An Outline of The History of Western Music Grout ... - The Reel Score

a- essential step in this development was the division of the canzona into
more or less distinctive sections
b- themes of contrasting character, each theme worked out in turn - effect of
contrasting sections
(2) Sonata
i) the Venetian sonata of late 1500's - the sacred version of the canzona
consisted of a series of sections
a- based on a different subject
b- variation of single subject
ii) Sonata pian' e forte (Giovanni Gabrieli ca. 1557-1612) was among first
instrumental pieces to specify specific instruments in the printed parts - also
among first indicating piano or forte
e) Preludes and Other Introductory Pieces
(1) Compositions that resemble improvisations are earliest specimens of music for
solo players
i) Appeared under various names - prelude, preambulaum, fantasia, or
ricercare
ii) Not based on any preexisting melody, unfold freely, often rambling, varying
textures, & without adhering to any definite meter or form
(2) Toccata was the chief form of keyboard music in an improvisatory style
(3) Ricercare consisted of successive themes without marked individuality or
contrast - each developed in imitation and overlapping with the next at the
cadence (in effect a textless imitative motet)
f) Dance Music
(1) Social dancing was widespread and highly regarded in the Renaissance
i) people of breeding were expected to be expert dancers
ii) considerable percentage of 16th century instrumental music consisted of
dance pieces for lute, keyboard, or ensembles
(2) Dances were commonly grouped in pairs or threes and these sets (precursors
of the later dance suites) consisted of stylized dances rather than music for
dancing
(3) Written dance music tells us much about improvisatory practice
i) ornamented a given melodic line
ii) added one or more contrapuntal parts to a given melody
(4) Forms
i) Allemande - came into favor in the middle of the 16th century - in moderate
duple meter & retained in stylized form in later dance suites
ii) Courante - fast, flowing triple meter also retained in later dance suites
iii) Basse danse - courtly dance improvised over a borrowed tenor
g) Variations
(1) composed or improvised performance over an ostinato pattern
(2) over standard treble airs - many folk tunes of the time also served as subjects
(3) enjoyed an extraordinary flowering in the late 16th century among a group of
English keyboard composers called "virginalists"