Vocabulary

1. Vocabulary • Farce – A type of low comedy characterized by slapstick • Sottie – A bawdy burlesque type of theatrical performance • Commedia dell’arte – Theatre type performed by troupes of actors wearing masks and employing improvised plots and stock characters

2. Theatre • Renaissance drama was predominately comedic • Early Renaissance theatre was a feature of annual festivals • Plays were often performed for the wealthy in courts • Occasionally courts would sponsor public performances • No theatre buildings existed at first • Remains of Roman theatres were in such bad shape they were unusable

3. Theatre • One form of drama during the early Renaissance was the sottie • The sottie was a lewd kind of performance that was part of the “Feast of the Fools” • Often times these would be some kind of deranged parody of a Catholic Mass led by the “pope of fools” • Sotties featured characters with strange costumes jumping around making noise and acting silly • They might’ve looked like this familiar Disney scene

4. Theatre • Another type of drama that developed during the early Renaissance is the farce • Farces are comedic performances that place the emphasis on physical humor rather than dialogue • Farces were characterized by their use of slapstick humor • Farces were performed on their own, instead of being a simple entertainment between events like the sottie

5. Theatre • Another form of drama that developed was commedia dell’arte • Commedia dell’arte was unique in its four primary characteristics • Improvisation • Stock characters • Young lovers, old fathers, arrogant soldiers and comic servants (Characters wore stock costumes that identified what character they were playing) • Use of mime and pantomime • Attitudes had to be conveyed through gestures • Actors travelled in companies • Groups of actors worked and travelled together in addition to playing the same parts over and over again

6. Theatre • Observe the characteristics of commedia dell’arte in this modified performance of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew • Write down your observations on a separate sheet of paper.

7. Theatre • There were two important developments in theatre staging during the Renaissance • A new form of theatre building was created • Painted scenery • The new type of building placed the audience on one side of the stage. How was this different from the stages of the Middle Ages? • The most significant development of the theatre building was the proscenium • Theproscenium framed the action of the play

8. Theatre • Proscenium

9. Theatre • The second major development in theatre during the Renaissance was the introduction of painted backgrounds • With a painted backdrop, audiences could feel as if the scene taking place within the proscenium had more depth • What artistic device is being used here? We’ve studied this in Renaissance painting.

10. Theatre • The most significant playwright of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare • Shakespeare wrote plays during a time in London where drama was deeply enjoyed and was viewed by everyone from peasants to nobility • Shakespeare’s plays reflect a profound insight into the human condition • What it means to be human

11. Theatre • Shakespeare’s plays fall into three categories • Histories • Tragedies • Comedies • History plays treat a variety of subjects but mostly rely on English kings • Richard II, Henry V • The histories become grand scale glorifications of historical events • Sometimes Shakespeare used history to create his dramas and comedies as well • Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, The Taming of the Shrew

12. Theatre • Shakespeare’s plays would often contain action, comedy, character, and emotions • Shakespeare’s work probes the source of human motivation as seen in this scene from Hamlet • Look in your textbooks on page 360 and follow along with the text • What is Hamlet telling himself? What is he trying to work out in this speech? What reasons does he give both for and against making this decision?

13. Music (Vocabulary) • Word Painting – Music attempts to emulate the emotions or movement of words • Madrigal – A setting of lyric poetry for several voices • A Cappella – Without accompaniment • Ballett – Dancelike song for several voices

14. Music • Music during the High Renaissance differed from Medieval music in a number of ways • The most significant of which was the use of polyphony to create texture • What is polyphony? We’ve discussed this before! • Vocal music was highly emphasized during the Renaissance • New techniques in vocal music were being applied • Word Painting/Text Painting • Imitation • Polyphony

15. Music • The greatest composer of sacred music during the Renaissance was Palestrina • Palestrina’s works are exclusively vocal • Several vocalists sing a cappella (without accompaniment, or instruments) • Examine Palestrina’s Kyrie from the Pope Marcellus Mass • Listen for the use of imitation and polyphony

16. Music • One of the new secular forms that were developed during the Renaissance is the madrigal • A madrigal is lyric poetry that is set to music for multiple voices • The music of a madrigal emphasizes the mood and meaning of the words • Madrigals often used word painting to emphasize the emotions of the words in the music • Thomas Weelkes’ “As Vesta was from Latmos hill descending” uses word painting. See if you can tell what words in particular get “painted”. What kind of mood do you feel while listening to this piece?

17. Music • Perhaps the greatest composer of the Renaissance was Josquin des Prez • His talent was compared to Michelangelo and he was called the “father of musicians” • Josquin’s greatest contribution to music was his development of polyphony (multiple sounds) • His music often featured imitation • One musical line would be imitated by another creating a theme that repeated throughout the piece • Josquin also uses text painting in his pieces • The music will try to imitate the emotions of the words being used in the song

18. Music • Listen to La Déploration sur la Mort d'Ockeghem • Read the lyrics and see if you think the music emulates the emotions that the words are conveying. • Also, listen for imitation or a repeating theme

19. Music • Another secular form that was developed during the Renaissance is the ballett • Balletts are simple songs that feel like a dance • Balletts are typically homophonic (one sound) with sections of polyphony • Thomas Morley’s “Now is the Month of Maying” is a widely performed ballett describing flirtation during the spring • Identify where you hear homophony and polyphony