While thinking about how to define classical music, two words come to mind "timeless elegance." As with previous genres of music, one can notice the huge impact that social, political, and cultural background of the days made on the growth and development of the classical music. Compared with grand, elaborate, and even somewhat "heavy" compositions of the Baroque period, which often was written to portray wealth and power of the royalty, classical music was geared toward a wider audience. The invention and improvement of the musical instruments, a creation of the symphonic orchestra as we know it, development of transportation, enhancement of the printing process, and evolvement of the new layer of society, the middle class, brought new opportunities to the music creators. …show more content…
Unlike their predecessors, who either remained unknown or allowed certain room for improvisation of their compositions, the musicians of the classical period took pride and ownership in their works and had a very specific notations for an accompaniment. Although musical compositions from both, the Baroque and Classical era have certain similarities, there are several very distinct qualities, characterizing the classical music. The Baroque arrangements often were written upon request for a certain event or religious ceremony. Hence, they portrayed a particular emotion or mood and typically had the ABA form. On the contrary, the composers of the classical era enjoyed a liberty to reflect a wide range of dynamics and contrasting themes in their work. Maestros of the classical age, vividly incorporate a variety of rhythmic patterns, unexpected changes in the tempo, tonalities, texture, and dynamics. Despite portraying such a wealth of emotions, the classical music remains well-balanced and
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Show MoreAlong with a few other genres, classical music was the one of the major gateways to many other music genres that are popular today. Many of the hits today would likely not have been here if it weren 't for the impeccable, creative minds of the baroque age. One of the most popular musician/composers of this era was Johann Sebastian Bach. Sadly, many of today’s youth do not know about Bach or any of his advancements in classical music. Johann Sebastian Bach lived a very interesting and musical life.
In my first ballet lessons the teacher taught me that all music has a different quality and that a dancer’s job is to live up to the quality of the music. Music is an integral part of dance; often the dance and the music are inseparable. Classical music has been playing throughout my life since the age of three, as it is predominantly used in ballet. Johann Pachelbel and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are two of my favorite composers, specifically Pachelbel’s canon and Tchaikovsky’s composition of Sleeping Beauty. I love the purity and intricacy of classical music and love dancing to compositions that implement different string instruments.
Styles and forms that have continued to evolve throughout the beginning of time. The cultivated piece I chose for my musical critique is Beethoven’s 5th Symphony
Beethoven changed and advanced structures in music in many different ways, especially in his transition between the Classical and Romantic music periods. During this time, music was perceived as accessible and elegant. Beethoven spent his time performing for noble audiences who were confused and surprised by his new style of piano playing, and his rich emotion. When Beethoven was young, he suffered a crisis which would help his composing career but stop his ability to play piano.
Beethoven has made such an impact on the classical music world form the 1800s until now and it is portrayed through many aspects. It takes hard work and dedication for orchestras to perfect the sound that is intended and that is what also makes the piece
The genre of music I decided to learn more about is classical music. Classical music was created around the 11th century and was originated in Europe. Classical music is usually played by and orchestra with many different instruments. The classical music is created by a composer, for example Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, to name a few. These composers create music for each instrument to play and when played together creates a beautiful melody.
Although subtle changes to the style of the genre were made from composer to composer, audience members experiencing a new classical symphony could typically expect a performance of grandiose instrumental music that often incorporated secular tones and an overall emphasis on harmony (Cuyler
For the classical period, I chose “Symphony No. 8 ‘Le Soir’” by Joseph Haydn, who lived from 1732 to 1809. In this piece, I heard the violin, the cello, the bass, the clarinet, the flute, the piano, and the French horn. The first movement, Allegro Molto, had a pretty sound that made me feel happy. The flutes sounded like butterflies fluttering and the tune reminded me of princess movies like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty because of the light feeling the violins gave. The second movement, called Andante, flowed very well at the beginning and reminded me of a river, the way all of the instruments came together.
The era of music history known as the Baroque Period was extended throughout the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century, in which instrumental music was being consolidated. Until the Baroque, instrumental music was a minor genre, with vocal music being preferred by composers. This acceptance of instrumental music was based, among other reasons, on the success obtained by the bowed string instruments such as violin, viola, cello and contrabass. The genre of opera also appeared in the early seventeenth century. Both opera and instrumental music flourished during the Baroque Period, where the accompanied melodies, a new style in which a single melody, stands out clearly above any other instrumental accompaniment.
Mozart, however, changed the mold. He incorporated an emotional side into his works and emphasized music based off of sound, notes, tone, and pitch as a form of art outside of religion (Brown 55). Music became more broad and open to all. In addition, Mozart had extraordinary performance skills thus, leading to his honor as an embodiment of classical movement (53). “Despite Mozart’s uncouthness and immaturity, he produced one work after another that seemed divinely sponsored as they transcended his own personality.
Without doubt, the professional heritage of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven had made a lasting impact on the inception and development of the classical genre in XVIII century and served as an impetus for exploring a seemingly endless possibilities in the history of music composition for hundreds of years ahead. The professional paths of these famous composers had crossed at some point in time; and both, Mozart and Beethoven were influenced by Haydn style. Nevertheless, each musician retained his unique creative individuality in their compositions. I was completely smitten by uplifting, positive energy and brilliant radiance of crystal clear performance of Wynton Marsalis in Haydn Trumpet Concerto. I ended up listening to all three movements of
Classical music consisted of a variety of trends after the year 1945, which were distinct from classical music during prior periods. During the period after 1945, classical music included trends such as sound complexes, chance music, minimalism and post modernism. Sound complexes in classical music during this period can be described as a technique that was used to bring up a sense of exploration in new sonorities. This new technique included noises, unexpected new sounds squeezed out of old instruments and new music materials which were produced by electronics not instruments (Kerman, 360). Chance music can be characterized as a musical style where composers moved in the opposite direction, giving up some of their control over the elements of music and simply leaving them to chance.
Haydn and Mozart, longtime friends, are two of the most well-known composers ever known. Growing up in Austria, both of these men play a role in the development of Classical style music during the 18th century. Both Haydn and Mozart were recognized as having natural talent at a very young age, but when they grew older and met, Mozart always seemed to overshadow Haydn. Haydn was feeling that he was “in the shadows” of Mozart through his entire career even though they were both thought to be the best composers of the time. Anything Haydn did, Mozart seemed to have accomplished it first, and found a way to make it better.
None of the various aspects of music can be the definitive definition of a period in the same way that no complete works of a popular composer can accomplish this task. As a result, periodization imposes the individual to think in regard to the preconceived notion that certain periods must follow defining musical characteristics. This causes confusion at the beginnings and ends of the divisions as the music does not always follow these restricting views. The evident differences between these eras, however, can
Musical forms and terms of the baroque era : Many of the forms associated with the baroque era are the opera, the oratorio, the cantata, the concerto, the sonata and the suite. The opera is a drama primarily sang accompanied by instruments and presented on stage. It typically alternates between recitative, speech like song that advances the plot, and aries, songs in which characters express feelings at particular points in their action.