The period between 1485 and 1660 marked a time of new beginnings for the people of England; this era is known as the Renaissance. In England, people questioned their past beliefs; where before the Renaissance, England prospered by basing its life, government and music solely on God and his principles. During these one hundred and seventy-five years, the people of England began to question their original tenets of religion and developed a thirst for information and evidence based on science rather than God. This desire brought about many changes in England. The Renaissance period quickly became known as the renaissance of knowledge named by the shift from the knowledge of God to the knowledge of man. The Renaissance brought many changes to English culture, especially to their music. There has been an increase in secular or non-religious music, instrumental music and dance music. Although the English Renaissance occurred several centuries ago, major changes in musical styles are evident in both spiritual and secular music. Before the renaissance of learning, the only music in England was spiritual music. Since this period was known as the golden age of the a cappella musical style, the majority of spiritual songs were sung in the a cappella musical style. A cappella is when the choir sings without instrumental accompaniment. There were two main styles other than a cappella, motets and masses. Motets and masses are quite similar, with only a few differences. A motet is a piece of polyphonic music featuring four to six voices all singing a religious text (Bower). Masses happen to be longer than a motet and were very important in the services of the Catholic Church. The Catholic masses had a very specific order... middle of paper ... about music that continued to flourish in American music. The English Renaissance had a radical effect on modern spiritual, secular, and instrumental music. Works Cited Arkenberg, Rebecca. “Music in the Renaissance”. October 2002. Heibrunn Chronology of ArtHistory. April 20, 2011<http://www.metmuseumorg/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm>.Augusta County Public Schools. Renaissance culture and style. April 20, 2011. Bower, Michael. Capistrano School. 2010. April 20, 2011..The Council of Trent. 2010. April 28, 2011..The Renaissance era: secular music. April 20 2011..