Baroque and Classical Period - Essay Example

BAROQUE AND ICAL PERIOD The Baroque and ical Period The art of music has been in existence over the centuries and has been used in various ways and occasions over time. Music can be used to express state of emotions or to communicate an idea or perspective concerning a certain subject. For listeners, music is arguably considered to have a soothing and relaxing effect. The effects of music are diverse and it can create a specific atmosphere depending on its genre. However, the art of music has had many developmental transitions over time. These transformations have improved the quality of music and created diversity in terms of genre. There is a point in time when a major transition in music occurred and the effects of this transition are evident up to date. The transition from baroque to the classical period, marked a major advancement in the art of music. Baroque music refers to the musical style that took center stage in the 1600s and carried on to the 1700s having transitioned from the Renaissance era. According to Paton, et al., “The baroque period strived to create an overall balance between two parts that were not symmetrical” (1994, p. 4). It is during the baroque period that music tonality was formed due the increased use of harmony attributed to the realization that chords are better than notes. Tonality was as a result of advancements and extensive use of instruments far more than had been used before. In addition, tonality was facilitated by adoption of new and improved techniques of playing instruments. Although this was a great step in music, more needed to be done and it was not until later that perfection on the proper use of instruments was not attained. Baroque period also saw the establishment of opera and sonata among other great advancements in music. Opera was a less instrumental music which did not require use of polyphony and was normally done by a solo singer. Musical advancements led to transitioning from the baroque era to a better and improved era, the classical period. The classical period saw the employment of order and hierarchy in music in a bid to create music clarity. Therefore, simplicity was adopted and there were brighter contrasts and colors unlike in the baroque period. In addition, increased use of chords in music to enable melody to play over harmony led to shift from polyphony to homophony As a result of these advancements, quality of music was better and consequently led to increased orchestra size. The classical period also saw the creation of comic opera hence the shift to standard instrumental groups and less attention was paid to the harmony of music. Therefore, a grand piano was adopted in place of the harpsichord from baroque period and thus all parts of music were noted. There were several differences in the musical features from the two periods. The baroque period saw extensive use of polyphony, complex layered melodies, whereas the classical period employed homophony. In the baroque period, performance was mainly in concerts whereas in the classical period, performance could either be in concerts or as solo artists. Moreover, more instruments were used during the baroque period unlike in classical period. Another change was that the orchestra concept, begun in the baroque period, was extended and enlarged in the classical period. During the baroque period opera was only in Italy and was not well developed unlike in the classical period where opera had full developed and was common in many parts of the world. Some of the instruments being used in the baroque period were replaced such as the harpsichord replacement by the keyboard and later on by the piano. In the 18th century, there were changes in the economic and social structure that had impacts on music. For example, the opera performance was replaced by the comic opera. People were more perceptive and in demand of the new musical style, the classical. Therefore most of the musicians were forced to change and there also emerged several new singers such as Mozart. The economic changes led to lower quality of musicians and music due to scarcity of resources. Unlike in the baroque period when musicians were few and thus had many resources at their disposal, resources were limited during the classical period. Amid the scarcity of resources, people demanded more of the new music. Therefore, musicians started producing shorter pieces to meet the demand and could only have one rehearsal before performance. This was not the case during the baroque period where musicians had an opportunity to rehearse several times before performances. Inflation derailed the development of the classical period since it led to reduced orchestra size and even closure of some theatres. These events triggered the creation of string quartet and some ensemble groupings. The baroque transition to classical period brought many changes to the music field. In the classical period, simplicity was preferred to the complexity during the baroque period thus the instruments needed to be more notated. As the classical period advanced, the musical features changed hence creating a new form of music which was more audible and an improved quality. The simplicity was reflected more on the harmony since in the baroque period, much attention was not paid to the music structure. The creation of comic opera was also a great transition from the baroque to classical period. Towards the end of the baroque period, the comic opera added use of standard instruments with changing melodies thereby creating emotions. People were greatly receptive and as a result opera took center stage and was preferred to concertos and symphonies. Due to this shift, symphonies were on many occasions only used to introduce the opera events. However, the symphonies and operas split and were performed separately. The song ‘Haydn, String Quartet, the "Emperor," Movement II’ in the listening list was written for Emperor Francis II and had four movements. This song is significant and has been incorporated in the German national anthem. As the song begins, it uses the sonata form, created in baroque period, and the C major key which transforms to a G major in the strophic variation form. As the piece advances, the C major and an A major keys are employed. Towards the end it uses a C minor and C major in sonata form. The song ‘Mozart, Don Giovanni, Act I "La ci darem la mano"’ in the listening list employs the A major key at the beginning mixing andante and a time signature of 2. The song was an opera duet performed by Gionanni and Zerlina. Giovanni’s vocal ranges from E3 to E4 while Zerlina’s ranges from E3 to F#3. The song ‘Beethoven, Pathetique Sonata, Movement I’ in the listening list is a sonata with three movements. It employs a C minor key at the beginning in sonata form in order to feature multiple themes. As it advances, it incorporates the adagio style as used during the classical period, and the A flat major key and then uses the C minor key towards the end. Finally, the piece ‘Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, Movement II’ from the listening list uses an A flat major in a double variation form followed by a long coda hence presenting a theme variation. The piece starts in sonata form from the classical period and has employed distinctively many different keys. For instance, the theme is in E flat major and as the piece advance to the second movement, it uses the A flat major. This particular piece is an example of the brilliance created by harmony used in the classical period. In conclusion, it is clear that the advancements made during the baroque and classical periods marked significant step towards music transition. These advancements and improvements are employed even today to create great pieces. Reference Paton, J., Falconieri, A., Peri, J., Caccini, F., Carissimi, G., Lori, A., Caproli, C.... Salieri, A. (1994). Italian arias of the Baroque and Classical eras: Low voice. Van Nuys: Alfred Pub. Read More