National Styles of the 16th Century

Italy
- lyrical melodies, mostly step-wise motion
- primarily syllabic treatment of text
- rise of the madrigal tied to the poetic form of Petrachan sonnets
- composed lighter kinds of songs.

• villanella:  lively strophic piece in homophonic style, usually for three voices
• canzonetta and balletto: written in vivacious, homophonic style, with simple harmonies and repeated phrases with dance-like rhythms

French
- Structure
- rhythmic interest
- frequent syncopation, angular countertenor line and leaps


English
- sweetly concordant sonorities (3rds and 6ths)
- carefully controlled dissonance
- triadic figures