The English Renaissance Period - the Impacts and Influences on Culture

London experienced a cultural and artistic movement invoices, the English madrigals were light in style.
between early 16th and early 17th century which isRenaissance also influenced the architectural style of
known as the English Renaissance Period. The Englishthat period. Emphasis was laid upon symmetry,
Renaissance was much influenced by theproportion, geometry and on maintaining the regularity in
pan-European Renaissance which is said to havethe architecture. Inigo Jones is credited for propounding
originated in the 14th century in northern Italy. OftenRenaissance architecture in England. He had studied
known as the "age of the Shakespeare" or "thearchitecture in Italy, the country influenced by the
Elizabethan era," the English Renaissance createdAndrea Palladio who transformed the architectural
stimulation in art, architecture, literature and music ofstyle of both palaces and churches. He designed great
whole of England. The transition in the England wasbuildings such as the Queen’s House at Greenwich
accepted with reluctance and it was rather a medleyand the Banqueting House at Whitehall.
of the forgotten Gothic and the naïve Renaissance.Even the style of making furniture was influenced by
No field in England was untouched by the revolutionRenaissance. It cannot be denied that England was
caused by Renaissance. The English literature wasmuch influenced by the Italian style of art and
marked by the works of poets like Edmund Spenserarchitecture. Though Oak wood was used to make
and John Milton, playwrights like William Shakespearefurniture but now apple, pear, chestnut, walnut, holly and
and Christopher Marlowe and philosophers like Sirpine were also used to improve the quality of the
Thomas More and Sir Francis Bacon. Some producedfurniture. Earlier the ornate-furniture was only limited to
works which explained the English Christian beliefs;the churches and ecclesiastical houses. With the
some represented English thought on life and deathimprovement in the position of the citizen, English
and also covered the glorious history of London; andpeople also beautified their home with magnificent
some printed their works on their ideas on humanityfurniture.
and on Utopian society.However, many historians argue that English
Renaissance also had great impact on the music.Renaissance was nothing but just a transition towards
From renowned ballads to church songs anda modern world. They contend that English
sophisticated court music, many inventive steps wereRenaissance does not level with the artistic
taken and the music during the Renaissance periodachievements and aims similar to their Italian
had become varied and more delightful. The comedycounterparts. The English literature had been seeing its
and tragedy plays used music to make it livelier. Agrowth since the time of Geoffrey Chaucer.
new school of music also developed in this periodNevertheless, most of the historians still are of the
which was known as the English Madrigal School. Theopinion that there was an artistic flowering in London
English Madrigal was either copies of Italian musicaland other regions of England in the period between
works or their direct translations. Mostly in three to sixearly 16th and early 17th century.