Renaissance (c.1400 - c.1600)

Renaissance," from Old French, meaning "rebirth.

The beginning of the Renaissance in music is not as clearly marked as the beginning of the Renaissance in the other arts, and unlike in the other arts, it did not begin in Italy, but in northern Europe, specifically in the area currently comprising central and northern France, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

By the 16th-century, the Church's hold of the arts was weaker. Thus, composers during this period were able to bring about many changes in the way music was created and perceived.

 

 

Renaissance music	Important Renaissance Composers
	• Josquin des Prez (Flemish; 1455-1521) • Giovanni Palestrina (Italian; 1526-1594) • Orlando de Lassus - Flemish; 1530-1594) • William Byrd - (English; 1543-1623) • Tomás Luis de Victoria (Spanish; 1548-1611) • Giovanni Gabrieli - (Italian; 1553-1612) • Michael Pretorius (German; 1571-1621) • Orlando Gibbons - (English; 1583-1625)