The Renaissance is commonly thought of as a time of renewal and rediscovery, as the definition of the word implies. In actuality, though, the Renaissance was a time of change from one the extreme of heaven, as noted in the previous faith in the Church and religion, to the opposite extreme of faith in human thinking and ideas, along the lines of science, logic, and reason. Rather than revolving around unblinking faith in the Church and what it represented, the Renaissance allowed for a new faith in human nature and of what the human mind was capable, both in terms of intelligence and creativity. By bringing the focus down to earth, culture was renewed. This renewal of culture can be attributed to many different things, and these characteristics have been debated by historians seemingly since the time that they actually occurred.

Some historians argue that the culture of areas such as Italy existed, but was suppressed by the idealism of the Church. Others would assert major historical events such as the fall of Constantinople in 1453 caused movement in Europe, moving people of like ideas together. One such idea states that after 1453, Greeks began to migrate to areas in Italy, bringing with t

hem the Greek reasoning and love for knowledge. Although since then, more debate has arisen regarding the actual dates of this Greek migration, the facts remain the same. As a rule, historians regard the fall of Constantinople as a rough demarcation of the beginning of the Renaissance.

Haynes, Maria. The Renaissance and Its Influence on Western Civilization University Press, New York, 1993.

Music was also influenced by the other arts of the Renaissance. As architecture became more balanced and defined, so did music as is illustrated by the use of more positive sounding, architecturally stable chords. The rhythm of poetry and new writings of this time are also reflected in the repetition (on different levels) in vocal music of this time.

Cronin, Vincent. The Flowering of the Renaissance E.P. Dutton and Co., Inc., New York, 1969.

Art reflected the change of focus from ethereal to earthly as the increase of secular themes in painting demonstrates. As musical styles moved away from the Church to the secular world, a new style developed. While the dark, minor chords slowly disappeared from both Religious and secular music, the similarities end there. Music in the Church maintained its distinction by keepin

Some common words found in the essay are:
Music Renaissance, Church Royalty, Europe Renaissance, Music Church, Renaissance Italy, Renaissance Common, Inc York, Sons York, Press York, Press Jersey, fall constantinople, faith human, secular music, burke peter, culture society, religious secular, faith church, university press,
Approximate Word count = 821
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)