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Prelude Listening to Music Today
1 Melody: Musical Line
2 Rhythm and Meter: Musical Time
3 Harmony: Musical Space
4 The Organization of Musical Sounds
5 Musical Texture
6 Musical Form
7 Musical Expression: Tempo and Dynamics
8 Voices and Musical Instrument Families
9 Western Musical Instruments
10 Musical Ensembles
11 Style and Function of Music in Society
12 The Culture of the Middle Ages
13 Medieval Music
14 The Renaissance Spirit
15 Renaissance Sacred Music
16 Renaissance Secular Music
17 The Baroque Spirit
18 Vocal Music of the Baroque
19 Orchestral Music of the Baroque
20 Baroque Keyboard Music
21 The Classical Spirit
22 The Development of Classical Forms
23 The Classical Symphony
24 The Classical Concerto and Sonata
25 Classical Opera
26 The Spirit of Romanticism
27 The Romantic Miniature
28 Romantic Program Music
29 Romantic Opera
30 The Late Romantics
31 America's Emerging Musical Voice
32 The Impressionist Era
33 Main Currents in Early-Twentieth-Century Music
34 Early-Twentieth-Century Innovators
35 Nationalism and Music
36 Ragtime, Blues, and Jazz
37 New Directions
38 Contemporary Composers Look to World Music
39 Music for the Stage and Screen
40 The Many Voices of Rock
41 Some Current Trends

Chapter 16: Renaissance Secular Music

Study Plan

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"Come sing to me a bawdy song, make me merry." —FALSTAFF, IN WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S HENRY IV, PART 1

Key Points

  • Instrumental dance music was played by professional and amateur musicians; embellishments (melodic decoration) were often improvised.
  • The Renaissance era saw a rise in amateur music-making and in secular music genres (French chansons and the Italian and English madrigals).
  • The madrigal originated in Italy as a form of aristocratic entertainment. The English madrigal was often simpler and lighter in style than its Italian counterpart, but both madrigal types relied on word painting for expression.

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