Humanism and Renaissance Music: A Complete Overview

Introduction: The Renaissance and the Rebirth of Humanism

The word "Renaissance" means "rebirth." The formal Renaissance is defined as the European period spanning from the end of the 13th century to approximately 1600. The title given to this epoch reflects a rebirth of interest in classical antiquity and human individualism. Classical forms and an emphasis on symmetry and beauty reappeared in all of the arts. This is perhaps most strikingly manifest in the contrast between the Gothic churches of the high Middle Ages, with their grotesque gargoyles, and Michelangelo's David, a work that celebrates the human form in all of its glory.

The predominant intellectual philosophy of the Renaissance came to be called Renaissance humanism — the placing of the human at the center of the world, rather than faith (Estrella 2009). This philosophy reflected a new ideal of focusing on the earthly world of the "here and now," rather than the life to come. However, the musical arts were at a distinct disadvantage in appropriating Greek and Roman culture compared with the literary and fine arts. In an age before recording, musicians and composers could only guess at what earlier musical styles resembled (Delahoyde 2007). Yet in the eyes of some scholars, this makes the subsequent innovations of the era even more quintessentially humanist and revitalizing: "Unlike the case with most of the other arts, Renaissance composers could not immerse themselves in Classical tradition: little Greek music survived and probably was not decipherable until a later century. So Renaissance composers were free to explore new innovations" (Delahoyde 2007).

Humanism in Musical Theory and Aesthetic Values

Musical theory is perhaps the most obvious way in which Greek and Roman ideals were made manifest during the era: "Since the Middle Ages, music theorists had been studying proportions, a subject that the Greek mathematician Pythagoras had written about when discussing music. The theorists explained how to make different pitches on stringed instruments by lengthening or shortening the strings by different proportions. For example, if a musician were to divide a string in half (the proportion of 2:1), he would create a new tone that is an octave above the original tone. Renaissance musicians carried on this idea in their own music" ("Renaissance," Learner, 2009). Gradually, music came to be separated from mathematics and theology as a discipline and was regarded instead as a branch of the fine arts. The prevalence of highly idealized portraits of musicians in the art of the period reflects the idea that music was considered the most emotionally revealing and truthful of the arts.

Tracing the relationship between humanism and Renaissance music often seems elusive in terms of actual musical forms, as it is not easy to cite musical features that explicitly reflect specific intellectual ideals. "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" ("Renaissance," Music Encyclopedia, 2007). Instead of the "rhythmically driven polyphony" of the previous era, "melodic beauty, expressiveness, and unity came to dominate the art" (Delahoyde 2007). Overall, the most significant influence of humanism can be seen in the Renaissance embrace of innovation whereby "humans were seen less as creatures and more as creators. The fierce authority of the cantus firmus was ousted … composers of even cyclic Masses valued aesthetics above liturgical concerns" (Delahoyde 2007).

Josquin Desprez and the Flemish School

The Flemish composer Josquin Desprez is the most important figure of the early Renaissance period, most notably because of the imitative counterpoint of his motets, "wherein each voice part enters successively using the same note patterns" (Estrella 2009). Josquin and the other musicians of the Flemish school might be said to reflect the values of humanism in their use of artifice. Rather than austere medieval simplicity — as manifested in plainsong — Renaissance music showed the composer's guiding hand proudly, as is notable in the "serene, almost otherworldly choral sound" of the "Gloria" in Josquin's Missa L'homme armé (Sherrane 2008). Composers used the interweaving of melodic lines to create a unified whole in a musical technique known as polyphony. "Polyphonic music of the Renaissance could be very complex and intricate, often obscuring the words and the meaning of the text which had been set" (Sherrane 2008).

Flemish composers of the time "often based the cantus firmus" of the Mass "on a popular melody of the day, composing new music for the other voices in counterpoint to the tune" (Sherrane 2008). The willingness to use secular themes in sacred music showed the profound shift in philosophy about human life on earth that had occurred since the Middle Ages. Inspired by the Flemish school's sacred music, imitative counterpoint came to be used by French and Burgundian composers in writing chansons — "secular poems set to music for instruments and solo voices" (Estrella 2009).

Conclusion: Music as a Celebration of Human Achievement

Along with the development of the printing press, other notable technical innovations of the era included the creation of new musical instruments — among them keyboards such as the clavichord, harpsichord, and organ — as well as the widespread use of the viola and the lute (Estrella 2009). Innovation and a willingness to question received norms gradually began to spread to every facet of human life. Because music was not a verbal medium, it experienced some of the most striking transformations of the era. While not as distinctly classical in its appearance as art and literature, Renaissance music clearly celebrates human individualism and artistic achievement in a way that is markedly distinct from the previous era.

Works Cited

Blood, Brian. "Music History Online: Music of the 16th Century." Lesson 36. Dolmetsch Musical Instruments. Last modified December 17, 2009. http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory36.htm

Delahoyde, Michael. "Renaissance Music." Humanities 303. Washington State University, 2007. December 17, 2009. http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/renaissance/renaissance_music.html

Estrella, Epsie. "Music Forms/Styles of the Renaissance." About.com. December 17, 2009.

Kries, Stephen. "Renaissance Humanism." The History Guide. 2001. Last updated November 7, 2008. December 17, 2009. http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/humanism.html

"Renaissance." The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Oxford University Press, 1994.

"Renaissance: Symmetry, Shape, and Size." Learner.org. December 17, 2009. http://www.learner.org/interactives/renaissance/symmetry_sub.html

Sherrane, Robert. "The Golden Age of Polyphony." Renaissance Music 102. December 17, 2009. http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/ren/index.html#josquin