Famous composers of the renaissance period

The Renaissance Period was a vibrant time when knowledge and fine arts flourished. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Raphael, and Titian were painting some of humanity's most awe-inspiring works of art. Wars like the War of Roses were fought between clashing dynasties in their arduous quests to rule, and great changes were made in the church during the Protestant Reformation.

1. Famous composers of the renaissance period

2. renaissance The Renaissance Period was a vibrant time when knowledge and fine arts flourished. Artists like  Leonardo da Vinci , Michelangelo, Botticelli,  Raphael , and Titian were painting some of humanity's most awe-inspiring works of art. Wars like the  War of Roses  were fought between clashing dynasties in their arduous quests to rule, and great changes were made in the church during the  Protestant Reformation . Generally classified as taking place between 1400 and 1600, these 200 years mark an incredible transformation and advancement in the world. And among those transformations was that of great music notation and composition. If it weren't for these great Renaissance composers, whose ground-shaking, mold-breaking musical ideas opened a floodgate of musical curiosity, the world of classical music we know today might be drastically different. 01 of 08

3. William byrd William Byrd (1543–1623) William Byrd is perhaps the greatest  English composer  of all time. With hundreds of individual works, Byrd seemingly mastered every style of music that existed during his lifetime, outshining Orlando de Lassus and Giovanni Palestrina. He was a pupil working under Thomas Tallis, also on this list. Apart from his choral works, Byrd is considered by many to be the first "genius" of the keyboard. Many of his piano works can be found in "My Ladye Nevells Book" and the "Parthenia."

4. Josquin des prez Josquin Des Prez (1440–1521) Widely recognized by just his first name, Josquin Des Prez was Europe's most sought-after musician during his lifetime. His popularity, no doubt, was a result of his diverse interests, combining many contemporary styles of music. His originality and his ability to unveil the meaning and emotions of a text through music, both sacred and secular, added to his popularity. While he may not be the most well-documented composer, his reputation is strong, and much of Josquin's music survives today, with his masses and chansons being the most popular.

5. Thomas talis Thomas Tallis, an English composer, flourished as a church musician and is considered one of the church's best early composers. Tallis served under four English monarchs and was treated very well. Queen Elisabeth granted him and his pupil William Boyd exclusive rights to use England's printing press to publish music—a first of its time. Although Tallis composed many styles of music, the majority of it is arranged for choir as Latin motets and English anthems. While Tallis' music is well-known, not much is actually known about his life.

6. Piere de la rue Pierre de La Rue (1460–1518) Pierre de La Rue, a Frenco-Flemish composer and singer, wrote many styles of music (almost as much as Josquin). La Rue's repertoire consists entirely of vocal music. His style of voicing shows that he preferred low voice types, often composing Cs and B-flats below the  bass clef . His most popular work, the "Requiem," and one of the earliest surviving  Requiem masses , emphasizes the lower voices. Along with low voicing, various rhythmic patterns and long, flowing melodies are main characteristics of La Rue's music.

7. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1526–1594) With over hundreds of published works, Italian composer Palestrina was the most famous representative of the Roman School of musical composition, greatly influencing the development of music in the Roman Catholic Church. Because the voicing is extremely well balanced and beautifully harmonized, Palestrina's polyphonic music is smooth, pure, and transparent in sound.