Classical Music Genre
Classical music is referred to as the standard music of western countries. The discussion below highlights all the significant components of classical music as a music genre. The discussion also explains the origin and development of classical music from Europe deeply to globally. Music has existed for centuries, mainly in Europe.
Classical music originated from the European continent. It’s a unique kind of music as it includes both the secular and the pious sort of music. The Catholic monks developed the first form of this music as a means to standardize liturgy throughout the global church. This was the original form, but classical music, unlike other music genres, has evolved in the years in different generations. This was due to the composers who changed the structure of classical music under different circumstances and philosophies of different ages. The classical music genre is popularly known for its use of complex instrumental music like the concerto’sonata’fugue and symphony. Classical music also contains mixed instrumentals and vocal styles such as cantata, mass, and opera.
The classical music contains three different historical periods as it evolved. The early period entails the medieval era from 550-1400 and the Rennaissance era from 1400-1600. The common practice era contains the Baroque era, which is from 1600-1750, the classical era from1750-1820, and the Romantic era from 1810-1910. The last period is the modernist era, which is categorized into the early modern musical age from 1890-1930, the high modern era in the mid-twentieth century, and the contemporary era from 1945 to date. The roots lie in different locations in the European continent. The Greeks developed instruments such as the aulos and the lyre, which are the precursor for some of the modern-day instruments in the classical orchestra.
The medieval and the Renaissance era was characterized by the use of simple instruments such as the flute and violin in their early versions. It later developed with the first bass, brass, percussion instruments, and the pipe organ. The invention of printed music resulted in rapid growth during the renaissance period—the Baroque era allowed for more complex musical structures. The sonata took shape, and the keyboard was popularized additionally with the emergence of instruments such as cello, oboe, and bassoon. In the classical era, the piano became the main musical instrument, with the opera developing continually. Instruments required to form an orchestra began to form. During the Romantic era, the melodic line developed displaying emotions. This period saw the modernization of the piano. The modernist era was characterized by the rejection of various components of the music, such as the traditional melodies, instrumentations, and tones. The musical language developed into more aesthetic and philosophical.