Teaching fundamental choral ensemble techniques through secular Renaissance polyphony

Current research suggests a significant decline in the performance of Renaissance polyphony by choral ensembles over the past six decades. In an effort to encourage renewed performance of Renaissance literature, this project created accessible performance editions of eleven pieces of secular, polyphonic choral music from the Renaissance era, targeted towards high school and college choral ensembles. The project suggested fundamental choral techniques and pedagogy teachable through this era of music and transferable to other repertoire. These techniques include melodic phrasing, modal construction, rhythmic independence, cadences, and balance and dynamics. The performance editions addressed the common barriers of unbarred music, mensuration and time signatures, extreme ranges and revoicing, pitch level, tempo and proportions, dynamic suggestions, and restrictions against sacred texts. They are limited to three and four voice parts. The editions consist of villancicos, canzonettas, and madrigals composed by Juan Vasquez, Hans Leo Hassler, and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. These newly created editions (available in the appendixes) add available repertoire to the traditional choral canon.