The Renaissance was a time of new rebirth of humanism and individualism, which allowed people to express their opinions and ideas more freely than ever before. This revival caused a growth in the amount of secular music produced, and with this new music came new and controversial dance styles. In this article I will examine, in great detail, the music, composers, and numerous dance styles that arose during the Renaissance. The Renaissance era, spanning from 1450 to 1600 AD, experienced a growth in humanism and individualism among various forms of art, including music. In fact the word “Renaissance” means “reconstruction” or “rebirth”. The increase in creativity and freedom gave artists the opportunity to move away from the extremely controlled ideas of the medieval era. Much of the art produced during this period was rooted in ancient Greek ideas. Renaissance artists were often recognized and praised during their lifetimes, rather than years after their deaths. With the development of new printing methods, music was more easily distributed to people and could be preserved. Much of the major music of the Renaissance era is polyphonic, meaning that music was created from multiple melodies played simultaneously. As in the Middle Ages, sacred music had great importance, however, secular music was becoming more and more common. For this reason, both sacred music and secular madrigals began to claim a polyphonic style. As the musical style evolved, the instruments were also improved and perfected, and many new instruments were invented to create new sounds never before heard in the musical world. community. Some of these new instruments included the virginal and the clavichord, which were both keyboard…half of paper…work: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm (October 2002) “The Renaissance Period.” ThinkQuest: Library. Np, nd Web. 8 April 2014. "The Renaissance." History of music. Np, nd Web. 8 April 2014. Kamien, Roger. Music: an appreciation. 7th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. "Chapter 15: Renaissance Secular Music | The Enjoyment of Music, 11e: W. W. Norton StudySpace." Home | W. W. Norton & Company. Np, nd Web. 8 April 2014. "Claudio Monteverdi (Italian composer and musician)." Encyclopedia Britannica. Np, nd Web. 8 April. 2014. .