Renaissance musicians
A master of imitative polyphony, known for emotional, text-driven motets? Who was he?
Josquin des prez
a plucked string instrument with a deep, pear-shaped body, a rounded back made of wood strips, and a characteristic pegbox bent back at a right angle, popular in Europe from the Middle Ages through the Baroque era.What instrument is it?
Lute
Music with two or more independent melodic lines woven together at the same time.
Polyphony
a compositional technique where a melody or motive, initially stated in one voice or instrument (the leader or dux), is repeated shortly after in a different voice, often at a different pitch level (the follower or comes).
imitation
A new machine invented by Gutenberg that allowed music and books to be copied quickly and cheaply.
printing press
a preeminent English Renaissance composer who served in the Chapel Royal under four Tudor monarchs—Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Who was he?
Thomas Tallis
a, 16th-18th century European keyboard instrument that produces sound by plucking strings with a quill, creating a distinctively bright, percussive, and, silvery, tone. What instrument is it?
Harpsicord
music or art that is religious or connected to worship, often used in churches
sacred
a highly diverse, primarily vocal musical composition prevalent from the medieval period through the Renaissance and beyond, characterized by multi-voice polyphony.
motet
a specialized navigational instrument designed to indicate magnetic north and maintain a stable reading despite a vessel's motion, often featuring a gimbaled mount to stay level.
nautical compass
preeminent Franco-Flemish composer and music theorist of the early Renaissance, regarded by his contemporaries as the leading European musician of the mid-15th century.Who is he?
Guillaume Du Fay
an end-blown, fipple-flute woodwind instrument (or duct flute) known for its whistle-like sound, featuring a beak-shaped mouthpiece, seven finger holes on the front, and one thumb hole on the back. What instrument is it?
recorder
any music not composed for religious or spiritual purposes, focusing instead on worldly themes, human experiences, and emotions.Not used in churches
sacred
a slow, stately hymn tune, historically rooted in the German Protestant (Lutheran) tradition, designed for congregational singing or choir performance.
chorale
an optical instrument designed to make distant objects appear nearer, containing an arrangement of lenses, or of curved mirrors and lenses, by which rays of light are collected and focused and the resulting image magnified.
telescope
preeminent Italian Renaissance composer renowned for his sacred polyphonic music, particularly masses and motets. Who was he?
Giovanni Pierluigi
a Renaissance and Baroque-era brass instrument (15th–18th centuries) and the direct predecessor to the modern trombone. What instrument is it?
sackbut
Music wear all parts move together with the same rhythm, creating clear chords.
Homophony
A small group of instruments, usually of the same family, playing music together.
Consort
a single lens for correcting or assisting poor eyesight, especially a monocle.
eyeglasses
premier Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet, widely considered one of the greatest artists of all time. Who was he?
Michelangelo
a loud, double-reed woodwind instrument, popular from the 13th to 17th centuries, acting as the primary ancestor to the modern oboe. What instrument is it?
shawm
A popular, non-religious song for a small group of singers, often about love or nature.
madrigal
A person hired to compose and perform music for a king, queen, or wealthy noble family.
court musician
a mechanical or electrical device for measuring time, indicating hours, minutes, and sometimes seconds, typically by hands on a round dial or by displayed figures.
clock