Music Before The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment period in the eighteenth century is a significant time in history as it became the standard structure for democratic society. However, Enlightenment did not address slavery yet enlightened government rule leading to the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. Both milestones in history are significant game changers in history.

1. How is the history of European and Arabic cultural contact reveal through musical characteristics in places such as Spain and Bulgaria?

The Age of Enlightenment began to show a growing middle class and more amateur musicians arrived on the scene. Women began to become more involved and had an increased presence on a social level, which increased their presence in the growing amateur music scene. Composers such as Haydn and Mozart fell in line with Enlightenment ideals.

We ask ourselves, does medieval music need to be protected against certain types of scholarly approaches? In the 14th century to 15th century it was important for the people to follow certain approaches and interpretations with music. Many men and women withdrew from the materialistic world, and devoted themselves to church; they devoted themselves to lives of prayer or theology. In, Elizabeth Eva Leach’s article, "Gendering the Semitone, Sexing the Leading Tone: Fourteenth-Century Music Theory and the Directed Progression, "Reading and Theorizing Medieval Music Theory: Interpretation and Its Contexts," and in Sarah Fuller’s article, "Concerning Gendered Discourse in Medieval Music Theory: Was the Semitone 'Gendered Feminine?” these summaries consist a contrast why the authors argument why medieval music was an integral part of everyday life for people living in the 14th century through 15th century . These authors both have a different viewpoint of how masculinity and feminine were influenced under the power of the church and composers who exemplified these ideals, and brought the compositions out of church and spread it across Western Europe. They both agreed that music and semitones were influenced by gender, but disagreed how feminine and masculine affected people in a certain approach.

History has had a tremendous effect on everything we believe, know, and love in today’s society, and this will continue on forever. The past has a way of manifesting a long lasting effect on society, beliefs, culture, music, and many other important aspects of life. Two time periods that exemplify this are the Enlightenment and the Romantic Period. The Romantic period is the Hegelian antithesis to the ideals of the Enlightenment in a number of ways, and both have managed to equally impact the world. The Enlightenment took place from 1685 to about 1815, and is referred to as the “Age of Reason”. The Enlightenment is known for its intellectual and scientific progress. The Romantic Period took place just as the Enlightenment ended, and then diminished around 1850. This time period is well known for the transformation of poetry, ballet, paintings, music, and all other forms of the arts.

Americans in the Enlightenment period strongly connected themselves with the classical age in terms of how they approached their art. The Enlightenment period lasted for about 150 years, from approximately 1700 -1850. Throughout this time period many artists took inspiration from the classical age which occurred in ancient Greece and Rome hundreds of years before. We can see examples of this in buildings like The White house and Monticello in America, and Kedleston Hall in England. These three buildings, though located in very different parts of the world, all have a number of aestheticly similar attributes.

Music Appreciation class introduced me to the great masterpieces along with the talented artists from the medieval period to present. It helped me understand more and appreciate art from different periods more than a thousand years back. It refreshed me of the music terminologies and added some more. We’re able to recognize and identify musical instruments of various kinds of music. We gained a better comprehension of a music’s texture, melody, key, rhythm, style, or form. Some music masterpieces in the past generations live up to the present time and continues to evolve.

Conflicting Artistic Styles in the Enlightenment The Enlightenment era spanned from the latter half of the 1600s to the end of the 1700s and was a time of monumental shifts in political ideology and social structure. Although some forms of art, especially music, did not become emotional vehicles of individual experience until the Romantic period, the art of the Enlightenment certainly reflected the changing social climate of the era and the political views of the artists. A prime example of the portrayal of social life in the arts during the Enlightenment is in the conflict between the Rococo and Neo-Classical movements.

The Enlightenment is a perfect name for this time period because it means the process of creating light. Though the people in this era were not creating light, they were creating value upon themselves which lead to a revolution. During this time period, people expressed the principles and values of experience, education, and, most importantly, individualism and improving the society. Unlike previous eras, people began to think for themselves instead of having a monarchy control their life. Before the Enlightenment, Europeans, and people in many other countries, were ruled under the Devine Right and the Church which caused a huge divide between

Participatory entertainment has been largerly superseded in Western culture by such passive experiences as watching television, attending a concert, or viewing a movie. Cultures are speadwide though the counties such as Turkish music, Arabic music, French music, and much more. It is getting popular because alot of people are curious about new things. In Middle Age, juggers used to performed music in the castle by abusing animals. Few people thought it was amusing because they never see one before. But, anothers think it is very absuive and didn't find entertaining. Everyone have their own opinions which caused to gained and lost by this change. For example, my friend and I were watching tv and found an unique show about Hip-hop Beethoven. I

The 18th century is known today as the ‘European age of Enlightenment’ due to Europe’s change in political values, scientific advances and philosophical views. The 18th century was a time that was very much influenced by class and wealth. Social classes were clearly recognizable due to the taste in which one had. This had an effect on art and music as it had to adapt to societies new fondness for overseas trends. The 18th century is said to be the time in which Britain found itself amongst the rest of Europe as artists created their own unique way of working with influences from their journeys around Europe.

The Enlightenment, being a change in the way people thought and lived their lives, effected everything that people were accustomed to doing. This included things such as art, discoveries, and of course music. Music changes along with the world, it corresponds with the listeners taste or style of music. This change in the world’s ideas led to an increase

These two pieces of classical music reflect their respective ideologies of the time very successfully. The Enlightenment and Romantic ideologies are very different on an artistic level, and with Mozart and Mendelssohn’s music pieces we can see how the two ideologies stand up against one another.

At the same time art has united Spain and has been a representation of the change occuring in the world at that time and also for causing divisions in Spain over what art should be. There was a major shift in art styles from the Golden Age to the Enlightenment. Besides this being a part of the art world the Enlightenment period was a change in thinking throughout Europe. “The Enlightenment heralded a new age for mankind. That past was left behind as mostly irrational and barbarian.

The Middle Ages were a time of hardship and war. All people ever did was train, go into battle and die. There were those delicate moments, though, where music was allowed to shine and bring light to a dark world. Though music wasn’t very prominent in the Dark Ages, it still played a part in the world. There wasn’t a place or event where you wouldn’t hear a bit of music once in awhile. Different cultures such as Armenia, Islam and the western part of the of Europe had their own kinds of music. Some people liked the idea of music and others considered it a sinful hobby. Music was even used during tournaments, jousts, and banquets. Most people were concerned with surviving, but people did take a chance to listen to music every once in awhile.