Classical Music

Music historians regularly disagree on dates and periodization in Western Classical Music, but the current general consensus is that we are, at this moment in time, enjoying the Postmodern Period of Music. The term Postmodernism first came into use during the 1970s to describe musical, artistic, and philosophical trends that began around 1945. Postmodernist music expanded on the experimental trends of the modernist period, but also acted as a reaction against those experiments, resulting in a diverse array of compositional designs. A common theme throughout postmodern music was to challenge what music should be, and what it could be.  In … Read more

The Modern Period in Western music history lasted from approximately 1890 to 1945. As with Romanticism, Modernism is both a historical time period as well as a philosophical aesthetic. In everyday conversation, “modern” typically means current or recent. As a term referencing music, Modernism was first used by critics to describe forms of musical expression adhering to the radical changes happening at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century. Unlike the terms “Romanticism” or “Classicism,” Modernism describes relatively few unifying musical traits, the sounds of Modernism range from the wistful and bucolic, to the bizarre and … Read more

The Romantic Period, spanning from around 1820 to 1910, contains some of the most beloved music from the classical music tradition. A lot of music from this time period is probably already familiar to you, due to its frequent use in television shows, commercials, movies, and video games! The highly expressive nature of Romantic music tends to resonate with the emotional sensibilities of the modern world, and it is this trait perhaps above all others that has contributed to its lasting appeal.   What is Romanticism? Musical Romanticism was influenced by the Romantic movement in art and literature that began … Read more

The Classical Period follows the Baroque and lasts approximately from 1750 to 1820. Many of the traditional practices of Western Music as we know it were codified during the Classical Period – a reflection of which can be found in the name itself. Synonyms for classical include “authoritative” and “traditional” – fitting adjectives for the period that established many of the rules that composers follow even today!  In everyday conversation, “classical music” is a catch-all term for any music that is not Pop, World, or Jazz music. Generally, what people actually mean when they say classical music is “music of … Read more

The Baroque Period of Western music history saw the development of many of the instruments and performing techniques we still use today. In modern times, budding musicians study the compositional techniques codified during the Baroque period. Much of the music from this era is standard in the modern classical repertoire. During the Baroque period, compositions became more complicated, ensemble sizes increased, and the influence of Italian opera brought new drama throughout the European musical world. In addition, composers during this time generally enjoyed the benefits of increased arts patronage, as well as the growing acceptance of non-sacred instrumental music, which … Read more