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: Choir
Gesamtausgabe, Sammelband, Urtextausgabe
Item no.: 116270
for: SATB, SAB
Buch
Item no.: 563999
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 321914
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Vocal score
Item no.: 765667
for: Favorit choir (SSB), chapell choir (SATB), strings, basso continuo
Choir score
Item no.: 138732
for: Mixed choir (SSAATTBB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1017011
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Score
Item no.: 476402
for: 4 voices (SATB) a cappella
Score
Item no.: 309669
for: Women's choir (SSAA) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 902683
(Tod und Ewigkeit)
for: Mixed choir (SABar) a cappella
Music score
Item no.: 730075
for: gemischter Chor (SATB) a cappella
Music score
Item no.: 747707
Gesangbuch Joseph Klug 1543/nach dem lat. " puer natus in Bethlehem"
for: Mixed choir (SABar) a cappella
Music score
Item no.: 758590
for: Vibraphone, string orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 591282
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1646080
for: Choir
Score
Item no.: 1336784
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Score
Item no.: 5846
for: Voice (bass), basso continuo
Sheet music
Item no.: 2887
for: 2 melodic instruments
2 Performance scores
Item no.: 674331
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Sheet music
Item no.: 1705
for: Mixed choir (SABar) a cappella
Score
Item no.: 1626
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Sheet music
Item no.: 1140
Chorsaetze Alter Meister
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Item no.: 168635
for: 4 recorders (SATB quartet)
Ensemble score
Item no.: 158549
for: 2 voices (SS), basso continuo
Item no.: 490223
Musik Fuer Oboe
for: Oboe Klavier (HA/Orgel)
Item no.: 470802
for: 2 GCH (SSAB SATB)
Choir score
Item no.: 195966
for: 8 INST (GES)
Score, Set of parts
Item no.: 566313
Schütz-Gesamteinspielung, Band 10
Audio-CD
Item no.: 677172
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 552448
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1677105
for: Mixed choir, basso continuo
Score
Item no.: 665322
for: Women's choir (SSMezA) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 289195
for: Gemischter Chor (Favoritchor ST, 5 Instrumente, (Chor ATTB), [Kontrabass, Orgel]
Score
Item no.: 279197
for: 8 trombones
Score, Parts
Item no.: 973405
for: Wind quartet [wind ensemble 4 voices]
Ensemble score
Item no.: 189579
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 361334
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 322045
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Score
Item no.: 661167
Der Lobgesang der Maria (Urtextausgabe) (Urtext)
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 115706
for: Women's choir (SSA) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 908953
for: Voice, organ
Item no.: 376172
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 166563
for: Mixed choir (SATB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 630899
for: Male choir (TTBB) a cappella
Music score
Item no.: 747965
(16. Jh.)
for: Male choir (TTBB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 746871
Möseler Chorreihe
for: Mixed choir (SSATTB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 795698
Christmas motet
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 795688
for: Violin, string orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 596870