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Have you ever been ambitious to start a new hobby or explore a new discipline, only to be discouraged by the sheer volume of information, sources, and endless tangle around the subject? Even a trip to the book store proves that there is so much material to absorb on a new topic, that you don't even know where to begin! And forget the Internet, where as much as 75% of all information is general nonsense.
Wouldn't it be a refreshing switch to know that there is someone out there willing to guide you through an unknown region, in very easy terms, such that you would actually enjoy learning something new? Enter stage left: Daniel's Five Minute Guides... something the Internet has been missing since it was born!
Try out this first primer, a quick five minute guide to learning and loving classical music. Five minutes is all you need, so grab a glass of your favorite wine, and enjoy your newfound knowledge! If these prissy little installments are truly helpful, I may just have to take more requests!
Classical Music 101
Welcome to the world of classical music. It's my world, a place where music in endless forms and varieties give me an entire lifetime of listening pleasure. It's the oldest recognized type of music in Western civilization, and it dates back well into the Middle Ages. Since classical music is the oldest and largest genre of music in existence, let's study this music from one era to the next.
Most music historians identify anywhere from four to seven distinct eras in classical music, and since I recognize all seven, let's learn about each one:
1. Middle Ages (450 A.D. to 1450 A.D): Shortly after the fall of the Roman Empire, the first era of classical music was born. Our first composers were mostly supported by the church (surprise!), and religion influenced early classical music more than any other source. There was no formal system of notation, making composing very difficult and time-consuming. Gregorian chants were written during these ancient times.
2. Renaissance (1450 - 1600): Humans discovered that Earth is not the center of the universe, so classical music changed along with the rest of the arts. Music became more of an expressive art than a science, and music was now being printed, allowing sacred, secular, and instrumental music to spread everywhere. Governments now influenced the spread of the era's music more than the church. Claudio Montiverdi was one of the most prominent composers of this era.
3. Baroque (1600-1750): The era of Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi saw the development of almost every modern instrument in use today, particularly the violin, clarinet, and piano. Composers developed the idea of the sonata, the concerto, and the symphony, where great performers (called virtuosos) found enormous success. Composers used counterpoint, dance rhythms and repetition in their music.
4. Classical (1750-1825): Yes, this era just happens to have the same name as the whole genre that we're studying, yet it has the shortest time span of any classical music period. Think of this brief period as a launch platform of all the modern music to follow. If you speak to a music snob who claims that this is the only "real" era of classical, then politely extend your middle finger while mooning the person. Just kidding. Anyway, classical music wasn't even called classical music back in this time. You can find nearly all of the most popular composers in this era, namely Mozart and Beethoven (both of whom didn't know they were writing "classical"). It's pretty funny if you think about it. They used simple ideas, simple textures, and simple forms, all of which make for great listening material.
5. Romantic (1825-1900): Lush and beautiful music was the prevailing theme during most of the 1800s, and music was written to tell stories, to depict the mysteries of nature, or to express the upper reaches of human emotions. Composers of this era such as Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Chopin wrote music with a wider dynamic range, using a larger variety of instruments. Their melodies were longer and more dramatic, and their harmonies were fuller, richer, and more dissonant. Female composers gained more visibility during this period, such as Clara Schumann.
6. 20th Century: 1900-1999: Classical music exploded, evolved and splintered faster than it ever had before. New subcategories of classical music were born every year, and more composers were writing music than all previous eras combined. Music of this era was influenced by anything and everything, including world wars, politics, SEX, and cross-pollination by other types of music such as jazz. And anything and everything was possible, from atonal to experimental to electronic. Finally, music could be recorded and distributed widely, creating a burgeoning market for all types of new music. Over one hundred thousand composers fall into this period, including Copland, Stravinsky, and Ravel. Needless to say, neither the church nor the government contributed much to classical music in this century.
7. Contemporary Classical: 1970 - 2050 (projected): If the 20th Century period ends in 1999, then what do we call all classical music written thereafter? Welcome to the contemporary classical period, where we see even more subcategories such as the minimalism of Philip Glass, the electric opera by John Corigliano, and the twelve-tone works of John Bilotta, a Bay Area composer! The few creative barriers that may have been left after the 20th century have been crushed by a whopping 300,000 living composers, and this contemporary period gives new meaning to the phrase "Anything Goes!"
That was painless, wasn't it? There is so much more to learn, but this is your first step into removing the mystery from these vast eras. Your next few leaps into classical music should now be a little easier!
Next week, I will begin serving some of the grandest, most stunning, and most daring classical music the world has seen. The autoplay in each entry will be set to off, but please don't be shy, click play! Add a little passion to your life each time you visit, and share my world with me!
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