<P> Masses were normally titled by the source from which they borrowed . Cantus firmus mass uses the same monophonic melody, usually drawn from chant and usually in the tenor and most often in longer note values than the other voices (Burkholder n.d.). Other sacred genres were the madrigale spirituale and the laude . </P> <P> During the period, secular (non-religious) music had an increasing distribution, with a wide variety of forms, but one must be cautious about assuming an explosion in variety: since printing made music more widely available, much more has survived from this era than from the preceding Medieval era, and probably a rich store of popular music of the late Middle Ages is irretrievably lost . Secular music was music that was independent of churches . The main types were the German Lied, Italian frottola, the French chanson, the Italian madrigal, and the Spanish villancico (Fuller 2010). Other secular vocal genres included the caccia, rondeau, virelai, bergerette, ballade, musique mesurée, canzonetta, villanella, villotta, and the lute song . Mixed forms such as the motet - chanson and the secular motet also appeared . </P> <P> Purely instrumental music included consort music for recorders or viols and other instruments, and dances for various ensembles . Common instrumental genres were the toccata, prelude, ricercar, and canzona . Dances played by Instrumental ensembles included the basse danse (It . bassadanza), tourdion, saltarello, pavane, galliard, allemande, courante, bransle, canarie, and lavolta . Music of many genres could be arranged for a solo instrument such as the lute, vihuela, harp, or keyboard . Such arrangements were called intabulations (It . intavolatura, Ger . Intabulierung). Towards the end of the period, the early dramatic precursors of opera such as monody, the madrigal comedy, and the intermedio are seen . </P> <P> According to Margaret Bent: "Renaissance notation is under - prescriptive by our (modern) standards; when translated into modern form it acquires a prescriptive weight that overspecifies and distorts its original openness" (Bent 2000, p. 25). Renaissance compositions were notated only in individual parts; scores were extremely rare, and barlines were not used . Note values were generally larger than are in use today; the primary unit of beat was the semibreve, or whole note . As had been the case since the Ars Nova (see Medieval music), there could be either two or three of these for each breve (a double - whole note), which may be looked on as equivalent to the modern "measure," though it was itself a note value and a measure is not . The situation can be considered this way: it is the same as the rule by which in modern music a quarter - note may equal either two eighth - notes or three, which would be written as a "triplet ." By the same reckoning, there could be two or three of the next smallest note, the "minim," (equivalent to the modern "half note") to each semibreve . </P>

Which of the following was the most important secular musical genre of the sixteenth century