Religious music remained predominant, but secular music increased in quantity and importance during the Renaissance. Art songs provided entertainment as well as sources of melodic material for composers of art music. Sixteenth-century Italy introduced the madrigal, which soon became popular in England as well.

Although Renaissance composers often indicated that a piece might be either played or sung, instrumental music was of increasing importance. Keyboard instruments, including the harpsichord and the clavichord, accompanied singing and played music intended for keyboard performance. Dance suites organized into pairs or sets of three anticipated the dance suites of the Baroque. Women were forbidden to sing in church but often played instruments and sang in religious, professional, and amateur ensembles.