Essay Prompt 3:

Between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance a sea change took place in mind of man.  It was not just the shift in the roles of the church and the court but the increased emphasis on and exploration of new philosophical directions based more on empiricism than doctrine.  By the time of the Baroque, the struggle between the church and state reached monumental proportions as seen in mighty, prolonged wars for territory and power.  Machiavelli, Rousseau and Bacon were all part of the other tug-of-war for the mind of man.  Composers responded by developing the ability to construct large-scale compositions, push the human voice to its virtuosic limit and portray larger-than-life characters and grandiose emotions which set the course for Western art music for some time to come. 

Study the readings from the second half of this semester and look for characteristics which are reflected in the music we have heard.   Machiavelli with his ends justify the means mentality, the rigid class structure that Francis Bacon experienced at the English court of Queen Elizabeth I, and Rousseau with his “social contract” seem like three characters right out of central casting.  The real-life intrigue of the courts and the fascination with mythology influenced visual and musical art along with the Church’s absorption of some of the characteristics of opera into its rituals and music.  All of this contributed to the over-all spirit of the time.  

Develop an essay that discusses how the conditions of society (the court) and religion (the church) may have been reflected in music. Specifically refer to musical elements in your essay; larger-than-life characters demand larger musical forces and longer pieces, grand emotion demands more dramatic rhythmically intricate, soaring vocal writing and perhaps more dissonance given by virtuosic performers, while complicated scenery with special effects and elaborate costuming delight the eye.

GENERAL CHECKLIST: Does the paper have a clearly discernible introduction, body and conclusion? Is it divided into distinct paragraphs, with topic sentences? Does the paper proceed by means of thoughtful development of its ideas to a logical conclusion? (5 pages)