Overview of Music History

There are several genres and periods of music that one could study in a class such as Music Appreciation. But, the main periods of music that I am going to analyze in this blog include; Ancient, Medieval,  Renaissance,  Baroque,  Classical period,  Romantic,  20th century, and Contemporary music.

            Ancient Period of Music:

The Ancient Period of music dates back before AD 500. The Ancient period of music spreads from geographical areas such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, India, China, Greece and Rome.  It is possible that early humans were impressed with the power of communication and found the sounds of the instruments to be pleasing. As hunter-gatherer groups evolved into agrarian cultures, music had a place in religious ceremonies and farming.

            Medieval Period of Music:

The Medieval Period of music dates back to 500–1400. The Chant is a monophonic sacred form that represents the earliest known music of the Christian church. The Jewish Synagogue tradition of singing psalms was a strong influence on Christian chanting. Chant developed separately in several European centres. Although the most important were Rome, Hispania, Gaul, Milan, and Ireland, there were others as well.

 By the end of the ninth century, singers in monasteries such as St. Gall in Switzerland began experimenting with adding another part to the chant, generally a voice in parallel motion, singing mostly in perfect fourths or fifths above the original tune (see interval). This development is called organum and represents the beginnings of harmony and, ultimately, of counterpoint.

           

              Renaissance Period of Music:

                                                

• A rebirth of classical learning
• The gradual change from the feudal system to the modern state
• A change in people's views of the earth and the cosmos
• Increased interest in humanist learning
• Increased patronage of music
• Territorial expansion and increased wealth
• The composers of the Renaissance concerned themselves with three different areas of music
• All are unified by many shared musical features

Baroque Period of Music:

• A time of experimentation
• Expanding roles for music
• A growing awareness of national styles
• The full equality of instrumental music

Classical Period of Music:

• The Industrial Revolution
• The philosophy of the Enlightenment
• The political ideals of republican government
• Art and "Nature"
• The social role of music
• The concept of nature in the arts
• Simpler textures
• Simpler melodies
• The piano
• Simpler, rational forms

Romantic Period of Music:

• Increased interest in nature and the supernatural
• The rise of program music
• Nationalism and exoticism
• Changing status of musicians

20^th Century Period of Music:

• Ambivalant attitudes toward the musical past
• A widening gap between "art" and "popular" music
• The advent of sound recording
• The birth of a "World Music" culture

            Contemporary Period of Music:

During the mid 20th century, music evolved in many different directions. Some composers took Schoenberg's "serial" system to new limits. The rise of jazz, as well as an increasing awareness of non-Western music, provided additional inspiration for many, while others ventured into electronic music by manipulating sounds and noises recorded on tape - a style known as musique concrète.

In the 1930s and 1940s, many composers returned to forms and techniques of the Baroque and Classical eras. This "Neoclassical" style was a reaction to the emotional, dramatic character of Romanticism. The Neoclassicists wrote for small chamber ensembles and preferred a tightly knit treatment of thematic material. They did not copy 17th and 18th century forms, but took elements, such as the fugue, and added their own modern harmonies and rhythms. An example of this is Stravinsky's opera The Rake's Progress (1951).

The rapid advances in technology during the late 20th century are partly responsible for the emergence of a wide variety of musical forms. Electronics played an important role in the development of music, both classical and popular, from the 1960s onward. The ability of the synthesizer to generate artificial tones and sounds attracted composers such as John Cage, Edgard Varèse, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Beginning in the 1970s, the use of computers, with their ability to memorize and play back whole compositions, discouraged live performances. Many composers turned to writing film scores, for which the precision of computerized music is ideally suited.

Minimalism, which emerged in the 1960s, focuses on the development of a single aspect of music, such as pitch or rhythm, while keeping other elements constant. This approach owes much to Indian raga music, in which the pattern of music changes very little.

I personally like the music of the Romantic Period and want to learn more about it than what I already know. The music that came from the Romantic Period is very complex in several different aspects including; rhythmically, melody, harmony and texture. One of my favorite composers from the Romantic Period is Claude Debussy who wrote an incredible solo piano song entitled Claire De Lune.