MUSICAL STYLE The composers of the Renaissance concerned themselves with three different areas of music: Sacred music: Composers continued to work with the older forms such as the motet and Mass. It is in this music that we find the clearest international style. Secular music: Composers created new forms that reflected national trends, such as the Italian madrigal and the French chanson. Instrumental music: The rise of music printing encouraged the spread of instrumental music for amateurs, and more specific types emerged. All three types of music share many musical features: The use of four-voice choirs or groups of like-sounding instruments (consorts) Imitative or homorhythmic textures (often alternating within a single piece). Smooth, gentle rhythms. Melodies with balanced phrases. Harmonies that use full triads. Vocal forms tied to structure of texts. Dances based on simple binary forms.
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