The Renaissance Era of European music is hard to place exact dates on. It is generally agreed this era began around 1430 and ended around 1600. The word Renaissance means "rebirth”. Later in this era, the invention of the printing press allowed for greater circulation of secularSecular
popular, non-religious, music music and much of it has survived to today.

The music of the Renaissance took the sometimes very complex polyphonicPolyphonic
music with more than one melody performed at the same time songs of the Medieval EraMedieval Era
music era approximately 476-1430AD and moved toward a smoother, simpler, homogeneousHomogeneous
two or more parts moving together on different notes but with the same rhythm style. Religious types of music continued to develop the massMass
part of the Roman Catholic Church service, sung and motetMotet
polyphonic vocal style originally secular or religious, but during the Renaissance became exclusively religious and expanded to include the madrigale spiritualeMadrigale Spirituale
religious vocal songs for voice generally not accompanied. SecularSecular
popular, non-religious, music types of music included the madrigalMadrigal
secular songs for voice, generally not accompanied, frottolaFrottola
secular song, direct predecessor of the madrigal, chansonChanson
multi-melody song set to courtly or popular poetry, and lute songLute Song
song written for a singer with lute accompaniment. Many types of music were written for consortsConsorts
group of two to eight instrument players of instruments including the toccataToccata
written for a performer to show off on a keyboard instrument, preludePrelude
a short piece of music which introduces the next song to be performed, pavanPavan
slow, dignified court dance usually the first in a song set, and galliardGalliard
lively dance usually following a pavan. The most popular instrument at the time was the luteLute
stringed instrument similar to the guitar, which was used to accompany singers much of the time.