Music Composition During Baroque and Renaissance Times (Essay Sample)

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Baroque and renaissance improvisation
European culture has developed over many centuries. Various components define the civilization such as philosophy, literature, art, and most remarkably, music. Historians use unique names to differentiate the eras and trends associated with the periods. Baroque period started from 1600 to 1750 after J.S Bach passed away. He had a reputation of the greatest musician of the time. Initially, Baroque composition had an adverse meaning as it insinuated bad taste. The term derives from a word that implies “asymmetrical shape”. However, the negative perception of the songs’ genre has become positive. In fact, many enthusiasts of the composition still uphold the seventeenth and eighteenth-century styles. On the other hand, Renaissance symphony refers to music composed in Europe between 1400 and 1600s. The primary elements that motivated the development of the oeuvre are similar to the ones that shaped the Early Modern epoch. Examples of such issues include reformation of Protestants, commercial enterprise growth, enhanced discovery and innovation, as well as the resurgence of the artistic and literary heritage of the primordial Greece. The essay describes the Baroque and Renaissance improvisation, and the key dissimilarity between the eons (Wegman 410).
Renaissance Inventiveness
The discovery of music printing at the onset of the sixteenth century enhanced comprehensive recording of improvisation customs. The documents are available as published guidebooks, specifically in Italy. One of the major strides in music development was substantiation of the composer function in the last half of the fifteenth century. Previously, singers were collectively called improvisers or “makers”. However, older manuals did not provide details of the improvised issues of the approach the artists used. In 1997, Jessie Ann Owens provided additional evidence to prove that Renaissance musicians did not apply scores in their composition. Modern anthropologists state that the existing autograph manuscripts and treatises about the practice is convincing (Davison and Willi 34).
Another significant growth milestone in Renaissance Symphony is style revolution. The imitative texture grew massively towards the end of the fifteenth century. Researchers indicate that peak imitation interval occurred the inception of motets that Petrucci published from 1502 to 1508. Peter Schubert archived that “improvisable canon in four voices” was practicable. Further studies revealed that the canonic model was the most widely used four-voice imitation points (Cuming 2).
Counterpoint also originated in the Renaissance treatises. However, Schubert contended that the name did not refer to written composition, but it means applied polyphony for artists. He constantly sought to understand the things that singers could improvise as well as the approach they followed. The approach to counterpoint, as applied in polyphony, completely differs with the regular understanding of the counterpoint (Cuming 4). For instance, Johann Joseph Fux’s “Gradus ad Parnassum” portrays it as the least intuitive, but the highest controlled written genre. Canon is a form arcane, and it is a very complex to make. As a result, only the guru musicians could create it (Hoffer 18).
Baroque Era
Professional orchestras in the Baroque time were inexistent; thus, the quality of music was not impressive compared to contemporary entertainment. Many singers worked in professions that were unrelated to the leisure industry hence it could take an artist a lot of time to perfect musical expertise (Wegman 412).
Ornamentation of vocals is another common phenomenon. Composers include content such as rhyme that makes the final work impressive to listen. Artists also use crude instruments to match specific sounds. Normally, the composition style utilizes intricate forms and excessive decoration, as well as other contrasting elements to produce movement, tension, or drama (Wegman 419).
The lyrics also created have a tonal center and rely heavily on the systematic harmony. Singers discover the importance of chords on tonal axis, and they begin to apply the knowledge. On the other hand, lyricists devise methods of music modulation that made it more interesting (Chung, Brian, and Dennis 206).
Baroque music shares similar elements with the Renaissance art such as the intense application of counterpoint and polyphony. Nevertheless, the techniques differ. One of the significant divergences between the styles is the fact that Baroque music strives to create a great deal of emotions than the Renaissance melodies. In addition, the former category represents exacting feelings such grief, exultation, piety, and affection. Renaissance tunes produced even flow with no metrical cadence; therefore, it contrasts with its successor that is anchored in beat model (Hoffer 92).
Baroque Epoch Innovation
Performing artists involved in ancient music revival are often fascinated by the embellishment of the seventeenth and eighteenth-century lyrics. A large body of proof shows that the new performance style was better than its predecessor was because professionals had improved concerto knowledge such as notation, instrumentation and written literature (Davison and Willi 49). Features such as “basso continuo accompaniment” enhanced recitalists’ versatility in presentation of their content. For instance, a skilled vocalist could assist new composers to learn from the content created by seasoned persons (Hoffer 24).
Music Composition Differences Between the Baroque and Renaissance Times
Renaissance period Baroque time Addresses isolated issues with high clarity that spectators can understand easily. It does not strive to create a mental picture to the target group Words and rhythm focuses on creating an impressive appeal to the listener Used normal objects that humans relates with on daily basis Incorporates strange styles accompanied by ornate embellishment. Creativity extends to singing lyrics being based on elaborate abstract ideologies Creates worldwide appeal Develops extrem...