# Renaissance influences in a soundtrack?



## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

Hi. As I am exploring Italian renaissance and baroque music, I remembered when I was a teen in 2009 I've played this videogame settled in italian Renaissance with a gorgeous soundtrack. I was wondering which, according to you, might be the influences in this track in particular, the male singing part expecially? Does this remind you of a Renaissance composer in particular? Some madrigals etc, I was wondering if the influence could be a composer in particular or just "general renaissance music". The piece is called Dreams of Venice, I think the soundtrack composer might have taken inspiration from a venetian composer but I don't know who:


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

From an interview with Jesper Kyd, the composer:

"I loved the Renaissance setting and had a great experience composing for that era.... I'd never listened to any music from that period before. All I knew was perhaps it was quite 'folky' so we had to do a whole unique take on it because Ubisoft [the videogame company] didn't want us to be composing very realistic Renaissance music.... We realised that it would become too boring for a modern audience."

So perhaps not direct inspiration.


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

Portamento said:


> From an interview with Jesper Kyd, the composer:
> 
> "I loved the Renaissance setting and had a great experience composing for that era.... I'd never listened to any music from that period before. All I knew was perhaps it was quite 'folky' so we had to do a whole unique take on it because Ubisoft [the videogame company] didn't want us to be composing very realistic Renaissance music.... We realised that it would become too boring for a modern audience."
> 
> So perhaps not direct inspiration.


Yes, of course it is a very modernized soundtrack, after all it's for a videogame. But this track, in particular the male singing part, I think has some sort of renaissance influence, like madrigals etc, I was wondering if the influence could be a composer in particular or just "general renaissance music".


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

_The Prisoner of Azkaban_ is full of early music influences:





Explore for yourself


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

0:33


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

hammeredklavier said:


> 0:33


Do you know who wrote that?


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Amadea said:


> Hi. As I am exploring Italian renaissance and baroque music ...


Explore no further. Rather, learn the truth.
If we can believe Dan Brown (and I don't see why we can't; he's one of the best fiction writers out there!), the secret of Renaissance video game music is to be found here:









But first you need to acquire DaVinci's own video game controller:









which can only be had by cracking open the stone book which DaVinci clutches in the famous Italian sculpture of the mysterious but acclaimed Renaissance man:









The controller was imbedded inside the scupture itself by a means only DaVinci himself (and certain space aliens whose unpronounceable name begins with a Q) understood. But all is explained here:









_if_ you can crack the secret code.

Hope that helps.


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## Haydn70 (Jan 8, 2017)

Amadea said:


> Do you know who wrote that?


The piece at 0:33 is _Spem In Alium_ by Thomas Tallis


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

SONNET CLV said:


> Explore no further. Rather, learn the truth.
> If we can believe Dan Brown (and I don't see why we can't; he's one of the best fiction writers out there!), the secret of Renaissance video game music is to be found here:


I needed a good laugh today. Yes this helped a lot. Thank you.


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