Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Fifteenth-Century Music
- Series page
- The Cambridge History of Fifteenth-Century Music
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Music examples
- Notes on contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Historiography
- Part II Improvisation and composition
- Part III Humanism
- 13 Humanism and music in Italy
- 14 Fifteenth-century humanism and music outside Italy
- 15 Poetic humanism and music in the fifteenth century
- 16 Canterinoandimprovvisatore: oral poetry and performance
- 17 Liturgical humanism: saints’ Offices from the Italian peninsula in the fifteenth century
- Part IV Music and other arts
- Part V Music in churches, courts, and cities
- Part VI Religious devotion and liturgy
- Part VII Theory and practice
- Part VIII Sources
- Part IX Genres
- Part X Reception
- Index
14 - Fifteenth-century humanism and music outside Italy
from Part III - Humanism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2015
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Fifteenth-Century Music
- Series page
- The Cambridge History of Fifteenth-Century Music
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Music examples
- Notes on contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Historiography
- Part II Improvisation and composition
- Part III Humanism
- 13 Humanism and music in Italy
- 14 Fifteenth-century humanism and music outside Italy
- 15 Poetic humanism and music in the fifteenth century
- 16 Canterinoandimprovvisatore: oral poetry and performance
- 17 Liturgical humanism: saints’ Offices from the Italian peninsula in the fifteenth century
- Part IV Music and other arts
- Part V Music in churches, courts, and cities
- Part VI Religious devotion and liturgy
- Part VII Theory and practice
- Part VIII Sources
- Part IX Genres
- Part X Reception
- Index
Summary
The picture of Italian humanism radiating out to other countries and innovating their intellectual climates is an attractive one. It conforms to historical image of the Italian Renaissance itself - an innovative, expansive, and persuasive cultural campaign. If a fifteenth-century musical "rebirth" or even "Renaissance" can be diagnosed outside Italy, it was originally unaided by humanism, let alone Italian humanism. Musical humanists of the period working outside Italy had in common that they applied classical modes of thinking to musical practices around them, rather than advocating new types of music or exploring music theory. Three topics of the humanist engagements with music have left a trail in music history. The first was a so-called "musical rhetoric". Second, humanist influence encouraged musicians to set a greater variety of Latin poetic forms. Finally, northern humanism developed the modern understanding of composed music as a "completed and independent work".
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Fifteenth-Century Music , pp. 263 - 280Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015