1. Dances and Ballads: The harp provided accompaniment for popular dance forms such as the basse dance, pavane, and galliard. It was often used in combination with other instruments like recorders and viols.
2. Improvised Music: Harps were widely used in spontaneous improvisations and preludes. Musicians would explore different harmonic progressions and create melodies on the spot.
3. Ensemble Performance: The harp was integrated into larger ensembles. It complemented vocal music and played alongside recorders, shawms, lutes, and other period instruments.
4. Polyphonic Music: While not as common as in later periods, some harpist would explore polyphonic music on the harp, playing multiple independent melodic lines simultaneously.
5. Recitatives: In the early Baroque period, which overlapped with the late Renaissance, the harp started being used for accompanying singers in recitatives, especially in operas.
6. Instrumental Suites: The harp was occasionally featured in instrumental suites, which were collections of contrasting movements.
It's important to note that the exact repertoire and playing styles for the harp during the Renaissance may vary depending on the region and social context, as music in the Renaissance was quite diverse and varied across different geographic locations.