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May 7, 2018 · For the purposes of this article, we will agree that the Classical Period stretched from around 1750 – 1820. It is the music and its characteristics that I will examine in this piece with a view to providing an outline of the key features of this period’s music.
- The Medieval Period
- The Renaissance Period
- The Baroque Period
- The Classical Period
- The Romantic Period
- The 20th Century
- Summary
By far the longest era of classical music, the Medieval music periodstretches from 500AD to 1400, a time span of 900 years! One of the most significant developments during this time was that music was notated for the first time ever, allowing musical information to spread much more easily. The era can be split into three mini-periods: 1. Early Medi...
From 1400-1600 The Renaissance Erasaw music become more expressive and complex. Religious music was still ubiquitous, but secular music increased in popularity, as composers were allowed to write creative music for its own sake, and the invention of the printing press allowed for more widespread distribution. Technological developments in instrumen...
The Baroque Erawas the dominant style during the years 1600-1750. Perhaps its most distinctive feature is the use of dense polyphony, where multiple complex melodies weave in and out of each other to impressive effect. Many of the forms and structuresestablished during this period, including opera and concertos (one or more soloists featured with a...
Confusingly, the word “Classical era” (capitalised) refers to this specific era (1730-1820), while “classical” (non-capitalised) refers to the whole western art music tradition that we are covering in this post. Melodywas now the order of the day: simple, elegant tunes and highly elegant tunes organised in neat, balanced phrases, in contrast to the...
Following on from Beethoven’s developments,The Romantic Period (1800-1910) saw composers free themselves from the restrictive conventions of the Classical era, working on a grander scale with much more expressive and emotive content. The trend for programmatic works continued, with music inspired by nature, literature, legends, national identity an...
A vast range of totally new and radical music came out of the 20th Century, as composers reacted in different ways to the conventions and traditions of previous decades. One example of this was Impressionism, a movement in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, in which French composers like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel used ambiguous tonality...
So, that concludes our guide to the eras of classical music: we hope it will prove interesting and useful for you. Of course, one of the best ways to help familiarise yourself with the sound of each era is lots of listening to the relevant major composers. Enjoy!
Aug 14, 2023 · Classical music followed the Baroque period in the 17th and early 18th centuries. It lasted roughly from 1750 to 1820. It is characterized by less complex materials, thinner textures, and a predominance of homophonic harmony. In terms of musical structure, there was more diversity and contrast.
- Musicnotes
- Medieval (1150 – 1400) Though we can assume that music began far before 1150, the Medieval period is the first in which we can be sure as to how music sounded during this time.
- Renaissance (1400 – 1600) The Renaissance brought significantly increased amounts of harmony and polyphony into music, as most composers were focused on choral music.
- Baroque (1600 – 1750) Expanding upon the end of the Renaissance period, the Baroque period saw the creation of writing music in a particular key. However, the Baroque period is commonly known for complex pieces and intricate harmonies.
- Classical (1750 – 1820) The term “Classical Music” has two meanings. The broader meaning includes all Western art music from the Medieval era to the 2000s.
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Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" can also be applied to non-Western art musics.