Classical Music

Classical music

Classical music is art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western music, including both liturgical (religious) and secular music. While a more accurate term is also used to refer to the period from 1750 to 1820 (the Classical period), this article is about the broad span of time from roughly the 11th century to the present day, which includes the Classical period and various other periods.[1][full citation needed] The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common-practice period. The major time divisions of Western art music are as follows[clarification needed]:

the early music period, which includes

the Medieval (500–1400)

the Renaissance (1400–1600) eras.

Baroque (1600–1750)

the common-practice period, which includes

Baroque (1600–1750)

Classical (1750–1820)

Romantic eras (1804–1910)

the 20th century (1901–2000) which includes

the modern (1890–1930) that overlaps from the late-19th century,

the impressionism (1875–1925) that also overlaps from the late-19th century

the neoclassicism (1920–1950), predominantly in the inter-war period

the experimental (1950–present)

the high modern (1950–1969)

contemporary (1945 or 1975–present) or postmodern (1930–present) eras.

European art music is largely distinguished from many other non-European classical and some popular musical forms by its system of staff notation, in use since about the 16th century.[2][not in citation given] Western staff notation is used by composers to indicate to the performer the pitches (e.g., melodies, basslines, chords), tempo, metre and rhythms for a piece of music[clarification needed]. This can leave less room for practices such as improvisation and ad libitum ornamentation, which are frequently heard in non-European art music and in popular-music[3][clarification needed][4][not in citation given][5] styles such as jazz and blues. Another difference is that whereas most popular styles adopt the song (strophic) form, classical music has been noted for its development of highly sophisticated forms of instrumental music such as the concerto, symphony, sonata, and mixed vocal and instrumental styles such as opera[6] which, since they are written down, can sustain larger forms and attain a high level of complexity.[7][clarification needed]

The term "classical music" did not appear until the early 19th century, in an attempt to distinctly canonize the period from Johann Sebastian Bach to Beethoven as a golden age.[8] The earliest reference to "classical music" recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is from about 1836

Characteristics

Given the wide range of styles in European classical music, from Medieval plainchant sung by monks to Classical and Romantic symphonies for orchestra from the 1700s and 1800s to avant-garde atonal compositions for solo piano from the 1900s, it is difficult to list characteristics that can be attributed to all works of that type. However, there are characteristics that classical music contains that few or no other genres of music contain,[10][full citation needed] such as the use of a printed score[clarification needed] and the performance of very complex instrumental works (e.g., the fugue). Furthermore, while the symphony did not exist throughout the entire classical music period, from the mid-1700s to the 2000s the symphony ensemble—and the works written for it—have become a defining feature of classical music

Literature

The key characteristic of European classical music that distinguishes it from popular music and folk music is that the repertoire tends to be written down in musical notation, creating a musical part or score. This score typically determines details of rhythm, pitch, and, where two or more musicians (whether singers or instrumentalists) are involved, how the various parts are coordinated. The written quality of the music has enabled a high level of complexity within them: J.S. Bach's fugues, for instance, achieve a remarkable marriage of boldly distinctive melodic lines weaving in counterpoint yet creating a coherent harmonic logic that would be impossible in the heat of live improvisation.[7][clarification needed] The use of written notation also preserves a record of the works and enables Classical musicians to perform music from many centuries ago. Musical notation enables 2000s-era performers to sing a choral work from the 1300s Renaissance era or a 1700s Baroque concerto with many of the features of the music (the melodies, lyrics, forms, and rhythms) being reproduced.[citation needed]

That said, the score does not provide complete and exact instructions on how to perform a historical work.[citation needed] Even if the tempo is written with an Italian instruction (e.g., Allegro), we do not know exactly how fast the piece should be played. As well, in the Baroque era, many works that were designed for basso continuo accompaniment do not specify which instruments should play the accompaniment or exactly how the chordal instrument (harpsichord, lute, etc.) should play the chords, which are not notated in the part[clarification needed] (only a figured bass symbol beneath the bass[clarification needed] part is used to guide the chord-playing performer). The performer and the conductor have a range of options for musical expression and interpretation of a scored piece, including the phrasing of melodies, the time taken during fermatas (held notes) or pauses, and the use (or choice not to use) of effects such as vibrato or glissando (these effects are possible on various stringed, brass and woodwind instruments and with the human voice).

Although Classical music in the 2000s has lost most of its tradition for musical improvisation, from the Baroque era to the Romantic era, there are examples of performers who could improvise in the style of their era. In the Baroque era, organ performers would improvise preludes, keyboard performers playing harpsichord would improvise chords from the figured bass symbols beneath the bass notes of the basso continuo part and both vocal and instrumental performers would improvise musical ornaments.[11] J.S. Bach was particularly noted for his complex improvisations.[12] During the Classical era, the composer-performer Mozart was noted for his ability to improvise melodies in different styles.[13] During the Classical era, some virtuoso soloists would improvise the cadenza sections of a concerto. During the Romantic era, Beethoven would improvise at the piano.[14] For more information, see Improvisation.

Source:en.wikipedia.org