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Kody Pisney
Hausmann
MUSI 6398
22 September 2014
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Issues of Renaissance Choral Music
for the Modern Conductor
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The performance of choral music from the Renaissance Period is common in the United States.
There are many works of the era that are considered masterpieces of the repertoire and should remain
classics. This period had a different set of aesthetic values than modern conventions in regards to
performance practice, notation, and compositional styles. When performing these pieces, a conductor’s
preparation and rehearsals should reflect the customary music notation, performance practice, and stylistic
qualities of the period.
During the Renaissance, composers used of system of notation called mensural notation. It is a
complex system based on a number of different mechanics. The apparent difference of mensural notation
with modern notation is the lack of measure lines. The temporal mechanic stems from the choir master
indicating the pulse with “complete down-and-up motion” in what is called a ‘tactus’1. Jameson Marvin
comments that “[the] system [was] based on the concepts of perfection and imperfection. Perfection is
symbolized by the number three (trinity)…Imperfection is represented by the number two…”2 Marvin
also comments that it is imperative for choral conductors to observe: “1) [Feeling] Renaissance music in
two beats per bar…2) The speed of the beat should be constant for an individual beat…3) [Following] the
1Marvin, Jameson. "Perfection and Naturalness: Guides to the Performance of Renaissance Music." The
Choral Journal 35.1 (1994): 49-52. 1 Aug. 1994. Web.
2 Marvin, Jameson
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principles of proportions…4) [In modern editions], try to determine what note values are being used in
relation to the original…”3
It is understood that Renaissance composers wrote with characteristics of plainsong in mind.
Plainsong “[has] no time or measure in the modern sense, and there is not ‘strong beat’ or ‘accent’
occurring at regular intervals…Its time like its rhythm is free—a free interlacing of binary and ternary
groups…”4 According to John B. Haberlen, a choral conductor’s awareness of these rhythmic groupings
can “[generate] tension by emphasizing the interplay of rhythmic counterpoint between the vocal lines.”5
Haberlen further suggests that conductors should encourage their singers to immerse themselves in
plainsong and for them to read from part books with only their own part before them. Haberlen argues
that “[r]eading from a sing line, unobstructed by barlines, they [can] easily apply the rhythmic principles
known so well from their association with plain song. They could, therefore, group the notes according to
the actual rhythmic structure rather than according to a prevailing metrical scheme enforced arbitrarily by
regularly recurring bar-lines.”6
Different aspects of performance practice during the Renaissance are the most obvious differences
that a modern audience can perceive. One aspect which is still debated by scholars is the use of vibrato
when performing Renaissance choral music. According to Christopher Jackson, there are two different
schools of thought when considering the use of vibrato. The “straight tone school” and the “natural
vibrato school”. The first school claims that the indiscriminate or unconscious use of vibrato should be
avoided due to the mean-tone system of intonation in play in Italy in the Late Renaissance. The second
claims that singing without vibrato can have deleterious effects on one’s vocal health.7
3Marvin, Jameson. "Perfection and Naturalness: Guides to the Performance of Renaissance Music." The
Choral Journal 35.1 (1994): 49-52. 1 Aug. 1994. Web.
4Benedictines of Solesmes, “The Liber Usualis — Introduction and Rubrics in English” (New York:
Desclee & Co., 1956), print. p. xix
5 Haberlen, John B. “Microrhythms: The Key to Vitalizing Renaissance Music.” The Choral Journal 13. 3
(1972): 11-14. 1 Nov. 1972. Web.
6 Haberlen, John B.
7Jackson, Christopher. “An Examination of Vibrato - Use Options for Late Renaissance Vocal Music.”
The Choral Journal 48.1 (2007): 24-35. 1 Jul. 2007. Web.
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Jackson identified both sides’ arguments as valid and sought to undertake an experiment where a
choir would sing passages of Renaissance music with and without vibrato. Both the choirs and the
conductors were asked a series of questions pertaining to: Perception of Intonation, Perception of
Resonance, Freedom and Ease of Vocal Production and Breath Management, Clarity of Imitative Entries,
Balance, and Blend. The conclusions that he drew were that “a style with no audible vibrato can in fact be
produced with relative ease and efficiency…[Second], the conductors concluded that stylistically
appropriate vibrato did not unduly affect intonation, clarity, [and] balance and blend.”8 So for the choral
conductor, a decision of whether or not to use vibrato in regards to interpretation can be made with the
singer’s vocal health in mind for either case.
An aspect of stylistic qualities indicative of the Renaissance period was the use of ornamentation.
The inclination of the performer to add interpretations of notes and rhythms over melodic lines was a
common practice during the period. Gordon Flood notes that this initial willingness is difficult to obtain
with a modern ensemble. He also quotes musicological treatises stating that:
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“some experimentation is going to be required if we would recreate the enthusiasm that the
Renaissance had for music. We must be willing to trust the creative abilities of our singers, and we
must provide them the techniques that will allow them their freedom of individuality. As it was in
the Renaissance, the area most immediately available for individual choice is that of melodic
ornamentation.”9
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Flood further states that famous teacher-virtuosos would provide students with numerous models of
ornamentation. They sought to inform the student of various possibilities and to give them enough
material to create a ‘vocabulary’ and a ‘repertory’ of patterns that they would be able to use when they
would perform.10 The responsibility is then left up to the choral conductor to educate the singer with
8Jackson, Christopher. “An Examination of Vibrato - Use Options for Late Renaissance Vocal Music.”
The Choral Journal 48.1 (2007): 24-35. 1 Jul. 2007. Web.
9Flood, Gordon. “Extemporaneous Ornamention of Renaissance Polyphonic Music.” The Choral Journal
12.6 (1972): 12-18. 1 Feb. 1972. Web.
10 Flood, Gordon
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proper training. Having a choir sight read ornamentation patterns and applying those skills in rehearsals
can create a freedom that a modern singer would not normally feel. They would then have a closer
connection to the character of the music.
With modern editions of Renaissance choral works, it can be easy for a conductor to approach
preparation from a modern perspective. However, this approach does not authentically represent the
character of the repertoire because of significant differences with Renaissance aesthetics and modern
conventions. A choral conductor must understand that the way the music was notated and how
performance practices and stylistic characteristics of the period affected the sound. It is by gaining this
knowledge that the conductor can lead an ensemble with sensitivity for the music and give more accurate
performances.
