From Polyphony to Homophony

How does the transition from the lush and ethereal sounding Renaissance Polyphony of last week to the very direct and tightly structured feeling of the Baroque happen?

To get to Baroque music, we need to start in 1545 with the Council of Trent, which had far reaching consequences on the whole Church, and most definitely on sacred music. The Council of Trent was an ecumenical council, meaning bishops and church thinkers traveled from all over Europe and the world to clarify matters related to doctrine (original sin, sacred tradition, etc.) and practice (the Mass, sacraments, etc.).

One great example of the way Trent codified or clarified practices was the resulting Tridentine Mass, which was established soon after the Council and would remain the primary form for the celebration of the Roman Catholic Mass until the Second Vatican Council. With this codification, sacred music now had a speedier path for development. By legislating that the same texts be used, and used functionally, within the liturgy for such a long period of time, composers and practitioners of sacred music were able to be exposed to many more varied types of sacred music in a shorter period of time. 

One of the main things Trent prioritized for religious art was clarity and intelligibility. This didn’t bode well for the continued flourishing of the type of polyphony we heard last week, which though beautiful, is not easily comprehensible. 

Around the turn of the 17th century, the new baroque style began to spread through sacred and secular music alike. One of its main features was the increased use of accompaniment that is separate from the vocal parts. Music now had its own “rhythm section” that covered the bass and harmony parts, which in turn made it possible to free up the voices to deliver the text in a clear and direct way. The result in sacred music is a lot more accompanied homophony (two or more voices singing together in harmony, but largely in the same rhythm) and monody (a single melody line singing with accompaniment).

In the sacred music tradition, the 17th century also brought with it the oratorio, which is a dramatic musical setting of a sacred text or story. Oratorios found an early home in Rome as an outgrowth of the Counter-Reformation efforts of St. Phillip Neri and his Oratory. What started as small groups for sharing scripture, song, and fellowship became a catalyst for creativity in sacred music drama. The most famous example of the oratorio tradition, of course, is Handel’s “Messiah,” which has completely pervaded the popular imagination and is sung around the world every December. It’s incredible to think about how powerful one little movement can be. The example of the “Messiah” and of how sacred music can joyfully share the good news across the world is one that really inspires me. 

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