Renaissance Ornamentation

In Chapter 15, we distill information presented in original sources down to several practical suggestions about what constitutes good diminutions, how to get started making your own diminutions, and how to make use of the smaller ornaments called “graces.” Relevant primary and secondary sources are listed.

Cadences in Renaissance Music

In this chapter, we briefly compare and contrast the cadences of the renaissance with those of later periods. After discussing various types of cadences, including “cadenze fuggite” (evaded cadences) common in renaissance music, we use examples from the pieces presented in Chapters 7–10 to show how a musician can give more structure and meaning to the music by highlighting these musical punctuation marks.

Playing the Flute

Chapter 3 presents fingerings for the tenor flute, together with detailed suggestions for the minute embouchure adjustments possible for each fingering, and needed to create the best sound on each note of the instrument. Vibrato (as described in sixteenth-century treatises), articulation and its relationship to speech and language, and the ideal of the human voice as the model for all instrumentalists are also discussed.

Music Suitable for Four Flutes

Chapter 10 presents our own editions (in score format) of music for four flutes. (Individual parts can be downloaded from the accompanying website.) Purely instrumental pieces, such as dances, as well as vocal pieces, such as chansons and Tenorlieder, are included. An introduction to each piece presents the mode and useful tips for flutist approaching these works for the first time. Each piece also includes a hexachordal analysis and text (when applicable).

Music Suitable for One Flute

Chapter 7 presents our own editions of music for one flute. Some pieces are the top lines of four-part works, while others were composed specifically for a solo instrument. One piece with diminutions is included. An introduction to each piece presents the mode and useful tips for flutists approaching these works for the first time. Each piece also includes a hexachordal analysis and text (when applicable).

Musica Vera and Musica Ficta

Chapter 13 is a succinct chapter, designed to reduce the complex topic of musica ficta to very practical guidelines for its application in three settings: at cadences, in correction of forbidden intervals, and to enable transposition. Examples are given for each instance.

Music Suitable for Three Flutes

Chapter 9 presents scores of our own editions (in score format) of music for three flutes. (Individual parts can be downloaded from the accompanying website.) Some pieces are for three tenor flutes, while the others are for two tenors and one bass. Purely instrumental as well as vocal pieces are included. An introduction to each piece presents the mode and other useful tips for flutist approaching these works for the first time. Each piece also includes a hexachordal analysis and text (when applicable).

The Haka Flute

The first in-depth look at the Haka flute from a performer’s perspective, this chapter presents author Kate Clark’s argument that the instrument is a late renaissance flute. The flute’s history, a fingering chart, and plausible repertoire for it are also included.

Notation and Transcription

Using as its basis one source of Heinrich Isaac’s “Güretzsch,” Chapter 16 gives a step-by-step guide on how to transcribe into modern notation a piece of music in renaissance notation. This chapter presents “translations” of all the elements of original notation, including note values, rests, clefs, and time signatures. We also offer practical suggestions on how to rehearse when using partbooks in manuscript or original print.

The Hexachord

In Chapter 12, we present the three primary hexachords used in the Renaissance, plus basic advice on how to apply them to the music. We also consider Martin Agricola’s suggestion that the six different hexachord syllables had distinctive intrinsic qualities, which could open up new expressive possibilities for the more advanced musician approaching renaissance music.