Question

What is the characteristic of his harmonies?

1) Highly consonant with a strong sense of key and tonality
2) Highly dissonant with a strong sense of key and tonality
3) Highly consonant with little sense of key or tonality
4) Highly dissonant with little sense of key or tonality

Answer 1

Renaissance harmonies evolved towards the end of the period, becoming highly dissonant while maintaining a strong sense of key and tonality, signaling the transition to Baroque music.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question seems to center around the characteristics of harmonies in a particular style of music. Given the reference to the breakdown of modal characteristics and the increase in root motions by fifths towards the end of the Renaissance era, leading to the development of tonality, the characteristic of the harmonies is likely to be highly dissonant with a strong sense of key and tonality. Renaissance music is known for modes and tends towards consonance and a blended musical texture, but the transition into what became known as the Baroque period brought about much greater use of dissonance within a structured tonal framework.