The Renaissance saw the musical shackles of the Medieval Period being broken, and both secular and sacred music became livelier and more expressive, and through the developments of printed music, more widely available. Browse our sheet music and scores, and pick up a mass or a madrigal today!
The driving force of the Renaissance was humanism (from the Latin “hummanus” or human), the dogmas of the church were overturned by science, and art was inspired by antiquity and a new, harmonious worldview. Vocal polyphony was very much at the forefront of Renaissance music, and a desire for perfect form, and rational, logical sophistication emerged. In church music, the cyclic form of the Mass, Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei was still widely deployed, and musical settings of Motets, Litanies, Psalms and Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis broadened the congregation’s musical experience. Secular vocal music also developed through the madrigals, and polyphonic and unison songs.
In contrast to the Medieval Period, the Renaissance began with a new design principle, imitation. A short, lively theme moves from voice to voice, and the composer creates a counter-melody to compliment it. Elements from the Medieval however were still present, and the “cantus firmus” or fixed chant was often a device of choice in the Renaissance. The cantus firmus takes a theme from Gregorian Chant or Folk Music, but the composer uses augmentation, elongates the note values, and uses the cantus firmus as the harmonic basis for this polyphonic work. From here, the canon soon evolved, which was the clear precursor to the baroque fugue.
The Renaissance marked a big step in the development of instrumental music, and a significant move towards independence for solo instruments, and chamber groups. Traditionally instruments were used as accompaniment for choir or solo singing or for dance music, but through the Renaissance Period, pure instrumental solo or ensemble music became more and more popular. In particular, Renaissance Organ Music experienced a great boom due to the technical development of the instrument, and it was during the 16th century that more vocal instrumental music started emerging, and the first works featuring basso continuo were written.
for: Cello, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1272224
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Piano score
Item no.: 380347
for: Gemischter Chor (4-stimmig), Orgel
Choir score
Item no.: 1199899
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 772530
for: Descant (soprano) recorder, basso continuo
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1713512
for: Women's choir (2–6 parts); piano ad lib.
Choir book
Item no.: 780725
for: Choir
Choir score
Item no.: 471518
for: 1-7 Singstimmen und Instrumente
Partitur
Item no.: 330566
for: 1–3 voices, basso continuo
Score
Item no.: 223965
for: für Gitarre
Item no.: 113000
for: für 5 Stimmen und Basso continuo oder Sopran, gemischter Chor (SATB) 4 Violen und Basso continuo
Chorpartitur
Item no.: 313985
for: gemischten Chor (SATB) und Basso continuo
Choir score
Item no.: 327689
for: 4 recorders [2 violins, viola, cello]
Ensemble score
Item no.: 409333
Item no.: 553616
for: 1–2 violins, piano; guitar ad lib.
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 301298
for: Organ
Music score
Item no.: 646481
Zeitschrift fuer Spielmusik
for: BFL QUARTETT (SAAB)
Ensemble score
Item no.: 1677009
for: Mixed choir a cappella
CD
Item no.: 1696797
Motet in six parts from 'Geistliche Chor-Music' (1648)
for: Flexible ensemble (6 parts)
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1479661
for: Lute
Buch
Item no.: 1658719
Harmonia-Mixed Choir
for: Mixed choir (SATB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 932037
aus der Oper "L´Orfeo"
(Ausgabe in B-, C- und D-Dur)
for: Trumpet, piano
Score, Parts
Item no.: 781328
Motet for six-part mixed Chorus
for: Mixed choir (SSATTB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1665065
a quattro voci per sonare
Venetia 1596
for: 4 string instruments
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1340787
für 6 Blockflöten (Stimmen/Gamben/Melodieinstrumente)
for: 6 recorders
Score, Parts
Item no.: 677587
Musica Practica (wind clefs)
for: Voice (melody instrument]
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1615860
C
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1479090
for: Cor anglais, organ
Organ score, solo part
Item no.: 636079
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Item no.: 327145
Harmonia-Mixed Choir
for: Mixed choir (SATB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 912877
Fakultätsvorträge der Philologisch-Kulturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Wien 10
V&Runipress
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 773169
Klassifikation und Detailstudien eines modellhaften Repertoires
Wiener Forum für ältere Musikgeschichte 10
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 1008962
für Mezzosopran und Orchester
Studienpartitur
for: Voice, orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1344606
Shawnee Press
for: 3-part mixed, opt. flute
Choir score
Item no.: 1126531
Motet
No. 3 from "Geistliche Chor-Music"
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: Mixed choir (SATTB), basso continuo; 5 melodic instruments (colla parte) ad lib.
Choir score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 696755
Fantasien und Tientos aus Libro de Música para Vihuela, intitulado Orphénica lyra (1554)
Faksimiledruck mit Übertragung
for: Vihuela [guitar]
Music score (with TABs)
Item no.: 1209692
for: Trumpet
Item no.: 604441
for: Voice, piano
Piano/Vocal
Item no.: 1565578
(Paris Rès. Vmc. 64) Per Organo o Clavicembalo
for: Organ [harpsichord]
Music score
Item no.: 648711
for: Männerchor (TTBARB)
Item no.: 477432
for: Mixed choir; basso continuo ad lib.
Item no.: 465113
Sammlung musikwissen- schaftlicher Abhandlungen/ Collection d'études musicologiques 61
Book (softcover)
Item no.: 122443
for: Recorder
Item no.: 413954
Six madrigals by Luca Marenzio
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 333547
Instrumentalmusik für Kammer und Kirche Band 3
Musica Instrumentalis
for: 2 violins, basso continuo
Score, Parts
Item no.: 188132
Werke Alter Meister 5~Die Orgel Reihe 2
for: Organ
Item no.: 227215
Werke von Komponisten aus dem 16./17./18. Jahrhundert
for: Trombone, piano [organ]
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1557072
for: Mixed choir (SSAATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 425281
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