Classical Music
n : traditional genre of music conforming to an established form and appealing to critical interest and developed musical taste [syn: serious music]
Classical music, as the name suggests, is a well-established kind of music, at least in the West. Classical music concerts take place in every cultural center, and they take many forms, from a solo to large symphonic orchestras, from a sonata to an opera. This kind of music has many fans, especially among circles of intellectuals. But how did this great kind of music start? What made the great composers compose? And how was this all used before the time of recorded music and portable mp3 players? These are the questions we are going to examine today.
Music historians place the beginnings of classical music in Europe during the 1730s, though there is not a clear cut-point, since it gradually evolved from the Baroque style that was dominant before. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Christoph Willibald Gluck are considered to be the founders of classical music. But what triggered this new kind of music?
Ask a physicist, and the answer is quite clear: The new ideas of "natural philosophy", proposed in the late 17 th century by Sir Isaac Newton, suggested that the universe has a clear structure, well founded in axioms, articulated and orderly. These ideas were reflected in the music of the 18 th century, but also in architecture, literature, and the arts in general. This new style in the arts is referred to as "Classicism".
Back in those days, music was not as common as it is now. One could not carry thousands of songs in one's pocket. Music was rather a privilege of the royalty and their court.
For example, one of the most impor...
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... it can be heard in parks, parking lots, train and underground stations. It can be found even in the pockets of people carrying mp3 players around.
Young people listen to it, old people listen to it, babies listen to it.
Classical music is not only a kind of music; it's a way to concentrate, to relax, to worship. Classical music is a way of life.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_music_era
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Newton.html
http://www.classical.net/music/links/musiclnk.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/422644.stm
http://www.freenewmexican.com/artsfeatures/10701.html
http://www.healingproducts.com/sound_health_series.htm#concentration
http://www.freenewmexican.com/artsfeatures/10701.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000001GDR001001/0/104-1287315-5901551
Classical music was best described by Mr. Dan Romano who clearly states that its art speaking from your heart to the heart of others. Bach’s Baroque time period of western music lead to some of the most known and widely recognized organ music, and it was Beethoven’s deafness that came to symbolize a fundamental change in the way we listen to classical music. Beethoven was the most beloved and influential composers of his time. Their music had flaws and that is what made it breathtaking, comfortable and easy to listen to. It is now known that between the lives of Bach and Beethoven we can understand that though their love for composing and classical music was the same in some aspects they were exact opposites in the end when it came to their genre, musical instruments and recognition.
classical music has been dead to the young. There have been many genres of music
After the defeat of the Confederate States of America by the Union in the Civil War of 1865 the United States of America entered the Reconstruction period. America entered the Reconstruction period in hopes to help rebuild the South after the Civil War. As Republicans entered the reconstruction period they began to write terms on which the South could join the Union once again. They also began to describe the rights of the freed slaves. The Reconstruction period established many challenges that the freed slaves had to endure but it also helped to give millions of slaves their freedom and freed slaves began to get more rights. Many Southerners did not agree with this and it led to some conflicts. There were many changes in the Southern lifestyle due to Reconstruction.
Reconstruction began in 1865, when America had just finished fighting the Civil War. Reconstruction was a time when America tried to become a developed country again. The south struggled politically, economically, and socially. During reconstruction there were almost four million former slaves, who had been freed by the 13th amendment, who were on their own and had no idea how to live alone. People were scattered everywhere trying to get things fixed, which took a long twelve years. Socially the south faced problems such as, the number of wounded soldiers there was after the Civil War was over, which decreased their number of workers that could work to help reconstruction. Economically the south faces a great deal of starvation problems. Towns were burnt and fields with crops were ruined. This delayed the replanting of crops while the prices of food, were still very high. Lastly, politically the south faced issues with voting of different races.
Some of the most well known composers came to be in the in the classical music period. Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the composers, along with other greats of the time like Haydn and Mozart, which helped to create a new type of music. This new music had full rich sounds created by the new construction of the symphony orchestra.
The Reconstruction tried to help restore and unify the United States. The South had drafted new constitutions, they also acknowledged the Thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth Amendments. That action showed that the south was loyal to the US government. Even with that small progress there continued to be much tension between whites and blacks during the 1870s. Freed people of the south were resented by whites for wanting an education and for wanting a better life for themselves, this period of time was very hard and trying for African Americans. This was a volatile time in America’s history.
The Reconstruction of the South wasn’t completed due to corruption in the North, and because of the Panic of 1873. These two events change how the South could have been and made it to what it was. The corruption of Grant swung in favor of the Klan and hurt the black people, also with the economic depression it shifted the attention of the North and making them take care of their own needs instead of their wrongfully treated
TitleAuthor/ EditorPublisherDate James Galways’ Music in TimeWilliam MannMichael Beazley Publishers1982 The Concise Oxford History of MusicGerald AbrahamOxford University Press1979 Music in Western CivilizationPaul Henry LangW. W. Norton and Company1941 The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Classical MusicRobert AinsleyCarlton Books Limited1995 The Cambridge Music GuideStanley SadieCambridge University Press1985 School text: Western European Orchestral MusicMary AllenHamilton Girls’ High School1999 History of MusicRoy BennettCambridge University Press1982 Classical Music for DummiesDavid PogueIDG Books Worldwide,Inc1997
The Classical Era lasted from approximately 1775-1825, which is when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart became famous. The classical era was also known as the Age of Enlightenment. Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu wrote the value of the common person and the power of human reasoning in overcoming problems. The music of the Classical Era reflects the principles of clarity, proportion, and what critics of the day called “naturalness.” During the Classical Era, performing publically was the new view in the way music should be written for the common person. Church music tended to be more conservative than secular compositions. Three composers kind of dominated the Classical Era which are Franz Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
During the middle ages, music was not very unique. A single melody, or plainchant, would be sung to words from the Bible or other religious texts. Songs were also performed at castles and marketplaces by composer-poets known as minstrels, troubadours, and trouveres. Composers included the German nun Hildegard von Bingen and the popular French trouvere Blondel de Nesle (Novak). Music either associated with the king and nobles, or it was composed for religious reasons. It was a very limited amount of creativity, only singing about heroism and nobility. Music in France had been influenced by many other European countries. They all shared the same style during that time. The instruments that were used during this time period, included wind, string, and percussion instruments.
America has gone through many different struggles and positive changes. There have been so many different revolutionary moments in America. One of these revolutionary moments was Reconstruction after the civil war. Reconstruction had different periods such as Emancipation and Reconstruction, Presidential Reconstruction, Radical Reconstruction, and the Compromise of 1877. The period of Reconstruction had many goals and accomplishments. Reconstruction did come to an end and just like most revolutionary moments in history Reconstruction was labeled both a success and a failure. Though human equality was the main goal of the Reconstruction period in the South after the Civil War, it proved to be an attempted
Pop. Traditional. Classical. These are all genres of music. These all serve a purpose. These are all important. Pop music has been used to help inform and motivate the general public during movements like environmental protection and gay rights. Traditional music has helped to guide us by telling us stories of the past from the church to the fields. Classical music has been played for royalty and help dancers spin a story. Some can be considered art while others can’t, but it often differs because the definition of art is in constant motion. The definition of art is a subject philosopher’s debate because it can be defined strictly or loosely. For the purpose of this essay, let art be defined as anything that can be touched or heard, and it causes a mental and physical reaction. Classical music is truly an art form because it invokes a mental and physical reaction from both the audience and the performers, and it has contrast to make it more dynamic.
The thirteenth amendment was added in 1865, proposing that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except for punishment of a crime, shall be convicted within the United States”. This amendment protected African-Americans from being convicted of crimes, just because of the color of their skin and being a slave. African American were convicted many times before and during the war because they were slaves. Section 2 of the thirteenth amendment was proposed as well, which stated: “Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” This section gave Congress the power over the amendment instead of the local state governments. African American’s after the war wanted a few issues resolved that would give them rights as citizens. One of the main issues, African-Americans wanted to resolve was their marriages being declared by the state officials. Before and during the war, many slaves hold their own marriage ceremonies but was not seen legal by the state. Another issue they wanted to resolve was the right of education for their children. Slaves were originally not allowed to learn how to read and write or be educated in any way. They did not want slaves to have an education because it would make them equal to them. A freed Mississippi slave stated, “I shall give my children a chance to go to school, For I consider education, the next best ting to Liberty”. Many slaves believed that education was the only way they would be seen as citizen’s Slaves also wanted more housing and opportunities across the South. Also, before the war slaves were not allowed in any place other than their slave owner plantations. After the war, local governments gave slaves forty acres and a mule, which helped freedmen get their own housing. When it comes to jobs after the war, slaves wanted more labor opportunities in the south. The industry of sharecropping rose after the
Classical music is known as light and smooth, also it is heavily emphasized on homophonic melodies, meaning that there is a single melody that every instrument plays. Thus, the significant turning point of classical music in humanity’s social and cultural development is that this type of music first heard became very popular in the 18th century. Classical music created energy, rhythm, and harmonic symphony and from these people advanced more and more and made these elements much better. This turning point not just improved classical music, but other music that evolved from classical music. Also, Classical music is known as one of the first music ever in the nation. When people listen to classical music they can identify the soft rhythm and how peaceful it sounds. According to the article Music Genres as Historical Artifacts, “Classical music in general is an important part of the cultural capital that gains access to scarce economic, educational and occupational resources” (Vlegels). It can be shown that just a certain type of music can give so many elements defining music and educational resources as well; which make it a significant turning point in the cultural or social development. People love music that soothes their heart and mind, and that could get their mind off of all the negativity around