt, Palestrina, O. Lasso, L. Marenzio, C. Gesualdo, K. Monteverdi were remarkable masters of the madrigal. Originating in Italy, madrigal quickly spread to other Western European countries.

The French version of the polyphonic song is calledchanson ... It differs from madrigal by a greater proximity to the real, everyday life, that is, genre. Among the creators of chanson -Clement Jeannequin , one of the most famous French composers of the Renaissance.

Secondly, the highest flowering of choral polyphony, which became the leading musical style of the era. Dignified and auspicious, it corresponded perfectly to the solemnity of the church service. At the same time, polyphonic polyphony was the dominant form of expression not only in spiritual genres, but also in secular ones.

The development of choral polyphony was primarily associated with the work of composers of the Dutch (Franco-Flemish) school: Guillaume Dufay, Johannes Okegem, Jacob Obrecht, Josquin Despres, Orlando Lasso.

Orlando Lasso (about 1532-1594) worked in many European countries. His talent, truly phenomenal, conquered and delighted everyone. In the immense work of Orlando Lasso, all musical genres of the Renaissance are represented (with the predominance of secular music over spiritual). His most popular works include "Echo", written in the genre of Italian everyday song. The composition is based on the colorful juxtaposition of the two choirs, creating an echo effect. Its text belongs to the composer himself.

Along with Orlando Lasso, the greatest representative of the High Renaissance in music was the ItalianPalestrina (full name Giovanni Pierlui-gi da Palestrina, circa 1525-1594). Most of Palestrina's life was spent in Rome, where he was constantly associated with work in the church, in particular, he headed the chapel of the Cathedral of St. Peter. The main part of his music is sacred works, primarily masses (there are more than a hundred of them, among which the famous "Mass of Pope Marcello" stands out) and motets. However, Palestrina also willingly composed secular music - madrigals, canzonetta. Works by Palestrina for choir a Sarrella became a classic example of Renaissance polyphony.

The work of polyphonist composers played a leading role in the development of the main genre of Renaissance music -masses ... Originating in the Middle Ages, the genre of mass inXIV- Xvi centuries, it is rapidly transforming, moving from samples represented by separate, scattered parts, to works of a harmonious cyclical form.

Depending on the church calendar, some parts were omitted in the music of the Mass and other parts were inserted. There are five obligatory parts that are constantly present in the church service. INI and V - « Kyrieeleison» ("Lord have mercy") and« AgnusDei» (« Lamb of God ”) - a prayer for forgiveness and mercy was expressed. InII and IV - « Gloria"(" Glory ") and" Sanctus» (« Holy ") - praise and gratitude. In the central part, "Credo» (« I believe ”), the main dogmas of the Christian doctrine were stated.

Third, the growing role of instrumental music (with a clear predominance of vocal genres). If the European Middle Ages almost did not know professional instrumentalism, then in the Renaissance, many works were created for the lute (the most common musical instrument of that time), organ, viola, vihuela, virginal, longitudinal flutes. They still follow vocal patterns, but their interest in instrumental playing has already been determined.

Fourthly, during the Renaissance, there was an active formation of national music schools (Dutch polyphonists, English verginalists, Spanish vihuelists and others), whose work was based on the folklore of their country.

Finally, the theory of music has stepped far forward, having put forward a number of remarkable theoreticians. This is FrenchPhilippe de Vitry , the author of the treatise " Arsnova» (« New Art ", where the theoretical substantiation of the new polyphonic style is given); ItalianJoseffo Zarlino , one of the founders of the science of harmony; SwissGlarean , the founder of the doctrine of melody.

The next stage in the development of the European musical tradition is the Renaissance, or Renaissance, which lasted for the 14-16 centuries. This is a significant period for the development of European culture in general. Music during the Renaissance became a full-fledged art form, with its own trends, laws of development and national characteristics.

The revival began in Italy, so the period of the 14th century was the apogee of the development of Italian music. In the 15th century, the Renaissance conquered Holland, and then all of Europe: France and after it England and Germany.

Organ and viola

The Renaissance culture inherited its main musical instrument from the Middle Ages - the organ. Many other string and wind instruments are gradually added to it.

Organ

It was during the Renaissance that a representative of the stringed bow family with an equal number of main and resonating strings appeared. She gives a velvety sound and is most often the soloist. Viola was practically not used in the orchestra due to the difficulties in tuning. It is the viola that appears to be the forerunner of the violin, viola, cello and other violin instruments.

Viola

Lute

The second type of musical instrument common during the Renaissance is the plucked string. The lute stands out among them, the name of which comes either from the Polish word lutnia, or from the Arabic alud, which means wood. The lute is characterized by its small size, hemispherical lower part and flat upper part. The neck is rather wide, with the head bent at a right angle. She has ten pairs of strings and two methods of sound extraction: with the help of fingers or a special plate, a pick.

Lute

The lute has oriental roots and appeared in Europe only in the 15th century, quickly becoming one of the most popular instruments. A separate repertoire was specially created for it, which included not only instrumental melodies, but also songs.

Harpsichord and other Renaissance keyboards

Harpsichord

The third family of musical instruments, which originated in the Renaissance, - Their prototype was an organ, whose keys were replaced by wide and uncomfortable levers. Following the organ, other instruments appeared, the sound from which is extracted using the keys. This is a harpsichord, a harpsichord, a harpsichord, a virginel, a clavichord, a spinet, a muselar ... The Renaissance gave them a start in life, but the period of their greatest prosperity will be in the Baroque era.

During the Renaissance, violas were the main stringed instruments. They resemble modern violins, viola and cello in form and are considered their predecessors.

The most popular stringed instrument of the Renaissance was the lute. In the lute, twelve strings are grouped in pairs, and the sound is produced both with fingers and with a special plate - a pick. The lute was used both as a solo instrument and for accompaniment. There was a huge repertoire for her.

Even at the papal court there was a personal lute player Francesco da Milano... It was he who composed a piece for the "Canzona" lute, which has survived to this day and is known to almost everyone. Canzona is a song without words. /EXAMPLE/

One of the favorite and popular melodies of that time was the old English song "Green Sleeves". It was recorded in 1580. Queen Elizabeth the First of England danced to her. The great English playwright Shakespeare mentions her twice in his comedy The Windsor Ridiculous. Later, many versions of lyrics were composed to this eternal melody. Now this melody is often used in the design of performances based on Shakespeare's plays as the hallmark of England at that time.

For the lute, whole cycles of various dances and other plays were composed, which were called SUITS. The number of parts in the suite ranges from two to seven or eight. These ancient suites were originally intended to accompany dancing, but later turned into music for the ear, not for the feet.

In the XV-XVI centuries, various types of keyboard instruments arose - the harpsichord, clavichord, chembalo, virginel.

ORGAN

One of the most magnificent musical instruments is the organ. It is like a whole orchestra. In the Middle Ages, it was used mainly in the church. By the end of the XIV century. the organ already had two or three hand keyboards and a special foot keyboard - a pedal one. The organ consists of pipes of different sizes, a control mechanism, bellows, as well as a fan and a motor that pump the air necessary for sound. The number of pipes in an organ reaches several thousand. Each trumpet emits only one sound of a certain pitch, timbre and volume. A group of trumpets of the same timbre, but with a different pitch, is called a register.

MUSIC OF ENGLAND

In the 16th century, there was a schism in the Western Church. Protestantism was born, which caused wars and uprisings. The cultural life of England during the Renaissance was closely associated with the Reformation. In the 16th century, Protestantism spread throughout the country. The Catholic Church lost its dominant position, the Anglican Church became the state one. Music departments have opened at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. In the salons of the nobility, keyboard instruments sounded: a portable virginel and a small organ. Small compositions intended for home music production were popular.

The leading composer of that time was William Bird (1543 or 1544-1623) - the founder of the English madrigal. Bird also created spiritual works (masses, psalms) and instrumental music.

With the work of the composer Henry Purcelland (1659-1695) connected the short rise of English music, which took the forefront of European art of that time. His opera Dido and Aeneas is still a masterpiece of theatrical music. Dido's aria "I will lie in the ground" is an unsurpassed example of a crying aria.

MUSICAL EXAMPLE

I have chosen the path: I lie in the ground and sleep forever.

Forget death and my destiny.

But take an oath: keeping my love at the bottom of my soul,

Love, my love, do not forget love.

The great composer died of an unknown illness at the age of 36.

Thus ended the period of birth and fleeting prosperity of the national opera in England, and later came a period of its long crisis, which lasted until the end of the 19th century.

Purcell had no followers. His work is a beautiful and lonely pinnacle of the English musical Renaissance.

After Purcell's death, a two-hundred-year "era of silence" reigned in the national music of England. The musical life of England is increasingly subject to the spirit of capitalist entrepreneurship. For organizers of concerts and opera performances, music has turned from an element of spiritual culture to a source of income. The first commercial concerts appeared in England. They took place in special large rooms called "Stations".

MUSIC OF GERMANY

The 16th century in Germany is the time of the Reformation, which significantly changed the religious and cultural life of the country. The founder of the Reformation movement was Martin Luther (1483-1546). In 1522 Luther translated the New Testament into German and it became possible to conduct worship in his native language. He also reformed church singing. Gregorian chant melodies were rejected. Protestant chant took their place. Its source is folk spiritual and secular songs, simple and clear in melody, even in rhythm and easy to remember by the bulk of believers. Luther composed the melodies for some of the chorales himself. One of them, "The Lord is our support," became a symbol of the Reformation during the religious wars of the 16th century.

Another bright page of German Renaissance music is associated with the work of the Meistersinger (German Meistersinger - "master singer") - poets and singers from among the artisans.

Outstanding Meistersinger of the 16th century Hans Sachs (1494-1576) in his youth left his parental home and went to travel across Germany. During his wanderings, the young man learned the craft of a shoemaker, but most importantly, he got acquainted with folk art. Sachs was well educated, knew ancient and medieval literature very well. He composed both spiritual and secular songs (about six thousand songs in total).

The question of the musical side of the Renaissance is a complex one. In the music of that time, it is more difficult to identify new, fundamentally different, elements and trends compared to the Middle Ages than in other areas of art - in painting, sculpture, architecture, artistic craft, and so on. The fact is that music, both in the Middle Ages and throughout the Renaissance, retained its diverse character. There was a clear division into church-spiritual music and secular compositions, song and dance. However, Renaissance music has its own original character, albeit closely related to previous achievements.

Musical culture of the Renaissance

The peculiarity of Renaissance music, to which the musical era of the XV-XVI centuries is attributed, is the combination of various national schools, which at the same time had a general development trend. Experts identify the first elements characteristic of the era of mood in the Italian direction of music. Moreover, in the homeland of the Renaissance, "new music" began to appear at the end of the XIV century. The features of the Renaissance style were most clearly manifested in the Dutch school of music, starting from the middle of the 15th century. A feature of Dutch music was the increased attention to vocal compositions with appropriate instrumental accompaniment. Moreover, vocal polyphonic compositions were characteristic both for church music of the Dutch school and for its secular direction.

So, already in the 16th century, it spread to France, Germany, England. Moreover, secular vocal compositions in the Dutch style were performed in different languages: for example, music historians see the origins of traditional French chanson in these songs. All European music of the Renaissance is characterized by two seemingly oppositely directed tendencies. One of them led to a clear individualization of compositions: in secular works, the author's principle is more and more traced, more personal lyrics, experiences and emotions of a particular composer appear.

Another tendency was reflected in the increasing systematization of musical theory. Works, both ecclesiastical and secular, became more and more complex, musical polyphonism improved and developed. First of all, in church music, clear rules for shaping, harmonic sequences, voice leading and the like were compiled.

Theorists or composers of the Renaissance?

Such a complex nature of the development of music in the Renaissance is associated with the fact that there are currently disputes over whether the leading musical figures of that time should be considered composers, theorists or scientists. At that time there was no clear “division of labor”, so the musicians combined various functions. So, to a greater extent the theorist was the Swiss Glarean, who lived and worked in the first half of the 16th century. He made significant contributions to musical theory, creating the basis for the introduction of concepts such as major and minor. At the same time, he viewed music as a source of pleasure, that is, he advocated its secular nature, in fact, rejecting the development of music in the religious aspect of the Middle Ages. In addition, Glarean saw music only in an inextricable connection with poetry, so he paid great attention to song genres.

The Italian Joseffo Tsarlino, whose creative activity took place in the second quarter - the end of the 16th century, in many ways developed and supplemented the theoretical developments presented above. In particular, he first proposed to associate the already formulated concepts of major and minor with the emotional mood of a person, associating the minor with melancholy and sadness, and the major with joy and lofty feelings. In addition, Tsarlino continued the ancient tradition of interpreting music: for him, music was a tangible expression of the harmony in which the universe should exist. Consequently, music, in his opinion, was the highest manifestation of creative genius and the most important of the arts.

Where did Renaissance music come from?

Theory is theory, but in practice, music is unthinkable without musical instruments - of course, with their help the musical art of the Renaissance was embodied in life. The main instrument that "migrated" into the Renaissance from the previous, medieval, musical period was the organ. This keyboard-wind instrument was actively used in church music, and given the important place of sacred compositions in the music of the Renaissance, the importance of the organ was preserved. Although, in general, the "specific weight" of this instrument, perhaps, has decreased - stringed bowed and plucked instruments came to the fore. However, the organ laid the foundation for a separate direction of keyboard instruments, which had a higher and more secular sound. The most common of these was the harpsichord.

The stringed bowed instruments have formed a whole separate family - the viola. Violas were instruments resembling modern violin instruments in form and function (violin, viola, cello). Most likely there are family ties between the violas and the violin family, but the viols have characteristic features. They have a much more pronounced individual "voice" with a velvety hue. Viols have an equal number of main and resonating strings, which is why they are very whimsical and difficult to tune. Therefore, violas are almost always a solo instrument; it is rarely possible to achieve their harmonious use in an orchestra.

As for the plucked string instruments, among them the lute, which appeared in Europe around the 15th century, occupied the main place in the Renaissance. The lute was of oriental origin and had a specific device. The instrument, the sounds from which could be extracted both with your fingers and with the help of a special plate (analogous to a modern pick), very quickly gained popularity in the Old World.

Alexander Babitsky

"Northern Renaissance" - Features of the Northern Renaissance. Shvidunova Lyubov Konstantinovna Teacher MHK GOUSOSH №250 SVAO, Moscow. Northern Renaissance. Earthly love and heavenly love. Jan van Eyck Portrait of the Arnolfin couple. The largest master of the Dutch Renaissance (around 1390-1441). Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Country of lazy people.

"Culture of the Renaissance" - the Hermitage), "Madonna Litti" (ibid.), "Mona-Lisa" (portrait, in the Louvre), etc. Julia II, c. San Pietro at Vincoli, Rome), "St. Matthew", "Madonna and Child", "Madonna Doni" (Uffizi), Medici tombs in Florence. Maria delle Grazie in Milan, very damaged), The Holy Family (St. Petersburg.

"Art of the Renaissance" - Sistine Madonna 1515 - 1519. Tommaso Masaccio (1401-1428) played a huge role in painting. Nicolo became the founder of a school of sculpture that became popular throughout Italy. "David" (1501-1504). The statue reaches five and a half meters in height. The hero's face expresses an unbreakable will. And spring reigns in nature.

"Philosophy of the Renaissance" - 3. What methods of cognition does the philosopher highlight? Creativity is the primary dignity of man. Analyze Hegel's statement and answer the questions: What methods of cognition are highlighted? What was the innovation of outstanding writers, artists, and the Renaissance manifested in? Formation of a new picture of the world based on the ideas of Copernicus, Bruno.

"Renaissance" - Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. Artists begin to use examples of ancient art in their works. Music. Illustration for the novel "Don Quixote". The Renaissance theme is rich and inexhaustible. Raphael. Art. Flemish composer of the 15th century. Guillaume Dufay. William Shakespeare.

"Titans of the Renaissance" - Another statue - "Pieta". In 1501 Michelangelo returned to Florence. Smile. Titans of the High Renaissance Late 15th - 16th centuries. Framed by green curtains on bright clouds, Mary walks with the Baby in her arms. Michelangelo. "Self-portrait". (1475-1564). Renato Guttuso. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 -1519).

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