Classical Music And The Era Of Music

The first part of the concert played Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, also known as Fantasia, and it lasted less than 30 minutes. It opened with a lady named Anastasia Markina, and she introduced the piece with a slow virtuoso playing of the piano, to which later on the strings, cellos and basses, enter. Then Markina played an ornamented version of the choral theme, to

The Classical period of music has also been called the “Rococo” period. The Classical time period was between the 18th and 19th centuries. Spanning the years of 1750-1820. The transition from the Baroque period to the Classical took the music from polyphonic to homophonic where even though it seems like that would make the music less complex we look at a whole different type of complexity. The music typically contained two different melodies and a contrast in sections. This made the chords in the music much more defined and the tonal part of the music became more defined. The Classical period had a significant influence on several aspects of music. Chamber music had a sonata form. This means it had an exposition, a transition, and a recapitulation. Composition in the Classical time was mainly dominated by eclecticism which made the music more diverse. Concerto was driven at first by the Italians. They started the idea of the solo concerto. Orchestration was mainly developed during this musical time period. This is partly due to some of the most talented musicians that lived during this time. They did a lot of work in making the orchestra mainly string instruments. Some of these being the violin, viola, cello, and the contrabass, just to name a few. All of these things had a great influence in the way the music made the transition from the Baroque period to the Classical period.

Although art and music before the Enlightenment era provided an outlet for emotionally intense and dramatic performances which people looked to for entertainment, the Enlightenment period in Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries created a turning point for art and music by adding a level of complexity, a sense of balance, and by incorporating ideas from reality into the art piece which embellished the fine arts genre throughout Europe.

The Classical time period, which spanned a length of seventy years, from 1750 to 1820, was very different in nature from its predecessor, the Baroque time period. The Baroque era featured works that were ornamentally elaborate, where the artists and composers centered their works on a big, bold style that was dramatic in its composition. Artists and composers transferred strong feelings of tension and emotion into their works and it was common for there to be some type of action or movement happening within the work. Those who lived in the Classical time period, valued simplicity and wanted to return to the ideals of the Greeks. Therefore, the Classical time period is characterized by clear structural clarity, simplicity, smoothness, and symmetry. However, though the works took a step back from the grand movement of the Baroque era, the composers and artists of the Classical time period did lay out a tuneful and elegant style in their music and art. Out of the Classical era came many renowned artists and composers, two of those whom are artist Sir Thomas Lawrence and composer Ludwig van Beethoven (“NYU”).

The Baroque and Classical periods are where we see the emergence of renowned composers like Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart and Beethoven. The music from these famous composers are some of the world’s most recognizable and beautiful classics of all time. Music of these eras are still being used in many of today’s movies and commercials. Musical characteristics developed from these eras are still used and heard presently in popular music.

The term Baroque has been widely acknowledged as a period in Western European Art Music lasting for 150 years from early 17th to mid-18th century. The word itself is originated from barroco in Portuguese meaning “oddly shaped pearl”, which best describes the visual and details of the buildings existed during that period. Its flamboyant and ornate details of the building is what causes ornamentations and harpsichords to become an essential element of Baroque music. Bach, ornamentation, and harpsichord are few of the most recognisable elements of Western Art music during the Baroque period. Nonetheless, we all came to a second realisation that the Baroque era lasted for more than 150 years, meaning that it has its own remarkable history and

Our heart and souls at all times sense rejuvenated and lively with every beat of finest music we hear. Music comes in a variety of diverse forms which are admired and renowned for their own unique styles. Classical music is one of the breeds of musical forms that exist since many years with its visible significance in the music industry. Classical music is a part of our globe from almost 1000 years and inspires millions of people with its liveliness and simplicity.

During the renaissance, Europe went through many changes politically, socially, and psychologically. Most of this change was due to the reformation of the church, and the humanist movement. The humanist movement focuses on revisiting Greek ideas, and the church supported these thinkers, artists, and musicians (Oxford). The church slowly became morphed with politics, to the point where the church was also the law. Different churches wanted to attract new patrons, so they tried to impress others through the use of art and music, and no longer just their words.

Classical music was known to be used in churches or for fanciful distractions during his time frame. However he changed it to where now it is an emotional art form, very popular to the world to listen to his music for pleasure and not of distraction. Without Beethoven pushing the boundaries todays classical music could still be lacking in the emotions and expressions that Beethoven put into his work. It is said that he was the link between romantic and classical musical art. Not only did he influence the classical music, but he has influenced all music in today’s world. All music goes back to the basics of classical music. The tempo and the notes that were most commonly used in Beethoven’s work can be heard throughout songs of hip hop nature.

Today, Classical music isn 't considered to be the most popular genre of music, but as I seen at MJC 's "Frozen - A family Holiday Choral Concert", the audience really enjoyed the songs that fell into this genre. Whether one realizes it or not, we hear classical music more than we think. When one is on hold with their doctor 's office, at an upper scale department store, or even at a fancy restaurant, more than likely the type of music being played is classical. The Classical music period originated in the mid-1700 's and lasted until the mid-1800 's. A lot of people don 't realize, but classical music is still being composed today, but is much different than what it was hundreds of years ago. Most of the texture in classical music has multiple parts that tend to move in the same rhythm, which is homophonic. One can hear simple classic instruments, such as: strings, woodwinds, percussion, and brass when listening to this genre. Some of the well-known forms of music today, such as: symphonies, sonatas, concertos and orchestras all derived from classical music.

Ludwig van Beethoven is a revered figure in the history of classical music in today’s world. Born in Bonn, Germany, he underwent strict guidance from his father who aspired to mold him into the next generation “Mozart.” Sailing through the tides of social, political and cultural revolution, Beethoven became a renowned composer and rose in ranks in the history of classical music. Although succumbed to deafness in his later years, Beethoven had left behind a phenomenon legacy which took the stage of classical music. Moving on from the early 18th century, his works were venerated by many composers and musicians, and till date, his name still tops the lists in the field of classical composition. Not only expanding on his own classical style, Beethoven also highly influenced subsequent generations of classical music, such as the juxtaposition of chords and the expansion of orchestra size. Above all achievements, Beethoven had established such a classical music elitism that he represents a firm benchmark for classical music. Composers and musicians idolized Beethoven, so much that their humble veneration made him seemed unsurpassable. That veneration had also transformed Beethoven into a “singularity” that is studied extensively and his works played repeatedly, creating a stationary progression. Consequently, this veneration might stifle the future generation by excluding them of their individuality. However, Beethoven might be at the “zenith” but his works only paved one of

Beethoven lived during both the Classical and Romantic era. He is widely considered a pivotal figure in the passage from the Classical era to the Romantic. Composers of the Classical era mirrored the harmony and centrality of the classical traditions of Greece and Rome (The Classical Period (1775-1825)). Music of Classical era had very defined movements and focused on form and order (Katherine, Charlton, 2007, p. 124). People of the Romantic era were inspired by adventure, passion, and themes of nature. Composers of this era were very passionate and expressed their emotions in their compositions. While listening to Beethoven’s music, the shift from the classical era to the romantic can be clearly heard through passionate twists other instances

There were a total of four music pieces performed. They were “Overture from the Singspiel”, “Concerto in e minor”, “Concerto on b minor,opus 104”, and “Symphony#2 in b minor, opus 5”. I think pieces were performed belong to classical style.

At this time last year, I would have considered all music before the 20th century to be classical. However, after taking a Dual Credit Music Appreciation course, I realized that “old” music cannot simply be grouped into a single category. There are so many differences that I had no idea existed. Throughout the years, music has changed and evolved, meeting the needs of listeners and performers. Different composers have been catalysts in this change as they have developed new styles and genres. Even though the classical period is directly subsequent of the baroque period, baroque and classical music have countless different qualities and characteristics.

The classical music period extends from 1740 to 1810, which includes the music of Haydn, Mozart, and the first period of Beethoven. The classical period of music combined harmony, melody, rhythm, and orchestration more effectively than earlier periods of music. With the natural evolution of music slowly changing with the culture, the baroque era had ended. That era had left a structure, articulation and periodic phrasing of music which would shape classical music.