Johann Sebastian Bach George Frederick Handel Joesph Hayden Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Ludwig von Beethoven Bibliography Editorial
The Baroque Peirod was the first of two classical music eras that graced the Enlightenment. Baroque was before the Classical music era and after the Renaissance music era. This period was roughly from the 1600's to 1760. The style described as baroque encompasses a wide range of styles from a vast geographic region, mainly in Europe composed during these 150 years. The term "Baroque" as applied to music is a relatively recent development, first being used by Curt Sachs in 1919, and only acquiring currency in English in the 1940s. Baroque music, like Renaissance, shares a heavy use of polyphony and counterpoint. Its use and difficulties differ, though, for they begin to be felt as chords in a hierarchical, functional tonal scheme. In addition, Baroque music also uses longer lines and stronger rhythms: the initial line is extended, either alone or accompanied only by the basso continuo, until the theme reappears in another voice. The Classical Period was the second of the two classical music eras during the Enlightenment. The term "classical music" is mainly used to blanket all kinds of music in this tradition. This period falls between the Baroque era and the Romantic era. Spanning from the 1730's to the 1820's, this era brought in one of the most well known and the supposed best composer ever! You will hear about him later. Taste for structural clarity worked its way into the world of music as well, moving away from the layered polyphony of the Baroque period, and towards a style where a melody over a subordinate harmony, which is a combination, called homophony, was preferred. This meant that playing of chords, even if they interrupted the melodic smoothness of a single selection, became a much more prevalent feature of music, and this in turn made the tonal structure of works clearer and harmonious. There was a rise in the liking of public opera, leading to the changes in which the music was performed. Since polyphonic texture was no longer the focus of music, but rather a single melodic line with accompaniment, there was greater emphasis on notating that line for dynamics and phrasing.
The Baroque Peirod was the first of two classical music eras that graced the Enlightenment. Baroque was before the Classical music era and after the Renaissance music era. This period was roughly from the 1600's to 1760. The style described as baroque encompasses a wide range of styles from a vast geographic region, mainly in Europe composed during these 150 years. The term "Baroque" as applied to music is a relatively recent development, first being used by Curt Sachs in 1919, and only acquiring currency in English in the 1940s. Baroque music, like Renaissance, shares a heavy use of polyphony and counterpoint. Its use and difficulties differ, though, for they begin to be felt as chords in a hierarchical, functional tonal scheme. In addition, Baroque music also uses longer lines and stronger rhythms: the initial line is extended, either alone or accompanied only by the basso continuo, until the theme reappears in another voice.
The Classical Period was the second of the two classical music eras during the Enlightenment. The term "classical music" is mainly used to blanket all kinds of music in this tradition. This period falls between the Baroque era and the Romantic era. Spanning from the 1730's to the 1820's, this era brought in one of the most well known and the supposed best composer ever! You will hear about him later. Taste for structural clarity worked its way into the world of music as well, moving away from the layered polyphony of the Baroque period, and towards a style where a melody over a subordinate harmony, which is a combination, called homophony, was preferred. This meant that playing of chords, even if they interrupted the melodic smoothness of a single selection, became a much more prevalent feature of music, and this in turn made the tonal structure of works clearer and harmonious. There was a rise in the liking of public opera, leading to the changes in which the music was performed. Since polyphonic texture was no longer the focus of music, but rather a single melodic line with accompaniment, there was greater emphasis on notating that line for dynamics and phrasing.
