Extract
[...] Indeed, he is the origin of motets, that is to say, a musical composition widespread during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance which is based on a sacred text, which have remained famous. Finally, this day was very enriching in the sense that we were able to understand a historical and musical moment that remains major in the context of our European societies, namely the Spanish Golden Age, but above all it allowed us to appreciate several little-known instruments such as the vihuela, originating from northern Spain, and which is similar to a kind of lute, the viola da gamba, also from the family of string instruments and which was very popular during the Renaissance, or the theorbo, also from the family of plucked strings and which is similar to a large lute. [...]
[...] Thus, the humanist movement and the religious character in the Kingdom of Spain consecrated sacred music as a major characteristic of the Spanish Golden Age. In this sense, we were able to, during this workshop, familiarize ourselves with different practices such as diminution for example, that is to say, musical and particularly instrumental practice, but also opposite styles such as the so-called Janequin style and Victoria. Let's start with the Janequin style of the name of Clément Janequin (1485-1558), a composer and musician who was rather attached to formalizing profane polyphonic songs for most of his works such as for example 'The Song of the Birds' or 'The Battle of Marignan'. [...]
[...] Thus, during this workshop where we were able to work with the musician artists Clément Stagnol (who plays the lute, the theorbo, and the vihuela), Louise Bouedo (who uses the viola da gamba) and Clémence Niclas (who takes care of the vocal part and who uses a flute), we were able to appreciate different compositions that combine both poetry and music. In doing so, we were able to realize the Cancionero de Uppsala1 (1556) which is part of what is called the Vilancicos in vernacular language, that is to say a composition that oscillates between poetry and music proper to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and which is part of secular vocal music. [...]
[...] A contrario, we were also able to appreciate the sacred vocal music called rhetorical, which was in force during the reign of Philip II of Spain (1527-1598). Moreover, in order to illustrate the power of the monarch's reign, we were able to see the reproduction of a famous painting representing Philip II in armor and painted by the Venetian painter Titian in 1551 and now preserved at the Prado Museum in Madrid. As a result, the historical context remains important to understand in that the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance allowed the emergence of the humanist current in the Arts, and paved the way for modernity made of rationality, but also of technological innovations that allowed for a greater diffusion of the arts. [...]
