Dictionary of Music - Birding America

342 related keycreated with a score for the Steve Reich Ensembleand Synergy Vocals, and kinetic images by BerylKorot. This work treats documentary realism asopera, the three sections dealing with the explosion ofthe airship Hindenburg, the evacuation of Bikini inorder to conduct nuclear testing, and the cloning ofthe adult sheep Dolly.related key See KEY, def. 3c.relative key See KEY, def. 3b.remote key See KEY, def. 3.Renaissance (English, ren′i säns′′; French, rŒ nesäNs′). In the history of music, the period betweenabout 1425 and 1600, including the work of the Burgundianand Flemish schools, as well as that of composersin Italy, England, and Spain. Some scholarsleave out the Burgundian school, dating the Renaissancefrom about 1475 (marking the death of GuillaumeDufay and the early career of Josquin desPrez). This dictionary holds with a compromisedate, 1450, on the ground that the Burgundiansshould be included but that it was some years beforetheir influence was felt. Also, it should be noted thatin England the Renaissance lasted about twenty-fiveyears longer than on the Continent (see MADRIGAL,def. 2).The Renaissance followed the Middle Ages (seeMEDIEVAL) and was itself followed by the BAROQUEperiod (1600–1750). Unlike the Renaissance inpainting, sculpture, and architecture, the Renaissancein music began not in Italy but in northernFrance and the Netherlands (see BURGUNDIANSCHOOL), although in its last decades Italy was thecenter of the most significant innovations. Nor was itassociated with attempts to revive the classical art ofancient Greece and Rome. The most importantadvances of Renaissance music concerned the developmentof polyphony (music with several independentvoice-parts). The Burgundians, of whom themost important were Gilles Binchois and GuillaumeDufay and who were influenced by John Dunstableand other English composers, wrote works in threeand four voice-parts, and also extended the range ofthe voice-parts by adding a bass part. They used harmoniesbased on triads (see CHORD) instead of thefourths and fifths relied on in the Middle Ages (seeORGANUM). They used polyphony for secular (nonreligious)songs, which in the hands of the medievalminstrels had been largely monophonic (with onevoice-part). Their Flemish successors carried thesetrends even further. They gave all the voice-partsequal importance (instead of having one part carrythe main melody while lesser parts carried the supportingharmony). To this end they used imitativecounterpoint, with the melody being taken up by thedifferent parts in turn. (See FLEMISH SCHOOL.)As in the Middle Ages, vocal music was moreimportant than instrumental music. When instrumentswere used together with voices, they usuallyhad no separate part, simply doubling (playing thesame part as) one of the voices or, sometimes, substitutingfor a voice. On the other hand, purelyinstrumental music was also written, especiallydance music, for ensembles and for individualinstruments; frequently songs were transcribed foran instrument (usually the lute or virginal; see alsoINTABULATION). The main instruments of the periodwere the lute and vihuela, plucked stringed instruments;keyboard instruments, mainly the harpsichord,virginal, clavichord, and organ; bowedstringed instruments, such as the rebec and viols invarious sizes; and winds, chiefly the recorder,shawm, crumhorn, cornett, and sackbut. Pieces werewritten for ensembles made up of a single instrumentin different sizes, such as viols or recorders.Instrumental dances, such as the basse danse, galliard,pavane, passamezzo, and saltarello, were popular.For keyboard instruments the fantasia (fancy),toccata, and ricercar were often used. Another formfor keyboard, and later instrumental ensemble, wasthe CANZONA (def. 4). The organ was employedmainly for church music, and brass instruments(trumpets, trombones) chiefly for military and ceremonialpurposes (signaling, fanfares).Church music continued to be important duringthe Renaissance, as it had been in medieval times,the main forms still being the motet and Mass,and also the Passion. An innovation was the POLY-CHORAL style developed by the Venetians, withseveral choirs singing in turn and together (seeVENETIAN SCHOOL). The most important form of