The music that has surviving from the Renaissance served a wide range of functions: it was used to adorn courtly events and religious worship, for political display, for the marking of great events, and for intercession with saints for the welfare of earthly souls. In addressing these needs it covered a broad range of styles and approaches. Taking diverse examples, this module will look at style, structure, and external reference and quotation, and show the ways in which music reflected and intensified the broader messages and social structures in which it operated. Along the way we will get to know a wide range of pieces and cultivate a deeper level of appreciation of the musical expression of earlier phases of Western society.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Demonstrate a detailed and specific understanding of musical repertory of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries and be able to articulate this by reference to the latest scholarship
Analyse and critically evaluate the impact on this music of major developments in the historical, political and social spheres, and to support it with reference to relevant scholarship.
Cite and, where appropriate, analyse at an appropriate level of detail and specificity, specific and suitable pieces of music found independently as examples in support of their commentaries and evaluations.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessment:
In-class presentation,10 minutes, plus submitted materials ((40%) Essay 2000 words ((50%) Essay abstract and Bibliography,500 words (10%).
Alternative assessment if on campus activity is restricted: live oral assessments will either be recorded presentations or conducted via Zoom/Skype
Reassessment:
Re-submit failed component.
Alternative re-assessment for the in-class presentation component: it will either be a recorded presentation or conducted via Zoom/Skype with the module lead.
