During the Renaissance, the ideas of the Humanism derived in the secular music being more important than in the Middle Ages (the human creations had value, and this motivated artists and creators to create works of great complexity and quality).
Unlike religious music, secular music didn’t follow an international style. This means that there were different kind of compositions written an sung in the language of the composers (Italian, French, Castilian...). The compositions were polyphonic, with various forms and themes.
In ITALY, the most important form was the MADRIGAL, a polyphonic composition for four or five voices. Although they could be accompanied with instruments, they were often sung a capella. The main theme was love, and the language used was Italian. One of the most important composers were Orlando di Lasso (1531-1594) or Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643).
Madrigal by Orlando di Lasso
The CHANSON was the main form of secular vocal music in FRANCE. It was sung in French and was a polyphonic composition for four or five voices on various popular themes (love, satire, etc.). One of the main composers was Josquin des Prez (1440-1521)
Chanson by Josquin des Prez
In SPAIN there were polyphonic forms such as the ROMANCE, the ENSALADA, or the VILLANCICO. The main composer was Juan del Encina (1469-1529).
Villancico by Juan del Encina
