Renaissance Polyphony

This engaging study introduces Renaissance polyphony to a modern audience, balancing the listening experience with what lies beyond the notes.

Fabrice Fitch (Author)

9780521899338, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 August 2020

292 pages
25 x 17.4 x 1.9 cm, 0.69 kg

'Renaissance Polyphony is a true joy and could also be profitably read by those with a prior knowledge of the music discussed who wish to gain a clearer overview of its principal stylistic features … this is a book I wish I had read as a student; I am glad to have had the chance to read it now'. Antonio Chemotti, Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken

This engaging study introduces Renaissance polyphony to a modern audience. It helps readers of all ages and levels of experience make sense of what they are hearing. How does Renaissance music work? How is a piece typical of its style and type; or, if it is exceptional, what makes it so? The makers of polyphony were keenly aware of the specialized nature of their craft. How is this reflected in the music they wrote, and how were they regarded by their patrons and audiences? Through a combination of detailed, nuanced appreciation of musical style and a lucid overview of current debates, this book offers a glimpse of meanings behind and beyond the notes, be they playful or profound. It will enhance the listening experience of students, performers and music lovers alike.

1. Introducing Renaissance Polyphony
2. Making Polyphony: Sources and Practice
3. Makers of Polyphony
4. Pitch: An Overview
5. Voice-names, Ranges, and Functions
6. Mensural Notation, Duration, and Meter
7. Genre, Texts, Form
8. 'Cantus magnus': Music for the Mass
9. 'Cantus mediocris': The Motet
10. 'Cantus parvus': Secular Music
11. Scoring, Texture, Scale
12. Understanding Musical Borrowing
13. Canons, Puzzles, Games
14. Performance Practice: A Brief Introduction.

Subject Areas: Medieval & Renaissance music [c 1000 to c 1600 AVGC2], Music reviews & criticism [AVC]