Music in the Renaissance
Final Exam Essay Questions
Please prepare the following essays; on the day of the final (Wednesday 7 August), you will be asked to write about three of the six given topics. In formulating your essays, make sure you refer to specific works from the repertory covered in the course.
1) Discuss the relationship between music, poetry, and poetic theory in Italy between 1520 and 1600.
2) Trace the development of the Mass from Josquin to Byrd, taking into account such factors as religious politics, music printing, and patronage. Be sure to address the full range of possible circumstances and solutions found throughout Europe.
3) Trace the effects of Reformation and Counter-Reformation on sacred music in Europe.
4) Discuss the interaction between theatrical and chamber music in the 16th century.
5) Trace the various ways in which instruments were used in the 16th century, and discuss their importance in the development of musical aestetics over the century.
6) Discuss the main lines of development in musical-theoretical thought between 1500 and 1605.