Alex Kirby Final Essay LBST 2101-248 18 November, 2013 The Evolution of Music in the West Like all

other aspects of culture, music has evolved over time. New styles of music can be influenced by old styles, trends in popular culture, and available technology. This essay will examine the ways that music has changed in the Western World during what is known as the common practice era, which took place from the early 1600s to the early 1900s, specifically the styles of music known as Baroque, Classical, and Romantic. Baroque The musical style from the early 1600s to the mid-1700s is known as baroque music. The term Baroque comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning misshapen pearl. It was meant to be a negative term for music that people of the time considered to be excessively extravagant. Perhaps some of the most well-known composers of the Baroque style were Johann Sebastian Bach and Johann Pachelbel. Baroque music was preceded by Renaissance music, which was commonplace from the 1400s to the early 1600s. An interesting note about Renaissance music is that it was uncommon for composers to write music for specific instruments. Music would simply be written in a few parts and any instrument that could play within the range in which the part was written could play it. This was because music was traditionally written for vocal parts, so most instrumental pieces were simply borrowed from

vocal pieces. While instrumental music was beginning to find its place in Renaissance music, the concept was much more commonplace within Baroque music. Baroque music was the first to see composers writing parts for specific instruments based on that instruments particular voice. Baroque also introduced the concept of tonality, which uses the relationships between the pitches of different instruments to create harmony. Music today is still based on this concept. Classical While the term Classical music is often used to describe music in the West from the 9th Century to the present, the Classical period of music took place from the early 1700s to the early 1800s. Well-known composers from this period include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. As the world began to embrace scientific ideas and appreciate a more orderly aesthetic, Classical music saw a break from the extravagant styles of Baroque in favor of a simpler, clearer melody. Chords became more widely used so as to provide a counterpoint, which allowed for more obvious tonality within the music. Compared to Baroque, theres a lot less going on in Classical music. The melodies are more apparent and it feels lighter and more carefree than its predecessor. The focus is on the melody with less care taken for the accompanying parts. During the early Classical period, many composers took inspiration from Baroque pieces, often including a toned-down version of the usual Baroque embellishments. However, as time passed, Classical composers began to do away with distracting accompaniment in favor of the crisp simplicity that has come to define the style.

Romantic The Romantic period lasted from the early 1800s to the early 1900s and came about partially as a response against the emphasis on rational thoughts and scientific ideals that prevailed at the end of the Classical period. People desired a return to emotional thought and a focus on the magical, mysterious aspects of nature and the human imagination. Some composers of the Romantic style of music are Beethovenwho was considered to be one of the first Romantic composersand Frdric Chopin. The traits associated with Romantic music are fairly vague. Pieces began to increase in complexity and began to gain a more frightening tone than the light, airy pieces of the Classical period. Whereas Classical music was commonly written in major keys, composers began to use minor keys more often in order to lend a more eerie or frightening tone to a piece. As the concept of nationalism gained popularity, it began to influence Romantic music. Many of Chopins works have strong nationalistic influences in that he used traditional Polish dance music as inspiration for many of his pieces, which he named mazurkas after the Polish mazurek, the name for a traditional Polish dance. While styles may have obvious influences from earlier periods, each certainly has its own unique sound, despite the contemporary tendency to lump them all into a group called Classical. When one knows what to look for, one can better appreciate the complexities and differences between various musical styles.