History of Classical Music

  • Western Classical Music is considered to have evolved from Early Church Music during the 1st century CE and then undergone several phases leading up to the present day.

Before Classical Music

  • Ancient Greek Music (7th century – 146 BCE)
    • Musical Instruments:
      • The Ancient Greeks first used the Phorminx (Lyre), Aulos (Oboe), Kithara (Lyre) and Harp. Later they used the Cithara (Lyre), Syrinx (Pan Flute), Kanonaki (Hand held Box Zither), Hydraulis (a Pipe Organ with a keyboard), Salpinx (Brass Trumpet), Tympanum (Tambourine) and Crotalum (Castanets).
    • Musical Tradition: (7th-5th centuries BCE):
      • Pythagoras (c. 570-c. 495 BCE) developed the idea of octave scales and began exploring the science of music.
      • The later ‘Introduction to Music’ by Alypius (c.360 CE) has preserved the Greek musical notation, which consisted of two systems, a vocal system and an instrumental system. Only 15 examples of Ancient Greek music have survived.
      • Music was played at Religious Festivals, Events, Worship, Initiation and Rituals. Music was used as a catalyst to produce ecstasy during Prophesying. The Trumpet was used by the Army on the Battlefield.  The Aulos (Oboe) and Percussion Instruments were used on the Galleys for the Oarsmen to keep time.
      • It is not known whether the Poetry of Homer (c.850 BCE) was spoken or sung.
      • Monodic (No Harmony). Lyrical Poetry, which was sung. First known Composer: Terpander of Lesbos.
      • Composers: Nine Lyric Poets founded the Lyrical Poem. Sappho (c.630-570 BCE) wrote the Ode to Aphrodite. Pindar (c.522-443 BCE) developed the classical Ode in The Odes of Pindar, the other Poets include Alcman of Sparta.
    • Post Classical Period (5th century – 146 BCE)
      • Free expression, elaborate Melodies, Rythms and Chromaticism (meaning using not just the seven notes on the Diatonic Scale).
      • Composers: Phrynis of Mitylene (c.450 BCE), Timotheus of Miletus and the Playwright Euripides (480-406 BCE).
  • Ancient Roman Music (753 BCE-380 CE)
    • Musical Instruments:
      • The Ancient Romans played numerous instruments including the Cornu, Kithara (Lyre), Harp, Tuba, Lute, Pan Flute, Aulos (Oboe) and Sistrum.
      • A collection of Roman musical instruments is held in the British Museum.
    • Musical Tradition:

Timeline of Classical Music

  • Early Church Music (50-476 CE)
    • Classical music is considered to have started with Early Church Music.
    • Vocal Music:
      • Early Church Music had no instruments and was only sung by the Clergy. This remained unchanged until the Reformation (1517 CE).
    • Instruments:
      • None.
    • Musical tradition:
      • Byzantine Music, the music of the Byzantine Empire, was based on Ancient Greek Music, and is the closest to which we can trace Early Church music. Its main records start around 500 CE.
      • A famous hymn, with one or more Stanzas, is the Easter Vespers Hymn ‘Phos Hilaron’ (O Resplendent Light), which we know of from a fourth century CE description.
  • Medieval Music (476-1400 CE)
    • Instruments:
      • Vocal Music:
        • Monophonic chant or Gregorian chant (sung or played by a single musician without harmony or chords), which later developed into a Polyphonic style (having two or more lines of melody).
      • Wind:
        • Flute, Recorder, Organ.
      • Stringed:
        • Lyre, Rebec, Vieille (Violin).
    • Composers:
      • Guillaume de Machaut, Hildegard of Bingen, Johannes Ciconia and Philippe de Vitry.
  • Renaissance Music (1400-1600 CE)
    • Vocal music:
      • Polyphonic style (having two or more lines of melody).
    •  Instruments:
      • Brass:
        • valveless Trumpet, slide Trumpet, Cornet, Sackbut.
      • Stringed:
        • Bandora, Cittern, Guitar, Hurdy-Gurdy (similar to a Violin), Lute, Lyre (similar to a Harp), Opharion, Rebec, Viol.
      • Keyboards:
        • Harpsichord, Clavichord.
      • Percussion:
        • Bells, Drums, Tambourine, Triangle.
      • Woodwind:
        • Bagpipe, Crumhorn (similar to an Oboe), Dulcian, Reed Pipe, Recorder, Shawm, Transverse Flute.
    • Composers:
      • William Byrd, John Dowland, John Dunstaple, Joaquin des Prez, Orlande de Lassus, Guillaume du Fay, Giovanni Gabrieli and Ciprioano de Rore.
  • Common Practice Period
    • Baroque Era (1600-1750 CE)
      • Musical Tradition:
        • This was the era of Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell and Antonio Vivaldi.
      • Vocal music:
        • Cantatas and oratorios.
      • Instruments:
        • Stringed:
          • Baroque Guitar, cello, contrabass, harp, hurdy-gurdy, lute, mandolin, theorbo (long necked lute), viol, viola, viola d’amore and violin.
        • Woodwind:
          • baroque flute, baroque oboe, bassoon, recorder.
        • Brass:
          • cornet, natural horn, serpent, natural trumpet and trombone.
        • Keyboard:
          • clavichord, fortepiano (early piano), tangent piano (a more evolved harpsichord), harpsichord, pipe organ.
        • Percussion:
          • castanets, snare drum, tambourine and timpani.
      • Composers:
        • Johann Sebastian Bach, Arcangelo Corelli, George Frideric Handel, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Pachelbel, Henry Purcell, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Alessandro Scarlatti, Domenico Scarlatti, Barbara Strozzi, Heinrich Schutz, Georg Philipp Telemann and Antonio Vivaldi.
    • Classical Era (1750-1820 CE)
      • Musical Tradition:
        • This was the era of Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
        • The Piano became the main keyboard instrument, Chamber music developed into a group of 8-10 musicians, the arrangement of the Orchestra started to become standard with 40 musicians, Opera rose in popularity, including the comic Opera buffa, the Symphony developed as a style of music and the Concerto offered individual musicians the opportunity to excel.
      • Instruments:
        • Stringed:
          • the string quartet of cello, double bass, viola, violin became standard in the orchestra string section. They replaced the Baroque era viols.
        • Woodwind:
          • bassoon, the chalumeau, basset clarinet, classical clarinet, basset horn, clarinette d’amour, flute and oboe.
        • Keyboard:
          • clavichord, fortepiano, harpsichord (disused by 1800).
        • Brass:
          • buccin, ophicleide (which replaced the serpent, an early tuba), natural horn.
        • Wind:
          • double-reed: oboe, bassoon. Single reed clarinet instruments later became popular with Mozart in orchestral, chamber and concerto music.
      • Composers:
        • Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
        • Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Luigi Boccherini, Muzio Clementi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Antonio Salieri,
    • Romantic Era (1810-1900 CE)
      • Musical Tradition:
        • The modern piano replaced the fortepiano.
        • The size of the Orchestra grew to over 100 musicians as the families of instruments were expanded.
      • Instruments:
        • Woodwind:
          • New instruments added: contrabassoon, bass clarinet and piccolo.
        • Percussion:
          • New instruments added: xylophone, snare drum, celesta (bells using a keyboard), bells and triangles.
        • Brass:
          • A new range of notes added by using rotary valves.
          • New instrument: Saxophone as a solo instrument, cornet appears with the trumpet. Modified instruments: Wagner tuba
        • String:
          • New instrument added: orchestral harp.
      • Composers:
        • Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms, Frederic Chopin, Edvard Grieg, Franz Liszt, Nikolai Medtner, Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, Alexander Scriabin, Robert Schumann, Johann Strauss II, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Guiseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner.
        • Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss are included here and also in the early Modernist Era.
  • Modernist (1890-1930 CE)
    • Instruments:
    • Composers:
      • Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss
  • Post-Modernist (1930-today)
    • Instruments:
    • Composers:

 

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