Classical music is known as a serious kind of music whereas Contemporary music is known as “popular”, “folk”, or “light” kind of music. Classical music is music, which ‘must be written down, or at least performable away from its original composer.’ and must also ‘maintain its ability to communicate and entertain listeners over decades, and even centuries.’ (David Hurwitz, 2003, Internet resource) Comparing it with Contemporary music, it is found that Contemporary music is often recorded or written down vaguely as long as the major pattern can be recognized. Contemporary music is often played by other musicians where improvisation or rubato occurred most of the time, but Classical music are never improvised. According to Jan Vièar, classical music is also known as: ‘serious music, independent music, composed (as opposed to improvised) music.’ (Prague: Academia, 1981, Music and its terminological system)
These are the similarities of the two kinds of music. First of all, similar instruments which can be used for both kinds of music are piano, harpsichord, wood wind, brass, string, guitar, vocal and orchestral. It is found that a composer usually composed his or her masterpiece after experiencing certain memorable moment. There was also music that was composed with dedications to their love ones. I grouped these as personal goals as their objectives. Both Classical and Contemporary music are sometimes composed with objective of personal goals.
I found great difference than similarities between Classical and Contemporary music. Classical music is originated somewhere since 1600 and it has gone through a total of 5 periods: The Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary periods whereas earliest records of Contemporary music were found after the existence of Classical music. (Author unknown, Internet article) It is clearly understood that Classical music is categorized by its period. It can also be categorized by the composer’s name...
pages: 3 (words: 740)
comments: 1
added: 09/22/2011
The Baroque era extended from late Renaissance and early Classical periods between 1600 and 1750. The origin of the term "baroque" comes from Portuguese and refers to an "irregular shaped pearl". The era of Baroque music was an age of brilliant progress of knowledge. It was also known for the age of the scientific discoveries of Galileo and Newton, and advances in math of Descartes, Newton, and Leibnitz. Baroque time period included production of some of the greatest music of all time.
There was three periods in Baroque music. In early Baroque style two ideas prevailed; one is the opposition to counterpoint and the most violent interpretation of the words, realized in the emotional recitative in free rhythm. The harmony was experimental and pre-tonal. Vocal music was in the leading position. In the formation of the Baroque style Italy represented only one limit, which influenced primarily in the development of vocal monody. The other pole was England, which influenced the development of abstract instrumental style that spread all over the Europe. The middle Baroque period brought all the bel-canto style in the cantata and opera, and with it the distinction between aria and recitative.
Musical forms began to grow and contrapuntal quality was reinstituted. Chord progression was governed by an undeveloped tonality along with modes that were reduced to major and minor. The last period, which is the late Baroque style, is different by a fully established tonality that helped to regulate chord progressions, dissonance treatment, and the formal structure. The contrapuntal technique culminated in the full combination of tonal harmony. Also the concerto style appeared with emphasis on mechanical rhythm. Vocal music was now dominated by instrumental music. However, the modern revival of Baroque music is limited almost exclusively to works in late Baroque period.
The idea of dualism is probably what...
pages: 4 (words: 929)
comments: 1
added: 03/16/2011
The geographical center of the Baroque Era was Europe, with Italy as the place of origin with the movement later spreading throughout Europe via Germany, France and England. Music was the main source of pastimes, with the lower class making up most of the musicians and composers. As these people climbed in fame however, they were given substantial pay increases, but they still remained servants with little or no rights at all. Many musicians were sons of musicians who were given as apprentices to town musicians to live in their homes in return for their servitude doing odd jobs and copying music for them. Women were not taught or allowed to perform as composers and artists in those days, even though a few did manage to become successful composers. Major influences in the coming of the Baroque era were the increased demands of the nobles and kings for entertainment. The church was also a contributing factor because they began to use the emotion and theatrics of art to make worship services more interesting. The major characteristics of the Baroque period were the discoveries and developments in science and mathematics (this was the age of Galileo and Newton). The Baroque era was divided into three periods, early (1600-1640), middle (1640-1680), and late (1680-1750). Most of the music we know today was produced in the late period but the major changes associated with the Baroque era took place in the early period. Composers of the early Baroque period strove to bring forth as much emotion and passion into their pieces as possible, they composed the music to very emotional pieces of drama, which was conveyed into the music. This was also the setting for the emergence of opera. Art of that period was also affected, and pictures came alive with even more depth than...
pages: 2 (words: 470)
comments: 1
added: 12/06/2011
As time goes by in music, style changes. Most societies are constantly learning to better themselves (with the acception of some cultures which purposefully stay at an ecomical plateau for the purpose of maintaining tradition and religion). Everyone would agree that music has changed since, say, the 19th century although not everyone would agree that that change is for the better. But with all these views and opinions aside, music is constantly in a state of change. I’m going to look at what causes these changes and specifically look at the evolution of the swing era.
New Orleans, in the state of Louisiana, has been reknown for its contribution to Jazz. Many great Jazz musicians have been there in the past – Louis Armstrong, Freddie Keppard and Bill Johnson to name a few. It had a diverse cultural legacy of which music played a big part. Europeans brought over a lot of classical musicians as it was founded as a French Colony in 1718. It became part of America in 1803 during the Louisiana Purchase. In 1810, it was named the fifth largest U.S. city. 1861 marked the end of the American Civil War and in 1865, slavery was abolished against the will of the Con-federacy (Southern States). But during the war, the Union (Northern States) managed to take New Orleans and so black people therefore enjoyed freedom and had a headstart in the abolition of slavery. So New Orleans became a city where black people were free and the feeling was unique to the southern states.
During the post-war reconstruction, troops were brought in. They brought their instruments with them and played military music during their work. When they left, they discarded their instruments on the streets for poor people, especially black people, to pick up and use. Out of this...
pages: 14 (words: 3614)
comments: 1
added: 03/16/2011
Popular music is music that is enjoyed by the largest possible audience. It includes country music, folk music, rhythm and blues, jazz and rock'n'roll.
Many things happened in the 1920's. First of all, radio was beginning to gain much power. Most of the songs of the 1920's were considered proper. There were also the conventional songs with ballads and old-fashioned waltzes. Overall, in that time where good songs and lyrics in popular music with much emphasis on the musical stage. Jazz had much musical freedom. It represented the way many people were feeling. Not everyone was smoking and drinking too much though. Many people still continued to lead highly respectable lives. The young people of the twenties were not experiencing the same kind of grief as the slightly older people. During this time big groups of jazz musicians started to play together. It was during the swing era and was known as the Big Band era. The songs were very optimistic and could bring up the mood of the listeners, who, at this time were very depressed. Swing music had a very loose feeling sound. It became more popular with the popularity of the radio.
The great depression started in the 1930's. Because of this not many people could afford to buy records. But something new emerged out of the darkness. It was the radio. People could listen all they wanted, for free. People began to stop listening to the records and depended on their trusty radio. And not only could they tune into their favorite songs, but also hear the news and other forms of entertainment. During the thirties many people immigrated to the United States. With them they brought the music from their country. This had great influence on American music. Some immigrant composers taught music or performed in...
pages: 2 (words: 545)
comments: 1
added: 03/16/2011
The Structure and Style of Renaissance Music
In the Renaissance period, composers began experimenting with harmony in their work. Imitative polyphony, monophonic solo and polychoral music was the main style in the Renaissance. Imitative polyphony is when all the voices in a piece of music move at the same speed and share the development of the piece in a way that later became known as Fugue.
Polychoral music is similar to polyphony but is written for choirs, usually to be sung in church. Monophony is simply a solo piece with one line of music and, naturally, one voice.
Medieval and Renaissance styles differ in the way the music is written as well, in the order it’s written. Medieval composers built the music up layer upon layer, whereas Renaissance composers often preferred to write all the parts simultaneously, and blend them together rather than contrast them.
There is a lot of emphasis on texture in polyphony music. Specific instruments were chosen because they had a certain texture in their sound and the composer would use that texture to compliment other textures within the piece.
Renaissance Instruments
The Renaissance saw many new instruments as well as old ones remaining popular. Different composers preferred to write for different instruments predominantly, but the basic availability remained pretty much the same. These are the main instruments that were used in Renaissance music:
The Lute
The lute is the ancestor of the modern day guitar. It held the highest respect of all instruments during the Renaissance, both as an accompaniment and as a solo instrument. It could be played with a plectrum but the best lutenists used only their fingers, giving a very distinctive, very expressive sound.
Although the greatest repertoire for the lute is from England, the finest lutes came from Italy. The delicacy of the sound is reflected in the light...
pages: 7 (words: 1774)
comments: 1
added: 03/16/2011
Northern Indian classical music is one of the oldest forms of music to exist on this planet. North Indian classical music has such a history that it is said to have been dated back to the Vedas, which are the ancient scripts of the Hindus. It is much more than a form of entertainment; it is a defining element of Indian culture. Northern Indian music is based on sangeet, a combination of three traditional forms, including: vocal music, instrumental music, and dance. Each of these forms has developed into distinctive art forms. There are two main genres within Northern Indian Classical music, dhrupad and khayal. Dhrupad is the older of the two genres, and then there is khayal the contemporary genre, which is more popular presently.
Acting as a foundation for both of these genres are two different musical entities, melody and rhythm. Melody in Northern Indian Classical music is primarily the silence of sound and how the artist or performer manipulates the space to create the art form. Melody is also embedded in the system called raga. There is also a rhythmic foundation that is found in tala. The raga system exemplifies musical moods which frame the time of year and day which are then outputted by the musical performer.
The raga has many defining characteristics, it has to be based on ascending and descending formations of no less than five notes, the nature of each note must be definitive, the composition must have characterizing parts, the ascending and descending formation must also be definitive, and there must be an order within the notes themselves. The product of this framework allows for an easy realization of the melody within the piece of music. In an actual raga performance there are three main parts, Alap which is the first movement and is...
pages: 5 (words: 1333)
comments: 1
added: 06/23/2011
When critically analyzed in respect to the earlier artists of the Classical music period, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven's music and life are simultaneously shown to be an evolution as well as a break from his predecessors. No doubt due to the influence of Mozart, as well as his tutelage under Haydn, Beethoven inherited their Classical music legacy but did not keep it in stasis. His innovations within musical composition were built upon the artistic foundation of the previous masters. They showcase to further extent contrasts of moods, greater dynamics, increased power and intensity, as well as an overall ambition toward a grander scale than Haydn or Mozart aspired. At the same time, Beethoven's inspiration to create music and his struggle to elevate the societal position of the musician/composer composed a distinct break from the traditional European cultural function of a musician. This is understood in light of a lifetime that took in the political turbulence of the French Revolution as well as Enlightenment ideals concerning the nature of man. As such, very sharp distinctions from Haydn and Mozart occur that coexist with their lingering legacies within Beethoven. Classical musical structures and forms can be discerned within Beethoven's compositions, and as such he operates in the same rough musical framework utilized by Mozart and Haydn. The basic musical structures (sonata form, themes and variations, and rondo) plus the classical conceptions of a symphony and concerto are seen, but altered to permit greater passion and emotive might. One small, yet key, example is Beethoven's substitution of the scherzo for the minuet and trio as the 3rd movement of a symphony. Its rhythmic force and character flexibility opened new ways of displaying contrasting musical emotions in his music. Beethoven also tried to operate on a much grander scale, necessitated by...
pages: 4 (words: 934)
comments: 1
added: 06/26/2011
One of the greatest tragedies in the 20th century can be seen in the debasing of the Jazz genre as a unworthy equal to it's predecessor, European Classical music. This can be seen in various statements about Jazz, such as Boris Gibalin commit, "The "Jazz Mania" has taken on the character of a lingering illness and must be cured by means of forceful intervention."1 This conflict can be traced through out the history of Jazz, as Classical composers have relatively disregarded this new type of music. Before Duke Ellington's Cotton Club performances, Jazz play on the radio was delegated for late night audience only. This sub-culture treatment has led many critics to disregard the Jazz movement as a dance craze, or unsuccessful recreations of Classical pieces. This slandering of Jazz has not only created a false image of the music, but it has also lead to a full disconnection between the two genres. It is for this reason that I propose in my paper to show the relationship between these two musical categories. My hopes in demonstrating these similarities is to disassemble the schism of ignorance built between the two, and place both Jazz and Classical music on equal footing.
Critics of Jazz have always perpetuated this schism by utilizing the reasoning behind Jazz, that of it being a free form interpretation, to question the legitimacy of calling a Jazz leader a composer. For how can one be styled as a proper composer and still remain true to the Traditional Jazz concepts? The classic composer has at their disposal highly skilled musicians who are trained to work within professional bodies, such as a symphony orchestra or string quartet, and who then relies on the efficiency of these professionally trained bodies to interpret his scores as he sees fit. On the surface...
pages: 9 (words: 2394)
comments: 1
added: 10/06/2011
Would you classify music as a language? Justify your answer, considering the extent to which it resembles or differs from natural language, and the role it plays in the acquisition of knowledge.
Theory of Knowledge Essay
To many of us in this world, language means what we speak and what we write. In our busy, day-to-day lives, we do not always perceive other languages that are used. One of these "hidden" languages is music. It is very similar to natural language and is as useful to us in acquiring knowledge as natural language.
Natural language is inherently difficult to define because it is so broad and can have so many interpretations. Fundamentally, it is a method of communication which can take a number of forms such as, but not limited to, written and oral expression. Natural language must have rules which provide structure and allow us to form recognizable expressions that others can comprehend and interpret. It must also be able and learnt, thereby allowing others to use the language for communication and self-expression.
Music is primarily an auditory language. When you turn on your radio or go to a concert, the form in which music comes to you is sound that has been organized into something understandable and interpretable. These sounds can be vocal, instrumental, or a combination of the two. They can be written down, though this is rare when we look at the world's cultures.
Music is a form of expression of feeling, emotion, thought, opinions, and views which can be understood by people worldwide. Just as writers and poets express themselves through a written language, composers and other musicians say what they want to through their music. Music can be a story. Take, for instance, the Háry János Suite by Kodály, a Hungarian composer. This work is a six-piece suite that...
pages: 6 (words: 1541)
comments: 2
added: 10/24/2011