Non Traditional, Contemporary Musical Notation

Important alphabets would include the Greek alphabet, which was the first phonemic alphabet. These are alphabets that are, “…sets of letters, usually arranged in a fixed order, each of which represents one or more phonemes, both consonants and vowels, in the language they are used to write.” (Ager) From this came the two most widely used alphabets, the Latin/Roman and the Cyrillic alphabets, which have been adapted to write numerous languages. From the periods of these writing systems, letters would have begun to spring up as a form of communication between people who were not readily available to give information to immediately.

Early notation used neumes, little ascending and descending signs written above the words that suggested the shape of the melodic line. True

Western musical styles have developed into the music what we listen to today in the twentieth century. Throughout time composers have created new ways to enhance music by adding harmonies, phrases, dynamics, and much more. At the start of music, composers kept a simple melody using the same frame of pitches in simple tunes. As we became more educated, so did our music and we are now able to create songs with texture and countermelodies all within a plethora of genres. The use of notation has changed our music we have allowed music to obtain variety, depth, and be shared amongst people for thousands of years. Without notation, music would have no way to thrive and expand on what composers discovered and experimented with. We can see how western music developed throughout the musical notation of the eras. Starting in the Middle Ages, we can see the basics of Western music and where it all began.

“each sheet went through the press three times: once to print the staff lines, another time to print the words, and a third to print the notes. The process was long, difficult and expensive, and some printers soon reduced it to two impressions, one for the words and one for the music.”2

The development of the suite in French keyboard and lute music during the 17th century

Chapter six begins with describing when the first use of alphabets occurred. The earliest alphabet happened in Egypt and had pictorial characters. Then around 1,000BC, Phoenicians began using the Egyptians alphabet. At 700 BC, the Greeks developed their alphabet and eventually the Romans developed the alphabet we use today. The alphabets were written with ink on papyrus. Once the Industrial Revolution occurred, the printing press was invented causing prints to happened much faster and on a larger scale. In 1886, Ottmar Mergenthaler invented the Linotype, replacing the printing press (which required hand setting letters) with a machine that had a keyboard. The use of typography as well as the technology used to create it has come a long way.

To be sure, even portrayals of the sorts of music to be played are pitiful. Trumpets sounded "flourishes," "sennets," and "tuckets." A contort was a short effect of notes. The words sennet and tucket were English harming's of the Italian articulations sonata and toccata. These were longer pieces, however still likely promotion libbed.

It used movable type. This was a much faster method because letters were arranged in a frame, then inked, and pressed on to a paper. Thus, a new page was printed instantly. This helped the spread of knowledge because there were more books in the world. People advanced one step into the future (Burstein and Shek 313).

Reading music being able to read music was not easy, the music sheets where very hard

Nicoló Paganini was a famous Italian violinist born in the midst of The Enlightenment. He wrote a set of 24 Capriccis for the violin in the early 1800s, the most famous of which is the final caprice, simply referred to as “Caprice No. 24”. The final caprice exemplifies Paganini’s bold style and technique, which was a natural byproduct of the musical liberation that took place during the Enlightenment. His work would inspire musicians for centuries to come.

In regards to the decoration of Baroque music, amateurs often think that Baroque music is extremely ornamented. This practice is a more recently acceptable practice: scholar Ronald

people could communicate and the longevity of the information, those inventions were based on the key concept of the symbol.

During the 14th century, a new style of polyphony developed in France. This new style, called ars nova, was characterized by a new system of rhythmic notation allowing the use of duple and triple division of note values, as well as complex syncopations. Around 1370, several composers in Avignon and southern France moved away from the style of the ars nova motet to develop a highly refined and intricate style distinguished by extremely complex rhythmic notation. The new trend soon spread into northern Italy, northern Spain, and as far as Cyprus. In his Tractatus cantus mensurabilis, Philippus de Caserta, one of the composers of the ars nova period, described that later style as an artem magis subtiliter, or a “more subtle art.”

The animation of classical music began to increase; the transition was a natural growth of what comes before. Never before in history had it been possible to move from one kind of tempo, to another so naturally, with such grace. The kind of rhythmic transition is the touch stone of classical style (Rosen 60). For the classical composer, the Perpetuum Mobile1, where adding it, creates another challenge the composer has to overcome to achieve the added desire to break up the rhythmic texture of the piece and to create the tension required to add a dramatic force.

They say what’s old is new again. There is nothing new under the sun. What goes around comes around. History repeats itself. These may be just a few banal sayings, but they might hold true for classical music as well. Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin is one such example. Written during the neo-classical and neo-baroque movements of the early 1900s, this clever piece ties together French musical traditions, baroque styles, and World War I in just six short pieces. This essay will detail the origins of the suite form and the neo-classical neo-baroque movement, and compare Le Tombeau de Couperin with Bach’s French Suite no. 5 in G Major, BWV 816.