Major changes in music from the Renaissance to the Baroque.
1. Name one major change in music from the Renaissance to the Baroque.
2. What are the main differences between Opera, Oratorio and Cantata?
3. Listen/watch Tu Se Morta by Monteverdi. (https://youtu.be/kEgLr-YVRvs) How does it make you feel? Does the music and performer succeed in conveying Orfeo’s emotion to you?
4. What do YOU think of music of the Baroque Period? Would you have attended the Opera had you lived during that time?
Sample Solution
Major changes in music from the Renaissance to the Baroque
Music has its origins in every culture and civilization. Renaissance music was the music written and composed in the Renaissance era (1400 C AD – 1600 C AD). Baroque music was the music written and composed in the baroque era from approximately 1600 AD to 1750 AD. One of the most significant areas in which developments occurred between the Renaissance and Baroque periods was in harmony. The Baroque period saw the establishment of major/minor tonality and strict rules governing its use, where previously, Renaissance music had relied on modal harmony. The use of the major and minor triads became essential structural components of compositions, compared to the previous focus on intervals and linearly driven compositions. The use of monody was another texturally characteristic change to the Baroque. Where the Renaissance had used several contrapuntal lines, Baroque vocal music tended to focus on a single melodic line with more chordal accompaniment.
