Final answer:
Antoine Busnoys's "L'Homme arme" Mass reflects the early Renaissance shift towards smoother polyphony and voice blending, moving away from the 'unhearable Musica' of earlier motets. It was influenced by the increased use of third intervals and broader vocal ranges, and benefited from the widespread distribution of musical knowledge via the Gutenberg press.
Step-by-step explanation:
The masterful Antoine Busnoys's "L'Homme arme" Mass does not exactly adhere to the principles of 'unhearable Musica' found in the isoperiodic motets of the earlier generations. Instead, Busnoys's work exemplified the early Renaissance trend towards a smooth polyphonic structure and conformity to the aesthetics of the time, emphasizing harmony and blending of voices rather than the extreme complexity and independence of voices characteristic of earlier motets.
During the transition period from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, there was a shift in the approach to polyphony. The increasing reliance on intervals of the third, which were previously considered dissonant, allowed for greater vocal ranges and smoother blending.
This evolution culminated in the Renaissance with composers like Busnoys, who found ways to integrate the popular secular tune "L'Homme arme" within the liturgical context of the Mass without reverting to the density and opaqueness of earlier motetic structures.
In the broader context of musical evolution, the invention of the Gutenberg press played a crucial role in the dissemination of musical styles and practices, such as those exemplified by Busnoys, across Europe. The resultant unification of polyphonic practices into a fluid style marked a departure from the 'unhearable Musica' of earlier periods.
Thus, while Busnoys's Mass shared some structural elements with the isoperiodic motets, such as the use of a cantus firmus, it did not mirror their level of complexity or auditory inaccessibility, instead reflecting the changes in musical tastes and compositional approaches of the early Renaissance.