Final answer:
The Renaissance period in music is characterized by polyphony, modal scales, the use of musical thirds, and a richer and more consonant harmony. Motets and masses were prominent, and the era saw the increased demand for trained musicians, leading to significant diversity in music styles and forms.
Step-by-step explanation:
One prominent musical characteristic that primarily belongs to compositions of the Renaissance period is the use of polyphony. This involved composing and playing music in four or more interwoven vocal or instrumental parts, resulting in a richer texture and smoother musical flow compared to the monophonic style of the Middle Ages. Alongside, music from this period is marked by its basis in modal scales rather than the tonal system that later dominated Western music, and the harmony had a greater concern for the progression of chords, especially at the end of the Renaissance when root motions of fifths began to influence tonality. The era fostered an increase in musical thirds, leading to a more pleasing consonant sound, and the musical range expanded, hence reducing the need for crossing parts and enabling smoother transitions between them.
Renaissance composers also made significant contributions to both secular and sacred music genres, with motets and masses remaining principal forms of liturgical music. The rise of humanistic thought and commercial enterprise led to a demand for music, which was facilitated by the distribution capabilities of new inventions like the Gutenberg press. This was a period of flourishing musical styles, fostering diversity and encouraging the blending of vocal ranges within ensembles. The Italian madrigal, a secular genre, gained popularity and influenced the development of new musical forms, such as canons.
The demand for professionally trained musicians in various European regions, especially Italy, led to a reversal of cultural influence, with northern musical practices being adopted in the south. By the late Renaissance, the influence of polyphonic music crossed into the sacred realm as composers began to experiment with secular forms within sacred contexts.