Music Through the ages Jocelyn Bumgardner 12th grade General Music December 7th, 2004

The six periods of music Middle Ages Renaissance Baroque Classical Romantic th Century 1900-Present

Music in the Church –Music was an important part of the Christian worship. –All liturgical text was put to music know as Gregorian Chant. –The majority of composers in this era were associated with and supported by a church. Notating music in the beginning –A method for music notation was not developed until around the 9th century. –Notation was a difficult and time consuming process mainly done in Cathedrals and Monasteries. –It was not until the 12th century that an music was preserved outside the church.

Style –Monophony is simple flowing pitches, rhythm was not notated and pertained to the text. –Polyphony is a mixture of voices or instruments, rhythms are restless, and harmonies and dissonance are unexpected. –Polyphony was started in the 9th century but not used by composers until the 13th century. Court participation –Music was an important part of the court and the aristocracy performed and composed these secular works. –Music from the troubadours and trouvères have been found dating back to the 12th century. –By the 14th century polyphony took hold in the secular world as well.

Composers –Hildegard von Bingen ( )- she was a composer of plainchant(monophonic), she is one of few women composers of this era. Most of the others are anonyms or lost. She composed many pieces for church and a few for herself. –Guillaume de Machaut ( )- he composed both monophonic pieces and polyphonic pieces, some for church and several secular pieces. He helped in creating the Ars Nova movement, meaning ‘New Art’.

New Learning –The arts became an important part of education in this era. –Music moves from a study of numbers to an expressive art. –Music publication was developed in this era and music books and books about music were easy to come by. Cause and effect –Due to the growing courtly interest started in the Middle ages music became a profitable profession. –The grow in music is responsible for the expansion of European cities and courts. –With the abundance of money more people began to travel and International music was born.

The 3 areas of music –Sacred music- Christian Masses and motets, it is in this area that international influence is most apparent. –Secular music- composers experimented in this area and developed the Italian madrigal and the French chanson. –Instrumental music- due to the availability of printed music more people picked up instruments and more amateur composers emerged. What the 3 areas share –The use of 4 voice texture –Imitative music, call and response –Smooth, gentle rhythms –Melodies with balanced phrases –Harmonies with full triads –Dances based on Binary form

Composers –Guillaume du Fay ( )- he had excellent musical training at the Cathedral at Cambrai. He became an international musician at the age of 25 and was widely known. He composed many masses and also a significant amount of Secular music. He even composed his own funeral mass before he died. –Claudio Monteverdi ( )- his music was very poetic, he was known for the fact that his music always reflected the words and mood of the piece. He wrote a very famous opera in the Baroque period called L’incoronazione di Poppea.

Music’s role in society –Catholic and Protestant religions were adapting more and more music into the mass. –Opera became an important source of entertainment in all social classes. –Composers began using the styles of other countries in their music. The superiority of French, German, and Italian music always resulted in a heated debate. No discrimination –Instrumental music was in no way pushed aside by opera. The sonata and concerto forms were developed and were used frequently. –Instrument makers experimented with new instruments and came up with more winds. –Expression and technique were of highest importance.

Musical Style –An Italian continuous bass technique was very popular in this era. –The texture of the music was mainly melody and accompaniment. –New instruments added many new musical colors, and instruments and voices were mixed freely in composition. Composition Style –Melodies were composed of dramatic leaps, and rhythms were mostly developed from dance rhythms. –Harmonies were based on major/minor tonalities and dissonances were becoming used more. –Musical structure was mostly Repetition, Simple binary, and Ternary forms.

Composers –Johann Sebastian Bach( )- Bach lived a hard life, he had 2 wives and 20 children. He worked for several churches and composed tons of musical works. He was a very religious man. The Well-Tempered Clavier and the Brandenburg Concertos are some of his most famous works. –George Frideric Handel( )- Handel is known for his operas and oratorios. He was a man of the world, he composed for the public rather than a church. Although he was German born, his compositions were in Italian style. His most famous works are the Messiah and Water Music.

History –The Industrial Revolution influenced the increase of urban life in Europe and the Americas. –The philosophy of the Enlightenment changed the world’s view and placed emphasis on the natural rights of people and the ability of humans to shape their own environment. Musical importance –Music began to be seen as “an innocent luxury” due to the improved economy. –European composers reacted to the increase in demand for music and composed more. –The ideals shifted in this era from ‘unnatural’ to ‘natural’ –‘Real’ emotions had to be brought out in music when composed.

Keeping it simple –Simpler textures were used, such as homophonic textures and contrapuntal was used sparingly. –Simpler melodies were used also, melodies dell into even phrases and were symmetrical question and answer material. New developments –The piano was discovered in this era. It could produce graduated dynamics and because the most important solo instrument. –The musical forms were even more simple, they were predominately 2 and 3 part forms and were mostly sonata forms.

Composers –Franz Joseph Haydn( )- Haydn spent most of his life with one royal family, the Esterházy family. He composed for their every need. He was a role model to Mozart and Beethoven, and composed many works including the Creation, lots of Symphonies, and many string pieces. –Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart( )- Mozart was a gifted child, at age 6 he performed for the empress and was composing even earlier. He lived a very short life, but still managed to compose many symphonies, concertos, operas, chamber music, keyboard music, and many other.

Changing Musician –The composers of this era no longer depended on the nobility for employment but rather on the support of the public. –Conservatories replaced the apprentice system of the church. –Women were accepted as performers now, but social and cultural barriers limited their abilities to be composers. Changing Music –Composers used music more and more as a national identity. –Instead of the very ‘natural’ thinking of the Classical period, composers write their works based of stories of exotic lands and people. –Composers were now expressing their musical ideas as people, things, and dramatic situations as well as emotional states.

Style –Dynamics were used more often in this era, as well as a larger range. The new instruments were equipped with the ability to reach ranges higher than before. –Melodies are longer, more dramatic, and emotional. –Tempos are more extreme, and tempo rubato is often used. Style –Tempo rubato stands for “borrowed time”, this is when the composer hesitates or rushes forward in the music. –Harmonies are fuller and even more dissonant than in the Classical period. –Formal structures were expanded. Due to the programmatic content of the pieces, they were much longer.

Composers –Frédéric François Chopin( )- Chopin focused most of his music on piano. It is either solo piano, or the piano plays a big role. He studied at a conservatory in Warsaw as a boy, he composed many famous piano works, and also chamber music(including piano) –Johannes Brahms( )- Brahms created a style that blended the lyrical and intellectual and served as a contrast to the progressive style of the New German School. He had a lot of musical influence at home, and began touring at age 20. Brahms composed symphonies, piano sonatas, chamber music, and choral music.

Technology –We live in a century that has changed the most. We possess the technological ability to control nearly every aspect of life. And we have developed tools that could end all life in an instant. –Everything is at the tips of our fingers, even comunication. We can send and receive messages instantly. Entertainment is the same way. Music today –Some composers have made the decision to distance themselves from the past, while others still use it. –Popular music, such as jazz, country,and rock, are the central focus of music. –Composers whose music has become more and more complex have widened the gap between art and popular music.

Styles today –Any sound is possible now with the help of a computer. New instruments and the sounds of popular music have changed everything. –Popular music is based on homophonic textures. –Rhythm is extremely complex now too. Styles today –Melodies are long and abstract, and are sometimes reduced to small gestures. –Any harmonic combination is possible. Extreme dissonance is used, and microtonal intervals too. –Form is an infinite degree, and is left to improvisation and chance

Composers –Scott Joplin( )- Joplin is considered the most important and influential ragtime composer. He was an amateur composer, and an exceptional performer. He composed only for piano and is known for The Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer. –Aaron Copland( )- Copland helped define a twentieth century American sound. His influence on his contemporaries and students was amazing. He composed symphonies, ballets, film scores, and piano music.