The History of Classical Music Essay

As society evolves, there is a similar occurrence on the style and sound of music, and what emerges is a different embroidery that represents the duration the music was developed and the people that invented. Music regarded as classical was conceived by an artist that bore an intellectual objective in mind with each period representing its style and features. Classical music was categorized into various periods, including middle-age/Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern.

Middle Age/Renaissance 

Renaissance-era dates from 1400-1600, significantly increasing the level of harmony and polyphony in music (Haar 20). Events during this music period include the fall of feudalism and the growth of the capital markets economy. Features of the music are a combination instead of differentiating the developments in musical quality, and the composition is founded on modes. John Dowland stands out because he is known for his lute songs, while William Byrd is known for his advancement of the English madrigal. Ave Verum by Corpus is my favorite as it is filled with exquisite harmonies to illustrate fundamental and minor musical tones and homophony moments.

Baroque Era

Intensifying upon the end of the Renaissance era, it spanned about 150 years from 1600 to 1750, with the significant advancement being the steady advancement of purposeful, classified tone (Wei-bin 13). The basic features of music during the period include significant string sections, numerous forms such a binary and fugue were utilized along with sole mood all through the entire piece. Antonio Vivaldi and Claudio Monteverdi are considered as the most significant because they contributed substantially to the smooth transition to Classic music. My favorite piece is Bach’s Ricercar a 6 because it clearly illustrates each note in the chromatic scale 

Classical Era 

The classical period advanced upon the Baroque era, between 1750 and 1820, and experienced the advancement of the concerto and quartet. Historical events that place during this era are the introduction of bifocals and the invention of the sewing machine. Basic features of music in this era entail less complexity and primarily homophonic as compared to Baroque-era music. Two distinguished music writers included Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Mozart because they were known to churn out memorable melodious tunes. My favorite piece from this era is the Serenade No.13 for strings in G major as a result of the fascinating melodies and powerful impact.

Romantic Era

The romantic era was initiated between 1820 and 1900, bridging the gap between the classical and romantic music era. It generated an escalation of emotion and sense in the music form of art (Simonton 347). The period witnessed events such as the Napoleonic war, which worked as the background of the romantic era. The features of the music include numerous chromatic synchronization and melodramatic differences of crescendos and tone.  Hector Berlioz and Frederic Chopin are essential since they characterized the music that promoted personal resourcefulness. My favourite piece is concerto for violin No.1 in G minor as it provides an emotion that is ecstatic and easy. 

Modern Era

The modern era of music dates from 1920 to-date with basic features such as innovative scales as melody bases and harmony practices. Other aspects include sentimental tunes and intricate beats. Significant events during this period include the invention of vehicles and ways of storing food, such as refrigerators. Two notable composers include Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky, who stand out in history as music writers due to the development of the twelve-tone technique and variation construction principle. I consider Concerto Fantasy for 2 Timpanists and Orchestra as my favourite because repetitive structures and simplicity characterize it. 

Conclusion

Music is considered as a form of art, and music composers used different techniques all through the different musical periods. It is through experimenting that ardent music enthusiasts are capable of discovering on their own if different music writers are to their specific preference or not.

Works Cited 

Haar, James. “The Concept of the Renaissance.” European Music, 1520–1640. Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Music (2014): 20-37.

Wei-bin, Y. A. N. G. “A Comparative Study of Renaissance Music and Baroque Music.” Journal of Guizhou Normal College 10 (2010): 13.

Simonton, Dean Keith. “Emotion and composition In classical music.” Handbook of music and emotion: Theory, research, applications 347 (2010).