Be sure to indicate the reflection number in the heading of your paper and
follow oth er expectations for format
and writing criteria.
Why do composers become identifiable in Renaissance Europe? Why was this
less often true during the Middle Ages?
The British music historian Wilfred Mellers argues that when performers
in Medieval Europe applied to sacred music the rhythms of their folkmusic,
particularly dance-like rhythms, they transformed the style. The accented
and predictable rhythms of dance helped encourage the development of a new
texture featuring the combination of independent musical parts.
Think about Mellers' ideas as you listen to this week's selections. Describe
the musical texture, and rhythmic characteristics of items 13-16. Do they
provide any support for Mellers' theory? How might one connect the musical
structure of these items with early modern (Renaissance) interests in secular
activity and worldly pursuits such as dance, exploration, and independent
status?