There was a rich flowering of secular songs, expressing every kind of human mood and emotion. The main used textures were contrapuntal (imitative) style   and homophony (chordal) style.

ITALY: MADRIGAL

They were complex forms based on poems by famous poets such as Petrarch. They usually used the imitation (counterponint) and their words and music were closely matched. So, the music tries to reflect the sense and meaning of the text. Composers: Orlando di Lasso, Carlo Gesualdo and Claudio Monteverdi. Madrigals were very popular in England too.

 

FRANCE: CHANSON

With polyphonic texture and usually with instrumental accompaniment, it has a descriptive character and it uses onomatopoeias like the singing of bird, natural effects, war scenes... Composers: Josquin des Prez and Clément Janequin

 

SPAIN: ROMANCE, VILLANCICO AND ENSALADA

It's got a strong popular character, original repertoire based on traditional melodies,danceable melodies, syllabic style and simple homophonic textures.

- Romance: a narrative strophic song about social events and legendary matters or about social events. (Strophe: structure formed by four verses, each one of them with its own melody; so, there is the same music in all the strophes)

- Villancico: Made up four voices, simple and homophonic texture. Texture structured in chorus and coplas (whose last verses repeat the melody of the chorus). It's got a popular character.

- Ensalada: For 4 or 5 voices, it mixes different genres, forms and texts in a single composition.It also puts together mocking and serious subjects.

Spanish composers: Juan del Encina, Francisco de Peñalosa, Juan Vázquez, Mateo Flecha "The Elder".