| |
Message Board Box
Message Board Box
News Releases Box
Music Stations Box
|
|
|
Music History
|
For Western European Classical Music (or Western Harmony), there are 7 periods mostly studied in College Music courses:
Medieval (1000-1450 AD)
During the Medieval period, covering approximately 1000 to 1450 AD, choral music and instrumental accompaniment developed into an increasingly complex genre.
Renaissance (1450-1600 AD)
Gregorian chant, within masses and motets in particular, was taken to new heights by composers such as Josquin Desprez, Guillaume Dufay and Giovanni Palestrina. Instrumental music started to become more complex also.
Baroque (1600-1750 AD)
Bach, Handel, Telemann and many other Baroque composers added contrapuntal harmony and polyphony as some of Baroque's offerings, with beautiful multi-voiced compositions. Baroque is the period where instrumental music really started to take off, whether accompanying choral music or by itself. Interestingly, J.S. Bach's compositions and contributions to classical music would not be widely appreciated until 100 years after his death, when Felix Mendelssohn made sure the former composer's music was published, distributed and performed.
Classicism (1750-1820 AD)
Mozart and Haydn, two of the greatest of composers from the Classical period, developed with other composers the Symphony and Sonata forms, which borrowed many Baroque ideas but had a distinctly different, newer sound. Still very strict in terms of tempo. Beethoven was at the tail end of the Classical period, eventually fusing Classical with newer, more experimental Romantic-period ideas as he got older.
Romanticism (1810-1910 AD)
The spirit of Romantic period can be heard in works by Chopin, Schumann, Schubert, Verdi, Wagner and Tchaikowsky, which started to become much freer in tempo, melody, chord progressions, just about everything. Pieces, when performed correctly, will feel like they are living, breathing works of art which contract and expand! Therefore, a performer who is very good at the strict tempos and dynamics of Baroque must completely switch gears when performing Romantic music, and some performers are better than others.
20th Century (1900-present)
In the early part of the 20th century, composers such as Ravel and Debussy created pieces which were very visual in nature, being the audio version of paintings within the same period, such as Monet's. By the late 1920's and 30's, composers started to flip-flop every theoretical possibility for classical music. For some pieces, all twelve tones in the scale would have to be used in a melody or chord progression, which would create very dissonant harmonies. Atonal theory was created, defining clear rules where dissonance was the standard, and consonance was unusual! Nothing has been off-limits in compositional experimentation, while many who are used to the earlier standards of Western harmony have a difficult time adapting to some 20th century pieces (such as Pierre Boulez's). At the same time, there are many "neo"-Baroque, -Classical and -Romantic styles which are much easier to listen to as the melody is enjoyable, but certain chords are modern and most listeners will instantly notice this.
Hot fashion trends 2011fashion styles trendy clothes spring summer 2011
Modern (1945-present)
Very similar to the description for 20th century, Modern starts to infuse all kinds of sounds such as electronic noises and computer music (thus creating new instrument sounds), and might integrate percussion such as drum beats, samples, with standard classical huile44 to create a uniquely modern sound. Once again, experimenting with any and all new ideas is the norm. The music of Phillip Glass and John Adams are good examples.
|
| |
|
|
