The Renaissance Literature
Queene
(14th – 16th century)
Renaissance literature was written within the
general movement of the renaissance which
was arose in the 14th century and continued in
the 16th century while being diffused into the
rest of the western world.
Now, literary genres such as the essay
(Montaigne) and new metrical forms such as
Spenserian Tanza made their appearance.
Refers to the European literature which was
influenced by the intellectual and cultural
tendencies associated with renaissance.
The earliest renaissance literature appeared in
Italy in the 14th century. Petrarch, Machiavelli,
and Ariosto are notable examples of Italian
renaissance literature.
 Francesco Petrarca – also known
as Petrarch, and he is the founder of
Humanism. His work is the IL Cazoniere
 Niccolo Machiavelli – The Prince is
one of his famous work
 Ludovico Ariosto – his work is
Orlando F urioso.
In northern Europe, the scholarly writings of
Erasmus, the plays of William Shakespeare, the
poems of Edmund Spenser, the writings of Sir
Philip Sidney may be considered renaissance in
character.
 Desiderius Erasmus
Roterodamus – The Prince of Folly
is his work
 William Shakespeare – King Lear,
Mcbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The taming
of the Shrew, and Hamlet.
 Edmund Spenser – The Faerie
 Philip Sidney – an English poet,
scholar and a prominent figure. His
works are Astrophel and Stella, The
Lady of May, The Countess of
Pembroke’s, An Apology for Poetry, and
The Sidney Psalms.
Johannes Guterberg – created the
printing press ( using movable type).
Famous Authors
 John Donne – an English poet and
cleric in the church of England.
Biathonatos, Pseudo-Martyr,Ignatus of
his Conclave, Devotions upon Emergent
Occasions.
 John Milton – an English poet,
polemicist, man of letters, and a civil
servant for the commonwealth of
England. Best known for his epic poem
The Paradise Lost.
 Christopher Marlowe – a poet
and a playwright, the tragical history of
Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine the Great,
Edward the Second, The Massacre at
Paris, and The Jew of Malta.
 Ben Jonson – an English playwright,
poet, actor and literary critic.
 Miguel de Cervantes – a Spanish
writer who is widely regarded as the
greatest wrier in the Spanish language
and one of the world’s pre-eminent
novelists. His famous work is Don
Quixote ( the man from La Marcha ),
that was translated in 140 languages
and dialects.
 Renaissance Architecture
Donato Bramante –he was born on July
1444, the architect who introduced High
Renaissance Architecture style.
Micheangelo – known as “ IL Divino” in
English ‘’The Divine One’’
Filippo Brunalleschi – an Italian architect,
born on 1377 in Florence, Italy and died
1446. He is an architect and engineer who
was one of the pioneers of early
renaissance in Italy. His major work is the
Dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del
Fiore (The Duomo).
Loen Battista Alberti – an Italian
architecture, art theorist and writer. He was
born in Genoa 1406 and died in Rome on
1472.
The Baroque Period (1600-1750)
Baroque Music – derived from the Italian
word ‘’barocco’’ meaning ‘’bizarre.’’
-this era (Baroque) included all the
music from the time of Italian composer
Claudio Monteverdi.
Secular music (non-religious) - music as
important sacred music in the Baroque era.
Polyphonic music – most common type of
music during the beginning of the period.
This is compose of two or more melodies.
Figured Bass – only the melody line and a
simple bass part were written out in the
musical score.
Characteristics of the period
-contrast used as a dramatic element. Different
between loud/soft, soloists/ensembles, various
instruments, etc.
Basso continuo or continuo – a base part
underlying a piece of concerted music, w/c
it’s to be played on a keyboard instrument,
as well as a sustaining string of wind
instruments.
-favoring of the harpsichord, the strings
are plucked and the musician cannot alter
the volume through touch. High popularity
and use of violin.
In Germany, counterpoint and fugue are the
focus, therefore the organ and voice are of
high importance.
Technical terms
Aria – a solo vocal piece with instrumental
accompaniment.
Recitative – a vocal style in w/c a text is
declaimed in the rhythm of natural speech,
with slight melodic variation and little
instrumental accompaniment.
Polyphonic – having two or more voices.
Fugue – a polyphonic composition based
upon one, two or more themes.
Counterpoint – a technique
Vocal music
Opera – a drama that is primarily sung, was
developed in Florence, Italy near the end of
the 1500’s.
Florentine Camerata – a group of
amateur poets, musician and painters.
-new vocal forms were invented for
this new kind of music.
Dafne (1598) – world’s first opera, it was
the work of two members of the Florentine
Camarata, the poet Ottavio Rinuccini, and
the composer Jacopo Peri.

In 1607, Italian composer Claudio

Monteverde wrote Orfeo, an opera that is
still performed today.

Claudio Monteverde – was the first to

write the ensemble numbers such as duets
and trios and to give an important role to
the orchestra.

Giacomo Carissimi – the first composer

who write a fully developed Oratorio. His
Oratorio the Jephte (before 1649).

-it was one of the first to leave out scenery

and costumes; it had narrator, it had
dramatic and expressive choruses, and
considered the first modern oratorio.

Vocal music
Oratorio – an extended musical drama, with
the text based on religious subject matter,
intended for performance w/o scenery,
costumes or action. Also originally meant
‘’prayer hall.’’

George Frideric (1685-1759) – born

‘’George Friederic Handel’’ in Halle,
Thuringia, Germany. He composed the most
popular of all oratorio, The Messiah (1741).

Melisma -