Research on Classic Music ( Defining Classical Music and History and Evolution of Classical Music)

For my composition I have choose classical music, so I decided to research on it.

While many now think of Classical music as stodgy and stiff, the style itself began as a rebellion against the heavy influence of the Church in music. Classical music gave audiences a complete idea to the power of newly perfected instruments.

Defining Classical Music

Classical music is a tricky genre, mainly because to the uninformed everything before jazz sounds like it! Indeed, Classical music and Baroque music both use orchestras to produce their distinctive sounds, but the way in which each does it is truly different. For example, Baroque music is very heavy, whereas Classical music is light, almost airy. 

Indeed, Classical music greatly emphasized homophonic melodies, meaning that there was a single melody that all the instruments played, instead of the layered melodies of the Baroque period. This allowed for Classical pieces to be much more powerful, whereas Baroque pieces were just pretty in comparison. 

History and Evolution of Classical Music

Following the death of J.S. Bach in 1750, composers began to rebel against the strict rules of Baroque music. Particularly, they were tired of the overly-intricate stylings of layered melodies that could only display so much technical mastery. In short, the composers knew that their musicians, and themselves, were capable of so much more. 

As such, music during this period moved away from the ornate nature of music before, instead searching for clarity. Often, there would be only one melody, and this was played with each instrument contributing its own range and voice to the piece as a whole. 

With this newfound clarity came a period of extensive growth for one innovation of Baroque music that the Classicists were loathe to rid themselves of: the opera. Suddenly, with precision of music, the story of the characters could become more pronounced, allowing dramatic interest to be complimented by pointed musical contributions rather than dictated by heavy melodies.