Renaissance Techniques in the Music of Charles Ives

Abstract

In this article, the authors argue that a significant number of Ives’ techniques share affinities with musical procedures of the Renaissance composers. Ives in his ensemble works often uses flexible instrumentation, which is consistent to the custom of Renaissance composers. Ives always encourages his performer to play the melody as one would sing it. Such performance practice is quite similar to that of the Renaissance period. In addition, Ives’ multi-layering and multi-dimensionality techniques share affinities with polyphonic procedures of Renaissance music. When using quotations in his works, Ives, like many Renaissance composers, not merely cites quotations in his music but recomposes the borrowed material with wit.