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Musical Epochs

The Renaissance

The relationship between this movement and music is complex and it is not easy to cite musical features that reflect Renaissance ideals, at least until rather later. However, the Renaissance spirit is often felt to be reflected in such music as the chansons of Dufay and Binchois, with their smoother, more flowing lines, and particularly in Josquin's music, from the end of the 15th century, in which imitative counterpoint in four or more parts (replacing the predominant three-part writing of the previous generation) came to be the norm, with all parts alike in texture and frequent imitative writing. Josquin's music, in particular, is often paralleled with the beginnings of humanism, at much the same time. This was also the period when, with the European invention of printing, knowledge began to spread more readily and music came to be published instead of circulating only in manuscript.

The characteristic musical style of the Renaissance period is the smooth, homogeneous, imitative polyphonic style, used by Palestrina, Lassus and Byrd. It was used not only in sacred music (predominantly masses and motets) but also in secular madrigals and instrumental consort music. The favoured instrument was the lute, which during the 16th century became established as the standard instrument for domestic music-making.

The Renaissance period was succeeded by the Baroque. Elements of Baroque style are found early in the second half of the 16th century but Renaissance imitative polyphony remained in use, particularly in sacred music, during the 17th century and beyond, widely recognized as a fitting manner for church music.