HISTORY OF MUSIC
2 Music of the Renaissance
and Reformation Periods
Dr David C F Wright
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The renaissance period has been called
the age of humanism and it engendered
new architecture and the rise of polyphony
in music . The period of musical renaissance
covers the early fifteenth century to
the early seventeenth century but during
the time there occurred the Reformation
and therefore part of the music of the
Reformation runs concurrently with the
latter part of the renaissance period.
Yet the onslaught of humanism, which
is a philosophy based on liberal human
values and non-religious concepts (and
is certainly not Christian) did not
prevent the composition of religious
works. But the invention of the printing
press which enabled people to read the
Bible and have access to a Bible rather
than see it locked up in Catholic churches
(enabled people to read it and see how
Catholic teaching differed substantially
from the Bible.) This gave rise to Protestantism,
(and for those who beloved that the
Catholic church had mislead them and,
indeed, lied to them turned their back
on religion and adopted their own beliefs
and values, hence humanism.)
I suppose the most famous composers
of the renaissance include Dunstable,
Dufay, Ockeghem, Des Pres, Jannequin,
Arcadet, Sermisy, Willaert, Tallis,
Lassus, Palestrina, Holborne, Victoria,
Byrd, Cabezon, Campion, Dowland, Bull,
Gibbons , Sweelinck,Praetorius, Weelkes,
Banchieri and Frescobaldi. It is impossible
to deal with them all.
This age of humanism was also known
as the age of joy and yet the music
of these composers seldom lend itself
to joyous music. Michael Praetorius
and Adriaan Willaert wrote some lively
and spectacular music but they were
exceptions to the general rule. In fact
the majority of people find renaissance
music rather dull and tedious and, to
quote one wit, like a Jane Austen novel
where nothing happens, and is further
likened to a fly trying to move in a
bottle of glue. Whether that is a fair
comment is a matter of opinion, but
what the renaissance composers excelled
at was polyphony. The word means ’many
sounds" and refers to two or more
independent parts moving contrapuntally.
I suppose the opposite is monophonic
music where there is only one melodic
line and the other lines are accompaniment.
Thomas Tallis stands out from this
list in many respects and is an example
of both renaissance and Reformation
music. He was born around 1505 and was
organist at Waltham Abbey to 1540 and
a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal serving
Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elisabeth
I sometimes jointly with William Byrd.
It is the contrapuntal genius of Tallis
that is so amazing coupled with a striking
originality for its day as displayed
in his forty part motet Spem in alium.
His other striking originality was in
his clever modulations. Even in his
comparatively straight forward motets
such as If ye love me there is a wonderful
clarity of texture and a simplicity
that one finds in greatness. Some of
the trouble today is that his works
are performed so slowly that its musicality
is lost.
A pupil of Tallis was William Byrd
who was originally the organist at Lincoln
cathedral. He suffered from religious
bigotry being a devout Roman Catholic
in a country moving towards Protestantism
but nonetheless he was always in trouble
with innumerable lawsuits against him.
His work does not have the originality
of Tallis and can be slow- moving and
somewhat remote or anaemic. It is some
of his keyboard pieces with fanciful
titles that are probably of more interest
and appeal.
Contrapuntal music was predictable
as were other devices such as the fugue
and so attracted the label of academic
or cerebral music which is quite true.
Sometimes the music is skillful and
often very clever but it has been said
it is usually from the brain rather
than the heart and clinical rather than
inspired. This is true but musical fashion
was the necessary slave master of those
days. What is grossly unfair is that
some modern musicologists object to
serial music of the twentieth century
as merely a system or device and put
this view forward as a snide and hostile
remark. Yet the fugue and canon were
examples of devices just as the twelve
note system was which latter system
in the hands of great composers such
as Webern, Schonberg, Berg and Humphrey
Searle can be spontaneous and inspiring.
The music of the Flemish composer Adriaan
Willaert is worth exploring. He was
born in 1490 and became choirmaster
at St Mark's, Venice in 1527 which boasted
two organs and, therefore, some of his
religious music calls for double choir
and two organs . But it is in his secular
music that we sometimes find rumbustious
and very exciting music which stands
out as incredibly original and vital.
Percy Scholes claims that Orlando Lassus
( 1532- 1594) was the greatest representative
of the Flemish school stating that his
music has pure musical beauty and the
expression of man's emotions yet others
will state that such early music lacked
emotion and was written in accordance
with the strict matter of fact style
imposed by the Catholic church. Lassus
travelled widely and, like Elgar, was
a toady demanding and collecting awards
and recognition from royalty, nobility
and institutions to manufacture self-importance.
Much renaissance music was scored for
voice and lute and other small forces
which did not always give the music
sufficient colour and contrast. John
Dowland is an obvious example of this
and he composed many effective songs.
Michael Praetorius ( 1571- 1621), like
Willaert, departed from the acceptable
style of non-spectacular music, or controlled
music as someone said, and wrote music
of great verve as a good performance
of the Dances from Terpsichore will
reveal.
But some many so-called early music
experts render a great disservice to
this type of music thinking that slow
tempi and clinical control being the
order of the day when they were composed,
and therefore remain so in these present
times in this infuriating nonsense in
search of authenticity. The dreariness
of some recordings of Palestrina Masses
and those by other composers of the
period is lamentable so much so that
Rossini and other enlightened composers
put some enthusiasm into sections of
the Mass which merited it. The Credo
and Gloria are mainly movements of confidence
and assurance and the music should reveal
that. Gounod, Saint Saens and Poulenc
also thought the same and, of course,
they were right.
There were two important Spanish renaissance
composers namely Tomas Luis de Victoria
( 1548- 1611) and Antonio de Cabezon
(1510- 1566). Victoria went to Rome
to study to become a priest and , in
fact, was ordained but took up music
. He worked with Neri who is said to
be the founder of the oratorio which
remark is ridiculous because it cannot
be proved. Victoria returned to Spain
and his music, including a substantial
amount of sacred music, does contain
some drama and tension in contrast to
composers like Palestrina and Byrd.
In fact it is the strictness of the
counterpoint in Palestrina and Byrd
that is the main complaint about their
music , whether or not that complaint
is justified.
Cabezon was blind from birth but ,
nonetheless, became the organist to
the kings of Spain. He used popular
songs of the time which he incorporated
into some of his work.
The renaissance lutenists and singers
were a progression from the troubadors
and often sang their own songs to their
own accompaniment and therefore their
music was more widely known among those
unable to attend courts and theatres.
By their very nature their songs were
predominantly secular and were often
narratives telling stories as did the
songs of the Victorian Music Halls which,
perhaps, are unfairly maligned today.
Two fine innovators of this period
were also friends. John Bull ( 1562-
1628) was the organist at Hereford cathedral
before he went to Belgium in 1613. He
wrote some amazing keyboard music with
fanciful titles much of which has sunk
into oblivion. He was a friend of the
Dutch composer Jan Pietrszoon Sweelinck
( 1562- 1621). It seems unbelievable
to realise that the majority of the
musical public who, because they know
little if anything of Sweelinck, cannot
accept that he was the first composer
to compose fugues fully written out
with independent parts for the pedals.
And it was J S Bach who took this form
up. In this context Sweelinck was the
master and Bach the mere disciple and
yet the pupil is revered more than the
master. Sweelinck's music mainly belonged
to the Reformation period more than
the renaissance and in his sacred words
the crippling severity of previous fashion
and Catholic control gave way to a human
voice. Given good performances his work
has a freshness and it also has heart.
It is often erroneously thought that
composers and musicians of our own time
only like composers who are contemporary
with themselves. Elisabeth Lutyens was
fascinated by the Italian composer Girolamo
Frescobaldi ( 1583-1643). He was a virtuoso
organist, probably the first master
of the organ. He had posts in Antwerp
before coming to St Peter's in Rome.
His organ works influenced his student
Froberger and , of course, the Bachs.
The strictures of Roman Catholicism
on music was receding, although those
who were of the Catholic persuasion
or who were employed by the Catholic
church still had to comply with sacred
music being restricted in expression.
Some composers like the great J C Bach
became a Catholic to get a job and pay
his way, and his earliest sacred music
more or less complied with tradition
but later developed in a semi-operatic
style. Music may stand still for a few
generations but not for ever and there
will always be composers who will compose
in an anachronistic style.
Secular music was influential. The
church was deemed to be the place to
be serious and the court, inns and other
establishments realised the need of
entertainment. There were crude and
vulgar songs such as those said to be
sung at rugby matches today, and for
their time, some renaissance were as
suggestive and sexually provocative
as made be heard in pop music today.
’Following renaissance and Reformation
music came baroque music and one aspect
that delighted both the vain and perverted
was the playing of the harp which was
usually an accomplishment for young
ladies and,as they had to contend with
pedals, they would show their ankles
and , as they had to stretch to play
the width of the strings they had to
bare their arms. And if there was a
tight bodice being worn as well this
made the harp of tremendous appeal but
not for the right reasons. There was
a Bohemian composer who drowned himself
because of his wife's infidelity which
commenced when she was playing the harp
before a male admirer, who became her
paramour, and others.
It is visual imagery that often leads
to illicit affairs and crimes against
women but it also has to be said that
many young women in the baroque period
took up the harp not for musical reasons
but for the inherent sexual implications
as the wife of another composer, Dussek,
was also to discover. Human nature does
not change.
There was also acceptable secular music
which could be employed in mixed company
without giving offence. France had produced
the chanson, a simple verse-chorus repetitive
song usually of a gentle lyrical nature
which could be sung to one's sweethheart
or in the company of friends. But this
simplicity of song gave way to a type
of song employing several voices with
instrumental accompaniment. Its original
concept was the development of the songs
of the troubadors and trouveres and
often these were simply called airs.
Josquin Des Pres was a leading exponent
in this and Jannequin did likewise but
he later changed the nature of the chanson
introducing dramatic content such as
accounts of battles.
The Reformation which started in Northern
Europe in the early sixteenth century
spread largely because of the facility
of the printing press and that people
could read for themselves. (They found
that Roman Catholic doctrine did not
match with the teachings of the Bible
and that) People began to realise that
salvation was not in the Church or in
the sacraments but in Christ alone and
the doctrine of grace. (People saw that
the Catholic church was powerful and
astray from the Bible and that their
reigns of terror including the infamous
inquisitions were man made exploits
for the purposes of domination and subjugation.
The hypocrisy of the Catholic church
was being exposed piece by piece. Religion
and Christianity are not the same thing
and centuries of Catholicism with its
accompanying terrors was the greatest
deterrent to Christianity. Of course
it was then and still is today but on
a vastly reduced scale, and it has to
be reported that there are very many
Catholics who are honourable people
and who denounce evil even within their
own church.)
It follows that the music of the Reformation
eased away from the demands of Catholicism
in music and music took on a different
language. Music should never be subjected
to authorities or political demands
such as befall the Soviet Union in Stalin's
time for example. While I would strongly
advocate the distinction between music
and entertainment and firmly believe
that all quality music should be accurately
written down and accurately realised
in all subsequent performances, and
what is not put into such permament
form is entertainment but I do not decry
that. Many of the Victorian Music Hall
songs were never written out but it
does not stop a lot of them being great
entertainment. I have been in a jazz
band and none of our performances were
ever written down as we played them.
Such entertainment has its place and
I would not give up my King Oliver collection
for the world. But I expect serious
and quality music to be available in
printed form as the composer wants it
performed.
Sitting in a garage does not make me
a car. Being ’unable" to read music
does not make someone a musician even
if he can play a few chords on a guitar
and thinks he can sing and renders repetitive
four minute pop songs. It gives pleasure
and entertains, but it is not real music
and, again, that is not a statement
of snobbery, but highlights the obvious
gulf between a thorough composed magnificent
Bach Mass faithfully recorded in the
printing press and able to be purchased
for study and performance, and a pop
song not so preserved which songs repeats
I luves yer baby 48 times in four minutes
with only tonic and dominant chords.
There is no comparison and yet we call
it music! And, often, the people who
call these pop songs music will rubbish
a Bach Mass or a Bruckner Symphony or
one of the superlative Piano Concertos
by Liszt!
I remember going into a music shop
to buy some music by Dohnanyi and the
gum chewing salesgirl said, "Is that
rock or heavy metal?"
The next age of music was the baroque
period which is probably the first really
exciting era of music!
Copyright David C F Wright 1964 and
since renewed
Part
1.
Earliest times to the Renaissance
Part
3. Approaching the Baroque era
Part
4.
Early American Music (1620-1800)
