EULE, MARIA SARA C.

MAPEH 1
BEEd IV July 4, 2018

HISTORY OF MUSIC

Medieval (pre 1500)

Renaissance (1500-1650)
o Contrapuntal music was introduced
o Lots of imitation
o Use of modes
o Mainly polyphonic
o Usually performed by instruments of the same family

Baroque (1650-1750)
o Full of ornaments and decoration
o Use of antiphonal effects
o Use of terraced dynamics
o Often accompanied by a harpsichord
o The birth period of the modern orchestra

Classical (1750-1810)
o Music in regular length phrases
o Harmony concentrates around the tonic and dominant
o Famous composers include Mozart, Beethoven and Hadyn
o Genres of the period include symphony, concerto, string quartet and opera

Romantic (1810-1900)
o More instruments used and larger orchestra
o Variety in harmonics including dischords
o Some music used to tell stories or create emotions
o Famous composers include Tchaicovsky, Shubert and Verdi
o Contrasts in dynamics, instruments, and pitch

Modern (1900-present)
 o Complete dissolution of harmony
o The combinations of instruments became more varied
o Composers became more aware of their national heritage
o Composers include Elgar, Schönenberg and Stravinsky

Medieval Period

The Middle Ages, which encompasses the 6th-century to the 16th-century, featured medieval music.
During this time, there were two general types of music styles; the monophonic and the polyphonic. The
main forms of music included Gregorian chanting and plainchant. Plainchant is a form of church music
that has no instrumental accompaniment and only involves chanting or singing. For a period, it was the
only type of music allowed in Christian churches. Around the 14th-century, secular music became
increasingly prominent, setting the stage for the music period known as the Renaissance.

As we move forward in musical time, we begin to enter the Medieval Period of music which can be
generally agreed to span the period from around 500AD up until the mid-fifteenth century. By this time
music was a dominant art in taverns to cathedrals, practised by kings to paupers alike. It was during this
extended period of music that the sound of music becomes increasingly familiar. This is partly due to the
development of musical notation, much of which has survived, that allows us a window back into this
fascinating time.

From the written music that survives from the monasteries and other important accounts of musical
practices, it’s possible to assemble an image of a vibrant culture that ranges from the sacred to the
secular. Throughout the Medieval period, the music slowly began to adopt ever more elaborate
structures and devices that produced works of immense beauty and devotion.

Hildegard von Bingen and Perotin pioneered many of the musical forms we still recognise today
including the motet and the sacred Mass. Alongside these important forms came the madrigal that often
reflects the moods and feelings of the people of the time. It’s wonderfully polyphonic form is both
mesmerising and delightful.

Composers of the Medieval period

Hildegard-von-bingenHildegard von Bingen (1097 – 1179) German writer, mystic, composer and
polymath. Hildegard wrote many liturgical songs, which pushed the boundaries of traditional Gregorian
Chant. Her greatest work was Ordo Virtutum (Play of the Virtues) – a morality play.

Renaissance Period

Renaissance means "rebirth." In context to music, by the 16th-century, the Church's hold of the arts
weakened. Thus, composers during the Renaissance period were able to bring about many changes in
the way music was created and perceived. For example, musicians experimented with cantus firmus,
began using instrumentals more and created more elaborate music forms that included up to 6 voice
parts.
Instruments developed in accordance with the composer’s imaginations. A full gamut of wind, brass and
percussion instruments accompanied the Medieval music, although it is still the human voice that
dominates many of the compositions. Towards the close of the high medieval period, we find the
emergence of instrumental pieces in their own right which in turn paves the way for many musical forms
in the following period: The Renaissance.

Before leaving this period of music it is important to mention the Troubadours and the Trouveres. These
travelling storytellers and musicians covered vast distances on their journeys across Europe and further
afield into Asia. They told stories, sung ballads and perhaps most importantly, brought with them
influences from far and wide that seamlessly blended with the western musical cultures.

The Renaissance (1450 – 1600) was a golden period in music history. Freed from the constraints of
Medieval musical conventions the composers of the Renaissance forged a new way forward. Josquin des
Prez is considered to be one of the early Renaissance composers to be a great master of the polyphonic
style, often combining many voices to create elaborate musical textures.

Later Palestrina, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd build on the ideas of des Pres composing some of the
most stunning motets, masses, chansons and instrumental works in their own right. Modality was firmly
established as a basis for all harmony, and although strict rules governing the use of dissonance, the
expressive qualities of Renaissance music is virtually unparalleled.

As instrumental pieces became accepted into the repertoire, we find the development of instruments
like the bassoon and the trombone giving rise to larger and more elaborate instrumental groupings.

This gave composers far more scope to explore and express their creative ideas than before. The viol
family developed to provide a very particular, haunted quality to much of the music of the time
alongside the establishment of each recognisable family of instruments comprising, percussion, strings,
woodwind and brass.

Keyboard instruments also became increasingly common and the advent of the sonata followed in due
course. Other popular forms for instrumental music included the toccata, canzona and ricercar to name
but a few, emanating from the Courtly dance.

Towards the end of the Renaissance, what was called the Church Modes began to dissolve in favour of
what is now considered to be functional harmony or tonality based on a system of keys rather than
modes.

Composers of the Renaissance period

John Dunstable (1390 – 1453) English composer of polyphonic music. Dunstable had a big influence on
the development of music through his creation of chords with triads, which became known as the
Burgundian School: la countenance angloise or “the English countenance” e.g Quam pulchra es.
Giovanni da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525 – 1594) Italian Renaissance composer of
sacred music. Palestrina was a prolific composer of masses, motets, madrigals and offertories. An
influential work was Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass)

William Byrd (1543 – 1623) English composer of the Renaissance. He wrote in many of the forms current
in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony. He helped the
development of Anglican church music, and also secular vocal music with his use of Tudor consort and
keyboard fantasia.

Baroque Period

The word "baroque" comes from the Italian word "barocco" which means bizarre. The Baroque period
was a time when composers experimented with form, musical contrasts, styles and instruments. This
period saw the development of opera, instrumental music as well as other Baroque music forms and
styles. Music became homophonic, meaning a melody would be supported by a harmony.

Prominent instruments featured in Baroque period compositions included the violin, viola, double bass,
harp, and oboe.

The Baroque period in music history refers to the styles of the 17th and 18th-centuries. The High
Baroque period lasted from 1700 to 1750, during which Italian opera was more dramatic and expansive.

The Baroque Period (1600-1760), houses some of the most famous composers and pieces that we have
in Western Classical Music. It also sees some of the most important musical and instrumental
developments. Italy, Germany, England and France continue from the Renaissance to dominate the
musical landscape, each influencing the other with conventions and style.

Amongst the many celebrated composers of the time, G F Handel, Bach, Vivaldi and Purcell provide a
substantial introduction to the music of this era. It is during this glittering span of time that Handel
composes his oratorio “The Messiah”, Vivaldi the “Four Seasons”, Bach his six “Brandenburg Concertos”
and the “48 Preludes and Fugues”, together with Purcell’s opera “Dido and Aeneas”.

Instrumental music was composed and performed in tandem with vocal works, each of equal
importance in the Baroque. The virtuosity that began amongst the elite Renaissance performers
flourished in the Baroque. Consider the keyboard Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti or the Concertos that
Vivaldi composed for his student performers. This, in turn, leads to significant instrumental
developments, and thanks to the aristocratic support of Catherine Medici, the birth of the Violin.

Common musical forms were established founded on the Renaissance composers principles but
extended and developed in ways that they would have probably found unimaginable. The Suite became
a Baroque favourite, comprising contrasting fast slow movements like the Prelude; Allemande, Gigue,
Courante and the Sarabande. Concertos became ever more popular, giving instrumentalists the
opportunity to display their technical and expressive powers.

Vocal music continued to include the Mass but now also the Oratorio and Cantata alongside anthems
and chorales. Opera appears in earnest in the Baroque period and becomes an established musical form
and vehicle for astonishing expression and diversity.

Increasingly, the preferred harmony is tonal and the system of keys (major and minor), is accepted in
favour of modality. This lifts the limitations of modes and offers composers the chance to create ever
more complex and expressive pieces that combine exciting polyphonic textures and dynamics.

Notation accompanies these developments and steadily we find that the accuracy of composers works
becomes more precise and detailed giving us a better possibility of realising their intentions in
performances of today.

Composers of the Baroque Period

lHenry Purcell (1659-1695) English composer of the Baroque period. Purcell wrote some early baroque
classics such as Te Deum and Jubilate Deo. He also wrote for theatre and England’s first opera.

Bach (1685 – 1750) German composer of the Baroque period. One of the most prolific composers of all
time. Bach brought Baroque music to its pinnacle of musical maturity. Famous works of Bach include:
Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B minor, St Matthew’s Passion, St John’s Passion; Bach also wrote
organ pieces and over 300 sacred cantatas.

George Frederick Handel (1685 – 1759) German-born composer who spent a lot of time in England. He
wrote operas and oratorios. Famous works include Messiah “Hallelujah Chorus”, Music For The Royal
Fireworks, Jephtha, Chaconne Variations in G Coronation Anthems, Zadok the Priest.

Classical Period

The music forms and styles of the Classical period, which spans from 1750 to 1820, is characterized by
simpler melodies and forms such as the sonatas. During this time, the middle class had more access to
music, not just the highly educated aristocrats. To reflect this shift, composers wanted to create music
that was less complicated and easier to understand. The piano was undoubtedly the primary instrument
used by composers during the Classical period. Most notably, Mozart wrote his first symphony and
Beethoven was born during this period.

From the Baroque, we step into the Classical Period (1730-1820). Here Haydn and Mozart dominate the
musical landscape and Germany and Austria sit at the creative heart of the period. From the ornate
Baroque composers of the Classical period moved away from the polyphonic towards the homophonic,
writing music that was, on the surface of it at least, simple, sleek and measured.
One key development is that of the Piano. The Baroque harpsichord is replaced by the early piano which
was a more reliable and expressive instrument. Mozart and Haydn each wrote a large number of works
for the Piano which allowed for this instrument to develop significantly during this period.

Chamber music alongside orchestral music was a feature of the Classical Era with particular attention
drawn towards the String Quartet. The orchestra itself was firmly established and towards the latter end
of the period began to include clarinets, trombones, and timpani.

The rise of the virtuoso performer continued throughout this period of music as demonstrated by the
many of the concertos and sonatas composed during this time. Opera flourished in these decades and
became a fully-fledged musical form of entertainment that extended way beyond the dreams of the
Baroque composers.

Composers of the Classical Period

Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) Prolific Austrian composer of the classical period. He helped develop
chamber music such as the piano trio and string quartet. Also wrote amongst first extensive symphonies
and contributed to the development of sonata. Haydn’s famous works include Cello Concerto No.1 in C
major and Symphony No.94 in G major.

Mozart (1756 – 1791) Austrian classical composer. Composing from the age of 6, Mozart’s repertoire
varied from light waltzes and dances to the spiritual elevating choral music of Missa Brevis and Mass in C
minor. He composed over 600 pieces, including symphonies, operas (e.g. Le Nozze di Figaro (The
Marriage of Figaro), concertos (e.g. Piano Concerto no. 21) and chamber music.

Beethoven (1770 – 1827) German composer and pianist of the classical and romantic period. Another
prodigious genius. Beethoven’s compositions invoked both tremendous power, and soulfulness; he had
a lasting influence on western classical music. His greatest works include his Symphonies No.6 and his
choral work Missa Solemnis.

Gioachino Rossini (1792 – 1868) Italian composer. Rossini wrote 38 great operas, transforming the opera
into its modern form. Great Italian works include The Barber of Seville (1816) and La Cenerentola. He
also moved to Paris and wrote for the French theatre, including the operas Count Ory (1828) and
William Tell (1829)

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828) Austrian composer who bridged the classical and romantic periods. One of
the few composers to evoke the spirit of Mozart, especially in his work – Symphony number 5. Schubert
composed seven symphonies sacred music, operas and piano music. He was also a great composer of
secular vocal songs. Famous works include his immortal version of Ave Maria D.839, Piano Sonata in A
major, D 959, Symphony in C major (Great C major, D 944), and Symphony No.5 in Bb major D.485.

Romantic Period

Historiographers define the Romantic Music period to be between 1800 to 1900. Music forms of the
Romantic period used music to tell a story or express an idea and the expanded on the use of various
instruments including wind instruments. Instruments that were invented or improved upon during this
time included the flute and the saxophone.

Melodies became fuller and more dramatic as Romantics believed in allowing their imagination and
intense emotion to soar through their works. By the mid-19th-century, folk music became popular
among the Romantics, and more emphasis was put on nationalist themes.

As the Classical era closed Beethoven is the most notable composer who made such a huge contribution
to the change into the Romantic Era (1780 – 1880). Beethoven’s immense genius shaped the next few
decades with his substantial redefining of many of the established musical conventions of the Classical
era. His work on Sonata form in his concertos, symphonies, string quartets and sonatas, goes almost
unmatched by any other composer.

The Romantic era saw huge developments in the quality and range of many instruments that naturally
encouraged ever more expressive and diverse music from the composers. Musical forms like the
Romantic orchestra became expansive landscapes where composers gave full and unbridled reign to
their deepest emotions and dreams.

Berlioz in his “Symphonie Fantastique” is a fine example of this, or later Wagner in his immense operas.
The symphonies of Gustav Mahler stand like stone pillars of achievement at the end of the Romantic
period alongside the tone poems of Richard Strauss. The Romantic period presents us with a vast array
of rich music that only towards the end of the 19th Century began to fade.

It is hard to conceive of what could follow such a triumphant, heroic time in musical history but as we
push forward into the 20th Century the musical landscape takes a dramatic turn. Echoes of the Romantic
Era still thread through the next century in the works of Elgar, Shostakovich and Arthur Bliss, but it is the
music from France we have title impressionism that sparkles its way into our musical consciences.

Debussy and Ravel are key exponents of this colourful movement that parallels the artwork of Monet
and Manet. What we hear in the music of the impressionists harks back to many of the popular forms of
the Baroque but in ways that Bach is unlikely to have foreseen. The tonal system transforms to include a
wider range of scales and influences from the Orient allowing composers to write some of the most
stunning works ever heard.

Both Ravel and Debussy composed extensively for the piano using poetry for inspiration. Their
orchestral works are amongst some of the most beautiful and evocative pieces ever written.

In parallel, the Teutonic world began to undergo its own revolution in the form of the second Viennese
school, led by Arnold Schoenberg. Disillusioned with the confines of tonality Schoenberg threw out the
tonal system in favour of a new twelve-tone serial system giving each step of the chromatic scale equal
musical validity. The result was serial music that was completely atonal and transformed the musical
landscape almost beyond anything that had happened before.

Composers of the Romantic Period

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) German composer of the romantic period. Mendelssohn wrote
symphonies, concerti, oratorios, piano music and chamber music. His famous works include Hebrides
Overture (Fingal’s Cave) (1830), Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (1844) and his piano compositions –
‘Songs without words’

Frederick Chopin (1810 – 1849) Polish-born classical composer. Important compositions include piano
collections, Études, Opp. 10 and 25, and the 24 Preludes, Op. 28. Chopin also wrote numerous
polonaises, sonatas, waltzes, impromptus and nocturnes. Chopin is the most influential composer for
the piano, becoming a staple for all piano students.

Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886) Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist. Liszt was a prominent member of
the “New German School” of musicians. Significant compositions include Piano Sonata in B minor (1853),
“Liebesträume No. 3”. He also transcribed for the piano great works by other composers, such as
Schubert. Also developed new musical ideas, such as the symphonic poem.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1901) Italian opera composer of the romantic period. Verdi is considered one of
the greatest opera composer of all time. Famous works include “Va, Pensiero” (The Chorus of the
Hebrew Slaves), the “Coro di zingari” (Anvil Chorus) from Il Trovatore and the “Grand March” from Aida.
He also composed other works outside opera, such as Messa da Requiem (1874).

Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883) German composer who wrote epic operas such as the Der Ring des
Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). Beginning in the romantic tradition, Wagner developed his own
complex and unique style of ‘total art.’

Johann Strauss Jr. (1825 – 1899) Austrian composer of popular light music. He wrote over 500 waltzes,
polkas, quadrilles. Famous works include Blue Danube Waltz, Egyptian March, Persian March and Roses
from the South Waltz.

Johannes-BrahmsJohannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) German composer who spent most of his life in
Austria. Although of the romantic period, Brahms used many of the principles of baroque and classical
music in his compositions. Famous works include Violin Concerto in D major, Op 77, “Symphony No. 3 in
F Major, Op. 90: Allegro con brio” and Sinfonia n. 2 em ré major op. 73

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) Russian composer. Tchaikovsky was the greatest composer of the
Romantic period. Compositions include the 1812 Overture, Romeo and Juliet Overture, Piano Concerto
No. 1 in B flat minor and ballet compositions – Swan Lake and Nutcracker.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921) French composer, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. Famous
works include Second Piano Concerto (1868), the First Cello Concerto (1872), Danse macabre (1874),
the opera Samson and Delilah (1877), the Third Violin Concerto (1880) and The Carnival of the Animals
(1887).
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 – 1908) Russian composer who infused a Russian tradition of folk music
into a classical genre. He wrote five operas, symphonies and orchestral works. Famous works include
Scheherazade, Capriccio Espagnol (including The Flight of the Bumble Bee).

Gabriel Faure (1845 – 1924) French composer of the late Romantic period. Faure composed intimate
Chamber music and many compositions for the piano. Famous works include choral masterpieces –
Pavane and Requiem, and his Nocturnes for piano, such as Après un rêve” and “Clair de lune”.

Edvard Greig (1843 – 1907) Norwegian composer. Greig was one of the most notable composers of the
Romantic period. Famous works include – Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op.
46, IV. (In the Hall of the Mountain King) and Peer Gynt Suite No.1

20th-Century

Music during the 20th-century brought about many innovations on how music was performed and
appreciated. Artists were more willing to experiment with new music forms and used technology to
enhance their compositions. Early electronic instruments included the dynamophone, Theremin, and
Ondes-Martnot.

20th-century music styles included impressionistic, 12-tone system, neoclassical, jazz, concert music,
serialism, chance music, electronic music, new Romanticism, and minimalism.