Renaissance Composer

allegory of music, filippino lippi

during renaissance music era (c. 1400 1600) composers tended focus more on writing songs secular (non-religious) themes, such courtly love. around 1450, printing press invented, made printed sheet music less expensive , easier mass-produce (prior invention of printing press, notated music hand-copied). increased availability of sheet music helped spread composers musical styles more , across larger area. middle of 15th century, composers writing richly polyphonic sacred music, in different melody lines interwoven simultaneously. prominent composers era include guillaume dufay, giovanni pierluigi da palestrina, thomas morley, , orlande de lassus. musical activity shifted church aristocratic courts, kings, queens , princes competed finest composers. many leading important composers came netherlands, belgium, , northern france. called franco-flemish composers. held important positions throughout europe, in italy. other countries vibrant musical activity included germany, england, , spain.