What are the difference to the music of medieval and renaissance period?
Medieval music was mostly plainchant; first monophonic then developed into polyphonic. Renaissance music was largely buoyant melodies. Medieval music was mostly only vocal while renaissance music was of both instrumental and vocal; flutes, harps, violins were some of the instruments used.
Table of Contents
What are the main differences between medieval and renaissance era?
The main difference between middle ages and renaissance is that renaissance was the period of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe, marking the transition from medieval to the modern world.

What is the difference between the song of medieval renaissance and Baroque music?
Baroque musical genres include both vocals and instrumentals, with the only difference being they were quite larger in number of categories than those of in the renaissance era. Renaissance music consisted of smooth regular flow of rhythm while baroque music was comprised of a metrical rhythm with varied motion.
Did medieval music have lyrics?
Secular music: For much of the Medieval era, art served a sacred purpose. Vocal music was liturgical with Latin lyrics, and liturgical dramas were the norm in the theater. Yet with the advent of the motet, secular lyrics became more common, often concerning courtly love.

Why does Renaissance music sound different from medieval music quizlet?
The fixed melody used as a basis for elaborate polyphonic writing in the Renaissance was called: A cantus firmus. Why does Renaissance music sound different from medieval music? It has fuller harmonies.
What was a major difference between the motets of the Middle Ages and those of the Renaissance?
Compared to the medieval motet, the Renaissance motet is smoother and uses imitative polyphony, with successive voice parts that echo each other, kind of like a round. We can see and hear this in the text and successive adding of vocal parts.
What is the difference between medieval and Renaissance literature?
The literature in the medieval era was characterized by Christianity and chivalry whereas the literature in the Renaissance was greatly influenced by the progress of art and sciences and the emergence of humanism. This is the main difference between Medieval and Renaissance literature.
What were some of the differences between medieval and Renaissance artists?
Artists of the medieval period relied more on religious aspects of art depiction. On the other hand, the artists of the renaissance period relied more on the realistic aspects of life than religious aspects. This is one of the main differences between the two types of art.
Why does medieval music sound different?
There are several reasons why medieval music has such a distinctive sound which is different to modern music. The instruments were different. Strings were made of gut (sheep’s intestines) or wire (brass, iron, bronze, silver or gold), not steel or nylon as today’s strings tend to be.
What are the different musical characteristics of the medieval period and describe each?
– During the middle ages, musical texture was monophonic, meaning it has a single melodic line. – Sacred vocal music such as Gregorian chants were set to Latin text and sung unaccompanied. – It was the only type of music allowed in churches, so composers kept the melodies pure and simple.
Why does Renaissance music sound fuller than medieval?
One of the reasons Renaissance music sounds fuller than medieval music is that Renaissance composers and musicians employed polyphony, which is more… See full answer below.
How did the role of music change from the medieval period to the Renaissance?
The medieval and Renaissance periods each witnessed a critical transition in the structure of Western music. During the Middle Ages, monophony evolved into polyphony (see Musical Texture). During the Renaissance, the shell harmony of the Middle Ages was succeeded by true harmony.
How did the tonality of Renaissance music differ from that of medieval music quizlet?
How did the tonality of Renaissance music differ from that of medieval music? There was more harmony as a result of imitation, although the music was still primarily modal.
How was Renaissance literature different?
Broadly speaking, medieval literature revolved around Christianity and chivalry, while Renaissance literature focused on man himself, the progress of arts and sciences, and the emergence of humanism.
What are the similarities of medieval and renaissance?
Similarities The Renaissance and Middle Ages was two completely different time periods, but they also had some things in common with the way they used music. For example, both time periods used music in church and sacred gatherings. The Middle Ages built spaces to be used just for musical performances (Middle).
What are the characteristics of the different music of the medieval?
Rhythm/ Modes Another characteristic of Medieval music is the rhythm or modes. And, Medieval music was not as rhythmically organized as modern music. Medieval rhythms have patterns called “modal scales.” There were eight modes, but only five of them were more important: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian & Mixolydian.
What are the differences between the Renaissance and Baroque period?
Definition. Renaissance is the period in European history that marks the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity, covering the 15th and 16th centuries, while the Baroque period is the period of art that started around 1600 in Rome and spread throughout the European continent.
How did music change from medieval to Renaissance?
The development of polyphony produced the notable changes in musical instruments that mark the Renaissance from the Middle Ages musically. Its use encouraged the use of larger ensembles and demanded sets of instruments that would blend together across the whole vocal range.