Classical Music

Classical music is actually a general term that describes several sub-genres spanning from 475 AD to the present. Medieval music refers to compositions from 475-1400. Renaissance Music refers to music popular from 1450-1600. The Baroque period occurred in the 1600’s and this was followed by the classical era, which lasted from 1730-1820. Romantic classical music refers to works of composers from 1815-1910. 20th Century classical music began in 1900 and continued until 2000. Another modern genre of classical music is Contemporary classical music, which began in 1975 and continues to the present. This over laps 20th Century classical music.

Whether you want to simply build a repertoire of knowledge, or put together a respectable classical music library, you will want to approach this task systematically. One of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to break the process down into bite size pieces.

By studying each musical period and its corresponding genre individually you can easily accomplish this goal. Within each period there are specific musical developments that occurred and usually there are one or two musical pieces that best typify that evolution. Also there are specific composers whose particular inspiration was a driving force in the changes taking place in music as a whole. As you are building your repertoire you will also want to consider the evolution of instrumentation throughout the different musical timeframes.

The Medieval Period of classical music refers to music from 475-1400. The documentation of music from this time frame is mainly passed down to us through religious sources. Because of the costs involved during this time frame, and the scarcity of resources for the most part only the church had formal musical arrangements, and so the popular music of this time is not well known.

The Medieval Musical form was simple, and the primary example of this is the Gregorian chant. Voices were in unison, and no formalized notation of rhythm existed. As this period of classical music progressed, the communication for music became more complete, and by the end of the Medieval Period there are the beginnings of harmonies and rhythm indicated in musical notation.

The instrumentation during this time was very similar to what we find in modern music, but of course more primitive in design. Cornets were made of wood or ivory, rather than metal, were straight rather than having a design of loops and curves, and had no valves. They were very short, and holes for playing different notes did not appear until the mid 15th century.

Flutes were made of wood, and were sometimes blown from the end rather than side blown. Recorders were pretty much the same as they are now. One instrument popular in medieval times but not commonly seen in today’s classical music was the pan flute. Stringed instruments such as lutes and mandolins were also common, and precursors of the organ, violin, and trombone existed as well.

During this period of time much of the works were written anonymously, so records of specific composers are hard to come by. The Catholic Church was the main source of inspiration for the Gregorian Chants, so you will want to go to religious sources for examples when building your familiarity with medieval music. However some composers did begin to emerge along with the developing music Notably Perotin and Leonin around 1175, and Adam de la Halle and Franco of Cologne in 1275. The year 1300 marked the beginning of the Ars Nova (New Art) and the emergence of four more composers: Philippe de Vitry, Guillaume de Machaut, Francesco Landini, Jacopo da Bologna. Although it is important to have an awareness of this timeframe, the bulk of your important works and composers will come from later classical music forms.

As notation systems of music evolved, more complicated forms of composition were possible. The Renaissance saw music moving forward into greater complexity. The use of instrumentation increased, including the introduction of bass instruments, and the emergence of multiple melodic lines added new dimensions of sound.

In sacred music masses and motets became popular, and some sacred composers even begin to use the traditionally secular madrigal for their own purposes.

Because of the invention of the printing press secular forms of music from this period are much easier to explore. Vocal music for one or several voices was popular in forms such as the frottola, chanson, and madrigal. Purely instrumental music also existed and included consort music and dances. Common genres were the prelude, the toccata, and the allemande.

Instrumentation became much more prevalent and the instruments themselves increased in complexity. The harpsichord, dulcimer, and bagpipe made their emergence around this time.

The musical community was lead by a composer named Guillaume Dufay from 1400-1467. Remnants of Medieval form mixed with newer ideas of music to create a more flowing style. Classical Music in the mid point of the Renaissance is best represented by the works of Johannes Ockeghem and Jacob Obrecht whose works reflect an attention to intricate detail also found in the paintings of that time. This was offset by a following musical trend towards simplification as is heard in the music of Josquin des Prez and G.P. Palenstrina. However as the 1600’s approached the characteristic complexity of the Baroque style can be found in the madrigals of Luzzaschi, Marenzio, and Gesualdo.

The Baroque period was marked by rich ornamentation, complexity, and a certain decadence of style. This was reflected not only in the classical music of that time, but in the architecture and visual artwork as well.

During the Baroque time we see the emergence of well known composers such as J.S. Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. All classical music collections should have these important composers, and all classical music students should have a familiarity with their works. J.S. Bach’s Fugues, Handel’s Messiah, and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons are especially noted works of this time.

Classical music its self continued to evolve, and made significant changes in structure and form. Music Theory, diatonic tonality, and imitative counterpoint developed during this time. These are important concepts in understanding Classical music.

Music Theory describes the mechanics of how music is constructed. It formalized the practice of musical notation and established the musical system used by Western classical composers. Diatonic tonality is a part of music theory that establishes the scales and chords that are the base components of western music. Imitative counterpoint is a musical system that explores how harmonies are created and the movement between the different musical lines that are the basis of those harmonies.

An extremely important piece that embodies these developments in music is The Well Tempered Clavichord by J.S. Bach. This is significant because in order to create a perfect fifth, which is fundamental to forming the chords in diatonic tonality, instruments had to be modified to a very specific tuning. It was a long process finding that exact tonality, and then adapting musical instruments to be able to reproduce it. The process was so tedious it limited possibilities for performances. Eventually the imperfect 5th was accepted as a part of musical systems and melodies and chords began to simply work around this interesting musical phenomenon. The Well Tempered Clavichord was written by Bach to explore this new development in musical theory. This piece continues to be a cornerstone of Western Classical Music. Anyone building a classical music library or an education of classical music needs to be familiar with this important work.

In accordance to the developments in musical theory at this time, instrumentation also became more sophisticated and began to be scored with the unique properties of the individual instruments in mind. Also an emergence of pieces specifically devoted to keyboards began. These pieces were written for both pleasure and instruction.

This period in classical music also introduced a broad range of musical genres. Vocal music expanded beyond the madrigal to opera and more advanced choral works. Instrumental pieces evolved to include concertos, as well as sonatas and other dance pieces. Sacred music branched out to include cantatas. The Fugue also gained popularity during this time as is heralded in J.S. Bach’s compilation called The Art of Fugue.

The period of time beginning in the mid 18th century is referred to as the Classical period of classical music. The cultural as a whole was moving from the complex and decorative Baroque period, and adopting modes of architecture, literature, and art that were more sophisticated but at the same time simpler in design. These changes were also integrated into musical form and singular melodic lines sustained and supported by chords (homophony) began to replace multiple layers of constantly moving and interacting harmonies (polyphony) in popularity. Because of this change, a focus on dynamics within the melodic line also became of focus of notation.

This time period gave rise to the genre of comic opera. Other developments in composition style included creating contrasts within a movement, rather than having each movement express a single motif.

Important composers during this time period include Haydn, Mozart, and Gluck. Some schools of thought consider Beethoven to be a Classical Era composer, and others consider him to be a Romantic. It is worthy to note one-way or the other his contributions to music laid the groundwork for the Romantic Movement. Schubert was also a transitional composer toward the end of this period.

Haydn laid the groundwork for the new style of composition in his symphonies of the late 1750’s. Haydn composed over 40 symphonies, and many other composers of this era began to implement elements of his style into their works. One important piece to be aware of is “The Farewell Sumphony” No.45 in F# Minor. The Opus 33 string quartets are also notable examples of his work that exemplify his contribution to the change in musical form.

Mozart built on these concepts, applying them to the two major genres of the time period, opera and virtuoso concerto. While Haydn was primarily a court musician, Mozart sought public success. They were contemporaries and shared a deep respect as well as written correspondence with each other.

Ludwig Von Beethoven made his appearance at the end of this era, taking the classical form into its next dimension of expression, Romanticism. His three piano sonatas, opus2 established him as an emerging force. Some of the subtle changes emerging included a downward shift in melodies and longer duration of movements.

The Romantic Period in music corresponded with an overall change of philosophy in culture at that time which placed an emphasis on the importance and power of emotions. Music began to have a more narrative quality in its expression with a focus on melodies and themes. The emphasis on melody lent its self to the development of cyclic form, which in turn became a key factor in creating much longer pieces that emerged during this time frame. Additional musical development in form included the codification of such forms as the sonata, as well as a more systematic basis for the composing and performing of concert music.

Orchestras became much larger during Romanticism, and the emergence of the virtuoso was an interesting development. Virtuosi were quite popular, and became a drawing force equal to the composers of the music. Liszt was both a composer and a very popular virtuoso pianist.

Other composers of note during this era include Mendelson and Chopin who both began creating works of value early in their careers. Wager is another name that one should definitely be aware of when studying this movement in music. This time frame saw the emergence of the “Romantic Opera”. This form combined French orchestral emphasis, the dramatic flare of the Italians, and texts drawn from increasingly popular literature. These elements continue to dominate operatic music to this day.

Piano concerts or recitals also became quite popular at this time. The ability to travel brought about by rail and steamship created international audiences Recitals included both sonatas and shorter works. These concerts became events in themselves.

Advancements in musical instruments during this time contributed to the growing expressionism of the era. These developments included valved wind instruments; chin rests for violins and violas, and the introduction of double escarpment piano action.

Spanning such a wide time frame, this musical classification logically contains a wide diversity of music styles and composers including Late Romanticism (Sergei Rachmaninoff), Impressionism (Claude Debussy), Neoclassicism (Maurice Ravel), Minimalism (Steve Reich and Philip Glass), electronic music (Karlheinz Stockhausen) and polystylism (Alfred Schnittke) to name a few. Composers such as George Gershwin and Leonard Berstein also had strong influences from Jazz. But the unifying force of all these styles is a wider use of dissonance in composing music.

An interesting development in this particular segment of classical music is the divergence of the artists into avant-garde and traditionalist. Artists recognized in one genre were not always given respect in the other, however as time progressed the boundaries between the two became more flexible.

Composers of the 20th Century with a more traditional influence include Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, and Aaron Copland. Avant-garde composers include Anton Webern, Elliot Carter, Edgard Varese, and Milton Babbit.

Some interesting developments in this era resulted from the technological advances of the 20th century and the resulting electronic instruments. Some composers simply made these instruments a part of conventional pieces; other composers created musical works that used electronic instruments and their effects exclusively. Some of the better known of these electronic pieces include ”Film Music” by Vladimir Ussachevsky, “A Rainbow in Curved Air” and “Shri Camel” by Terry Riley, “Silver Apples: by Morton Subotnick, and “Light Over Water” by John Adams.

This genre refers to the recent evolutions in classical music that are more avant-garde or modernistic in nature. It includes Modernism, Serialism, Post Modernism, Experimentalism, Electronic music, Neo-Romanticism, New Simplicity, New Complexity, and Spectral Music.

Modernism is a continuing force in classical music today. To explore this form of music which incorporates such musical devises as atonality one should review the works of Elliott Carter, Lukas Foss, Alexander Goehr, Judith Weir, Thomas Ades, Magnus Lindberg, and Gunther Schuller.

Composers such as Pierre Boulez, Milton Babbit, and Charles Wuorinen lead the genre known as serialism. Compositions are based on an ordered set, or several such sets. This is also known as twelve-tone technique. This genre is considered one of the most important post-war movements.

Post -modernism is a broad term covering several sub genres of musical development. Among these is polystylism, which is music incorporating several different styles, whose composers include William Bolcom and John Zorn. Conceptualism also is in this category; an example of this form would be Alvin Singleton’s “56 Blows”. Minimalism still has a quite prominent role in new composition and can be seen in John Adam’s “On the Transmigration of Souls”, a choral work that commemorated the victims of 9-11.

Experimental music is an important movement in contemporary music that explores the range of expression available to instrumentalists. The work of George Crumb and The Kronos Quartet is an excellent example of this school of thought, and they focus on music which stretches the manner that sound can be drawn out of instruments.

There are a number of festivals dedicated to celebrating cotemporary music including the Gaudeamus Foundation Music Week in Amsterdam, Warsaw Autumn in Poland, the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and the Winnipeg New Music Festival.