Music Journal: Music History

Baroque music 1600 - 1750

General characteristics:

Unity of Mood - expresses one mood throughout the entire piece
Energetic rhythms, long melodies, many ornaments, contrast (especially dynamics, but also in timbres)
Harmony: strong harmonic movement; sequences of harmony and recurring cadences; major and minor harmonies used
Basso continuo or 'figured bass' - common type of accompaniment (bassoon or cello supported by the harpsichord)
Homophonic (early baroque) and polyphonic (late baroque) texture
Rhythmic patterns are repeated throughout
Continuing and repeated melody - "da capo"
Terraced dynamics: gradual dynamic changes (sudden drops and increases)
Ritornello - 'little return' as the main compositional device (was developed by Vivaldi)
Using mostly binary structure
Use of improvisation
Extensive use of imitation
Small orchestras with important string sections
Primary forms (genres): concerto, concerto gross, suite, oratorio, cantata, opera, sonatas, keyboard prelude, fugue, and toccata

Composers:

Genres:

Main instruments of Baroque Music:

Classical Music 1750 - 1830

General characteristics:

More variety and contrast within a piece than Baroque (dynamics, instruments, pitch, tempo, key, mood and timbre)
Contrast of mood: great variety and contrast of mood received new emphasis in classical music
Short and clearly defined diatonic musical phrases with 2 or more contrasting themes
Well defined cadences became more prevalent
Tonic, dominant and subdominant chords were often used. Diatonic harmony was more common than chromatic
Less complicated texture than Baroque (mostly homophonic)
Orchestra increased in size and range. The harpsichord fails out of use and the fortepiano appears. The woodwind becomes a self-contained section
Greater range of dynamics: use of crescendo (gradually increase the volume of the music) and diminuendo (gradually decrease the volume of the music)
Greater range of dynamics
Use of basic meters - 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8
End of basso continuo (Alberti or walking bass)
Mostly homophonic texture

Composers:

New genres/forms:

New instruments of this period:

Romantic Music 1800 - 1900

General characteristics:

Individuality of musical style with emphasis on self-expression
Freedom of form and design. It was more personal and emotional
Song-like melodies (lyrical), as well as many chromatic harmonies and discords (lack of harmony between notes sounding together)
Dramatic contrasts of dynamics and pitch - dynamics extended, changes more frequently, less predictable
Complex rhythms and varied tempos (rubato, accelerando, ritartando)
Bigger, varied orchestras due to the Industrial Revolution
Wide variety of pieces (e.g. songs up to five her Wagner operas)
Shape was bring to work through the use of recurring themes
Great technical virtuosity (e.g. Paganini, Liszt, Chopin)
Development of 'program music': music that tells a story / scene or create an image in our mind
Nationalism - reaction against German influence (e.g. Polonaises of Chopin)

Composers:

New genres/forms:

Program symphony (pioneered by Beethoven)
Symphonic poem (developed by Liszt)
Concert overture (Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky)
Short, expressive piano pieces (Schumann and Chopin)
Italian operas (Verdi and Rossini)
Music drama (established by Wagner)
March (Strauss) - Main characteristics of march: two beats per bar, fast tempo, strict pulse or clear beat, 'oom-pah' rhythm, use of brass and wind instruments, use of cymbal, snare drum, regular, balanced phrases

New instruments of this period:

Tuba, Euphonium
Piccolo, alto flute
Alto clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet
Alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
Contrabassoon
Percussion instruments such as xylophones, glockenspiels, crash symbols, bells snare and bass drums etc.

Modern Classical Music 1900 - present

General characteristics:

The use of dissonant harmonies is common (dissonance is when notes clash)
Use of even more chromaticism in the compositions than in the past
America was creating and developing their own musical styles (e.g. jazz)
Use of Atonality - Atonality means that music doesn't belong to a particular key
12 Tone Music appeared - music is based on tone rows instead of scales
Starting to use traditional instruments from other nations in compositions such as gamelan, sitar, cimbalom etc.
Use of every day sounds other than instruments such as trash cans, telephone ringers etc.
Use of computer created effects/sounds in compositions
Starting to use of folklore/national dance and songs within compositions
New percussion instruments appears in the orchestra e.g. glockenspiel, celesta, steel drum, marimba, conga drum, drum kit etc.
Irregular rhythms and meter, such as 5/4, 7/4, 5/8, 7/8, 11/8
Shifting time signatures within a composition
Use of polymetre as the compositional device - two different metres at the same time
New playing techniques appeared (e.g. hit the strings with the bow or using the mouthpiece only without the instrument)

Composers:

New genres/styles:

Impressionism (Debussy, Ravel)
Expressionism - Serialism (Arnold Schoenberg)
Minimalism (Steve Reich)
Experimentalism (John Cage)
Aleatoric 'Chance' Music (John Cage)
Neo - Classicism (Ravel, Prokofiev, Stravinsky)
Folklorism (Kodaly, Bartok, Stravinsky)
Electronic music (Edgard Varese)
Acoustic music (Edgard Varese)
Jazz (George Gershwin) - Main characteristics of jazz: syncopation, swung rhythms, improvised solos, use of drums/drum-kit, use of double bass or bass guitar, using walking bass line as accompaniment, pitch bending in vocal line (if there is a singer)

New instruments/sounds of this period:

Amplification appeared
Electric guitars
Electric drums
Electric piano
Ondes Martenot (early electronic keyboard)
Synthesizer
Computer-generated sounds
Traditional instruments
New percussion instruments appeared in the orchestra such as glockenspiel, celesta, steel drum, marimba, conga drum, drum kit etc.

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