Demarcating the end of the medieval era and the
beginning of the Renaissance, as regards the
composition of music, is problematic. While the
music of the fourteenth century is fairly obviously
medieval in conception, and the musical activity in
Italy--the center of activity for the early
Renaissance--lagged far behind that of France, the
music of the fifteenth century is better conceived
as a transitional period, retaining some of the
ideals of the end of the middle ages (such as a type
of polyphonic writing in which the parts differ
wildly from each other) but beginning to show some
of the characteristic traits of the Renaissance
(such as an international style, which developed
through the diffusion of Franco-Flemish musicians
throughout Europe).
