The influence of humanism on German secular music of the Renaissance (ca. 1470-1550)

Renaissance humanism--an intellectual and cultural movement that was inspired by the study of classical Greek and Latin literature and culture--was characterized by an emphasis on human, secular interests rather than on the "scientific" world or religious dogma.;After giving background on the humanist movement in Italy, I will describe how Italian humanist ideas spread to Germany, and how some of the most important German humanists--academians, printers/publishers and members of the educated class--made it possible for any German-speaking person who could read, to learn the secrets of music. I will then present an overview of secular music in German sources, including the identification of pieces, which can be shown to have been conceived for instrumental ensemble, and to show that music sources might have originated in the German humanist circles.