Presented by Henry Michaels
Religious music occupied an important position in 16th-century Europe. During this turbulent period marked by the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation, music was used as a way to accomplish sometimes quite specific goals, whether to spread reformist (or anti-reformist) propaganda, mold communities, or sonically define religiously distinct spaces. It is evident that music was, sometimes above all else, a useful tool in the hands of reformers and counter-reformers alike. This three-part course will focus on several case studies as a means of exploring the myriad uses for and approaches to religious music of the 16th century.