Music has changed over time; going from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, to Romantic eras. Much of it is the result of different things happening in the world, which affect the musician's decisions to have certain compositions. The Renaissance era was mainly secular music-- music for the church, both instrumentally and vocally. The Baroque era changed in the way that from the Renaissance era, it gained lots of details in the music. Many different layers, but not so overwhelming. The Classical Era seemed to have the goal of creating simple, elegant, and witty music. Some composers, like Mozart, were hired to play at certain events, as background music-- which kept their music limited and did not allow room for exploration. Then, the Romantic era arrived and music became to be more experimented. The music became more colorful, and more soulful. Through the more Modern era, the single most important moment in defining the course of music throughout the century was the widespread break with traditional tonality, affected in diverse ways by different composers in the first decade of the century.
The Renaissance era was a time of rebirth. The art and learning were revived after the Middle Ages where it began in Italy, and later spread throughout Europe. During this time, people began to step out of their comfort zones, and exploring new things, and challenging accepted beliefs. The music of the Renaissance era had a new depth to it-- consisting of melodic lines, played or sung at the same time, also known as a polyphony. Religion deeply influenced the music of the Renaissance era. The Protestant Reformation that was the religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era, back during the 1500s, was a factor that deeply affected the music. The church wished for people to become more active in worship, so the reformers provided simple hymns for them to sing. In response, the Roman Catholic Church provided new and easier-to-follow music for the worshipers. However, religion was not the only source of change for music. During this time, developments took place in non religious music as well. There began more courtly dancing along with the singing and playing their music for their own entertainment. A common form of singing was the madrigal, which was arranged to be sung by a group of people. These songs were often about love, which captured the self-confidence of the new age.
During the Baroque period, music became more and more complex. Both the instrumental and vocal music had passages of many quick notes in rapid succession, which required more skill to play or sing. The music became more dramatic, with more contrasts between loud and soft, fast and slow, large groups and small groups of performers. Opera singing began and became a new outlet for drama and passion-- Opera spawned and became extremely popular where public Opera houses would pop up all over Europe and leading opera singers became celebrities. However, Opera was not the only form of popular Baroque-era music at the time. Major and minor courts across Europe maintained chamber ensembles as a mark of prestige, which created a demand for instrumental sonatas and concertos to entertain the noble patrons and their guests. With sonatas, the violin became a new appreciation and gained a whole new repertoire and increased its interest in potential. Keyboard music also flourished. Vivaldi, one of the most celebrated of all Baroque composers, created challenging roles to both solo instruments and ensembles. He created pieces such as “The Four Seasons, Op. 8, nos 1-4, RV 271”, which remained popular even after Vivaldi’s death, particularly in France. Johann Sebastian Bach, also one of the most well known Baroque composers, wrote music for the harpsichord and organ.
In the Classical era, composers developed new forms such as the symphony and string quartet. New ideas took shape and swept through the western culture, and dramatically changed it. It was the age of reason, in which the arts and architecture went under dramatic change. The pace of technological change and innovation accelerated. With the development of steam power and the first mass-production spinning machine, the Industrial Revolution gave western nations unprecedented wealth and set in motion the forces that would lead to another era of social upheaval. The symphony, the concerto, and the sonata all underwent a significant evolution. The Enlightenment, American Revolution, and French Revolution were all examples of dramatically new and different change in the Western culture. Musically, for the first time, the instrumental forms of music took precedence over vocal music. Orchestras of the Classical era were very small and did not exceed over 35 players. The rise of orchestral music fostered the popular success of the symphony and concerto. The format of instrumental music changed a bit too, as there was a musical excahgne between a solo instrument and the orchestra. Normally the solo instrument would be the violin, but in this era the Classical period witnessed the sophistication of the pianoforte.
The Romantic era emerged at the end of the 18th century in art and literature, and somewhat later in music. Romantics rejected the confines of Classical convention; to them, originality was the most important thing. With Napoleon's defeat, hopes for a return to the old European order died. The impact of democratic ideals and the Industrial Revolution were changing the nature of society; society now wanted independence, and popular uprisings occurred throughout Europe in the first half of the century. The Romantic period can claim to have “Rediscovered” music from the past. Musicians of this time were inspired by Bach, who were alerted to the significance of Bach’s own music, but it also encouraged musicians to perform music of the past and composers such as Brahms to use its materials and forms.
Music developed in a wide variety of styles, many of them strongly influenced by ideological, social, and technological changes. The first half of the 20th century was dominated by two very different composers who both established themselves in Europe and ended their lives in California. In the 20th century, music continued to evolve, and new means of expression emerged. With advances in broadcasting and recording, popular music and jazz also had a significant influence on classical music. In modern trends, technology impacted all types of music, through recording and through the use of synthesized sound.
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The Renaissance era was a time of rebirth. The art and learning were revived after the Middle Ages where it began in Italy, and later spread throughout Europe. During this time, people began to step out of their comfort zones, and exploring new things, and challenging accepted beliefs. The music of the Renaissance era had a new depth to it-- consisting of melodic lines, played or sung at the same time, also known as a polyphony. Religion deeply influenced the music of the Renaissance era. The Protestant Reformation that was the religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era, back during the 1500s, was a factor that deeply affected the music. The church wished for people to become more active in worship, so the reformers provided simple hymns for them to sing. In response, the Roman Catholic Church provided new and easier-to-follow music for the worshipers. However, religion was not the only source of change for music. During this time, developments took place in non religious music as well. There began more courtly dancing along with the singing and playing their music for their own entertainment. A common form of singing was the madrigal, which was arranged to be sung by a group of people. These songs were often about love, which captured the self-confidence of the new age.
During the Baroque period, music became more and more complex. Both the instrumental and vocal music had passages of many quick notes in rapid succession, which required more skill to play or sing. The music became more dramatic, with more contrasts between loud and soft, fast and slow, large groups and small groups of performers. Opera singing began and became a new outlet for drama and passion-- Opera spawned and became extremely popular where public Opera houses would pop up all over Europe and leading opera singers became celebrities. However, Opera was not the only form of popular Baroque-era music at the time. Major and minor courts across Europe maintained chamber ensembles as a mark of prestige, which created a demand for instrumental sonatas and concertos to entertain the noble patrons and their guests. With sonatas, the violin became a new appreciation and gained a whole new repertoire and increased its interest in potential. Keyboard music also flourished. Vivaldi, one of the most celebrated of all Baroque composers, created challenging roles to both solo instruments and ensembles. He created pieces such as “The Four Seasons, Op. 8, nos 1-4, RV 271”, which remained popular even after Vivaldi’s death, particularly in France. Johann Sebastian Bach, also one of the most well known Baroque composers, wrote music for the harpsichord and organ.
In the Classical era, composers developed new forms such as the symphony and string quartet. New ideas took shape and swept through the western culture, and dramatically changed it. It was the age of reason, in which the arts and architecture went under dramatic change. The pace of technological change and innovation accelerated. With the development of steam power and the first mass-production spinning machine, the Industrial Revolution gave western nations unprecedented wealth and set in motion the forces that would lead to another era of social upheaval. The symphony, the concerto, and the sonata all underwent a significant evolution. The Enlightenment, American Revolution, and French Revolution were all examples of dramatically new and different change in the Western culture. Musically, for the first time, the instrumental forms of music took precedence over vocal music. Orchestras of the Classical era were very small and did not exceed over 35 players. The rise of orchestral music fostered the popular success of the symphony and concerto. The format of instrumental music changed a bit too, as there was a musical excahgne between a solo instrument and the orchestra. Normally the solo instrument would be the violin, but in this era the Classical period witnessed the sophistication of the pianoforte.
The Romantic era emerged at the end of the 18th century in art and literature, and somewhat later in music. Romantics rejected the confines of Classical convention; to them, originality was the most important thing. With Napoleon's defeat, hopes for a return to the old European order died. The impact of democratic ideals and the Industrial Revolution were changing the nature of society; society now wanted independence, and popular uprisings occurred throughout Europe in the first half of the century. The Romantic period can claim to have “Rediscovered” music from the past. Musicians of this time were inspired by Bach, who were alerted to the significance of Bach’s own music, but it also encouraged musicians to perform music of the past and composers such as Brahms to use its materials and forms.
Music developed in a wide variety of styles, many of them strongly influenced by ideological, social, and technological changes. The first half of the 20th century was dominated by two very different composers who both established themselves in Europe and ended their lives in California. In the 20th century, music continued to evolve, and new means of expression emerged. With advances in broadcasting and recording, popular music and jazz also had a significant influence on classical music. In modern trends, technology impacted all types of music, through recording and through the use of synthesized sound.
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