Image via Wikipedia (Text in LARGE print for classroom projection) The Renaissance The Renaissance was an age of human discovery in the sciences, literature, arts, and music. Renaissance composers wrote both sacred and secular texts. The Protestant Reformation (1517) brought about a conflict for many composers, who often had to write music for a patron that did not share the same religious faith. For example, Renaissance composer William Byrd , who was Catholic, had to write music that would please his Protestant patron, Queen Elizabeth I. Catholic sacred texts continued to be written in Latin. The Protestant Churches , however, had music in various languages. Composers found that they could make a living creating music for the new Protestant church. During the Counter-Reformation, Catholic composers returned to writing music in Latin. The Renaissance was an age of prosperity. Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World also helped the entire European continent . Goods and g...