Tenorlied, Discantlied, Polyphonic lied: Voices and instruments in German secular polyphony of the Renaissance

Abstract

A central question for the performance of the polyphonic lied, as of other genres of Renaissance music, is the relationship between voices and instruments. For nearly 80 years widespread opinion has held that German secular polyphony of the 15th and 16th centuries was written for a solo voice—the tenor—accompanied by instruments. The Tenorlied theory was based on the manner in which the sources are texted and on stylistic criteria. In the light of recent scholarship in other repertories, the lines of argument may reasonably be questioned. Musical style has found to be an uncertain indicator of vocal or instrumental intent, and in recent years it has widely argued that the absence of text in a part does not in itself prove that the part was instrumental. The case for the Tenorlied—that is for the performance of polyphonic lieder of the 15th and 16th centuries by solo tenor voice accompanied by instruments—was first made on stylistic grounds.