The Role of Music

      Order Description       Part 1: Question: Select either A or B for your main response.   A. What musical changes took place between the Medieval and Renaissance periods (performers, composers, instruments, musical elements, etc.)? What are the significant historical, cultural, social, and religious issues that influenced the music of the middle ages and how did music evolve during the Renaissance period? What was the difference between sacred music and secular music in medieval or Renaissance times? Who wrote, performed, and listened to music and in what settings? How did musical participation vary between class, role, or status? Explain the role of music for one of the following and contrast that role with today's varied musical audience: religious leaders, nobility, landowners, tradesmen, farmers, military, peasants, etc. B. What role did music play in different people’s lives during the Renaissance in contrast with life in the Middle Ages? How did Renaissance music demonstrate the “rebirth” of creativity, individuality, and curiosity in Europe? How did the ideals of the Renaissance influence the arts in general? Give an example of a work of art, painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, or theatre and explain how that work embodies the ideals of the Renaissance period.