Course: History of Music Types and Genres 3 Madrigal in the Renaissance period

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Course title History of Music Types and Genres 3 Madrigal in the Renaissance period
Course code KMU/DHDŽ3
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Seminar
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 4
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Dykast Roman, doc. PhDr. CSc.
  • Spáčilová Jana, doc. Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
1. The medieval "septem artes liberales" system 2. The central position of the human rational soul in the Renaissance Neoplatonic hierarchy of the universe, its musical proportions, and the return to the Pythagorean tetradic system of the humoral theory of temperaments 3. Pneuma (or spiritus, spirit, or breath) as the force connecting body and soul 4. The Neo-Petrarchism of Pietro Bembo 5. Docere (to instruct), delectare (to delight), and movere (to move): the tasks of the art of rhetoric 6. The evolution of the madrigal viewed against the standard textbook account of Renaissance music historyspecifically the succession of composer generations within the Franco-Flemish school 7. The institution of the Renaissance wedding 8. French "artistic" academies and their influence on the transformation of the French *chanson* 9. The madrigal viewed in the context of compositional rules shaped by the evolution of counterpoint theory 10. New groupings of poets and musicians inspired by antiquity in the second half of the 16th century (Italy, France, Germany, and England) 11. A specific offshoot of the "spiritual madrigal" in Prague 12. How to analyze Renaissance musical compositions

Learning activities and teaching methods
Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming)
  • Attendace - 26 hours per semester
  • Preparation for the Exam - 20 hours per semester
  • Preparation for the Course Credit - 4 hours per semester
  • Homework for Teaching - 35 hours per semester
  • Semestral Work - 15 hours per semester
Learning outcomes
The aim of this lecture series is to introduce the evolution of Renaissance music through the lens of the madrigala distinctive new genre that epitomizes the era's musical landscape and the interplay between music and poetry. This developmental trajectory is examined within a broader historical context, emphasizing the influence of classical authors, the shaping of musical thought as part of the humanist curriculum, prevailing theories of art (such as artistic poetics and rhetorical disciplines), and the overarching framework of Renaissance philosophy and aesthetics (including Renaissance Platonism, Neoplatonism, and Aristotelianism).
Students of the course will gain an overview and knowledge of the history of European music during the Renaissance; this will expand their existing knowledge of the history of the artistic forms and genres they have studied and deepen their understanding of art within broader philosophical, aesthetic, cultural, social, and political contexts.
Prerequisites
An overview of 16th-century music.

Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam, Written exam, Student performance

The course concludes with an examination consisting of both written and oral components. The exam tests knowledge of specific artworks and their authorship, command of specialized terminology, familiarity with dating, and an understanding of the broader philosophical, aesthetic, cultural, social, and political contexts, based on the material covered in lectures and recommended reading. Course credit is awarded based on the presentation of a report and the defense of a written term paper.
Recommended literature
  • Dykast, R. (2005). Hudba věku melancholie. Praha.
  • Einstein, A. (1968). Od renesance k hudbě dneška.
  • Kristeller, P. O., & Nejeschleba, T. Osm filosofů italské renesance.
  • Yates, F. A., & Gajdoš, E. (2009). Giordano Bruno a hermetická tradice. Praha.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2026) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2024) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2019) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -
Faculty: Faculty of Arts Study plan (Version): Musicology (2022) Category: Theory and history of arts - Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: -