The Renaissance period was a time of innovation and exploration. The term Renaissance means re-birth and during this time period music was being reborned in a certain way because there was new interest in the composition of music. No longer is music just instrumental but its now sang by groups of boys or men. What excites me about this period is that people was innovating music and sharing their music with others. One historical event during the Renaissance was the Reformation. It was a time when people wanted to change the wrong doings of the Roman Catholic church and as a result it created the Protestant church.

The music during the Renaissance was described as holy and sacred because most of the time music was used for worship and ceremonial reasons. Genres like German music and Renaissance motet was the dominant genres. The composer that I choose is Clement Janequin and his piece La Guerre. The music sounded to what I expect. The music is sang by groups of boys and men and it sounded very holy. At the same time it sounded very fancy like something you would listen in a concert hall. What suprised me is that it was very upbeat and there is many layers to what is being sang.

The Classical Period took place from 1730 to 1820. It took inspiration from German and Italian Styles. It focused on Thematic development which meant varying melodies and rhythm. This was during the Enlightenment period where there was an emphasis on individual rights and empowering the people. This was also during the time of the Industrial Revolution where the middle class was created, music was shifting from being only for the people who could afford it, like the church, to the working class. The Opera also became prominent, it was a new genre.

A Composer from this time period is Ludwig Van Beethoven, he lived from 1770 to 1827. The piece I listened to was Fur Elise, and as the book describes as the use of thematic development is, there are different melodies throughout that differentiates the sections within it and that is heavily displayed throughout the piece, with its slow melodies to where it speeds up.

The Romantic Era, which lasted from 1820 to 1900, excites me because new instruments that we still use today were invented or improved around this time. Instruments such as the flute, saxophone and tuba. These instruments were used heavily in Romantic era music. These instruments added depth to the orchestra and are seen in other genres of music outside of western music. A historical event that I connect this time period with is when the slaves were freed in America in 1865 with the passing of the 13th Amendment. Also during this time reconstruction was happening in America due to the ending of the Civil War. So America was trying to get back on their feet from the destruction that happened in the South. The textbook describes this music as “emotional intense” because the composer wanted you to feel all the emotion during each piece they played. 

The composer I chose to listen to was Franz Liszt piece called Liebestraum No. 3. This sounded exactly how the textbook described because I felt all the emotion through this piece. It starts off slow but builds intensity and emotion throughout the piece. When I did more research on the song I found that this is the last part of the piece and it is a story about love. Listening to the piece it felt like it was telling all the stages of love because it starts off soft then gets more dramatic in the middle then gets soft near the end again.

            The twentieth century represents a time so closely related yet so distant from the world in which we live in today. Though it saw the rise of much of the technology we still depend on today, the world that existed then and that exists now are so vastly different. That is what makes the twentieth century a particular source of intrigue and excitement for me. Much of these differences, of course, have to do with the two world wars that the generation of the twentieth century had to face. Thankfully, we in the twenty first century have not had to endure such damaging and horrific events. Throughout my years of schooling, I have consistently learned about the world wars, how they started, what devastation they caused, and how they ended. Rarely did we talk about the effects of the wars on society though. For this reason, I never really realized that an event as horrifying as a world war could influence the music styles that arose afterwards. However, now, the point seems abundantly clear.

            Post-world war music is explained to be music that challenged the very definition of “music.” More and more musicians experimented with Expressionism, which focused on exploring the unconscious mind. Perhaps this was a way for the populace to recuperate after the terrors of wartime, as introspection is often used as a therapeutic measure. Electronic music also blossomed, signifying the increase of technology that followed the world wars in the victorious nations. Perhaps the most noteworthy development was Minimalism, a form of music that focused on harmonic consonance, slow, steady pulses that created an atmosphere similar to that of hypnotism. The characteristics of these musical styles very much reflect the way society attempted to heal after the devastating effects of the world wars by focusing on their consciousness, advancements and peace,

            When I listened to Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train” I was pleasantly surprised. This piece, unlike the smooth and steady pulses of Minimalism, was energetic. I could close my eyes and picture cartoons characters like Tom and Jerry running around to the beat. Of course, I had heard of and listened to the work of Duke Ellington before, but now playing this song I recognize just why he was such a success and considered a pioneer in the musical world.

The Baroque period occurred at the end of the 16th century and is defined in the textbook by the “revival of the emotional power of Ancient Greek drama” (page 50). This lead there to be an invention of the genre of opera. Something about this period which excites me would be that there started to be involvement of instruments during this time, which is a large part of music today. And I believe the addition of instruments into music as an accompaniment was a great idea, hence there are usually instruments preset in most music now.

A historical event which occurred during the Baroque period was the findings of Jamestown, the first American colony. Another historical event which took place during the end of the 16th century is the Salem witch hunt, which was the accusation of witchcraft for several woman.

The way the music during this period is described in the textbook is that operas finale started to feature “dues ex machina” which is a “plot device in which any remaining problems were miraculously resolved.” The mention of new instrumental genres arising was mentioned as well such as sonata and concerto. The book also mentions is the “addition of decorative notes” which are ornaments to melodic lines, to both vocal and instrumentals. The Baroque period which I did not know to much about before reading the textbook I know am aware of the interesting period of music this is, and the importance of it.

One of the composers mentioned whom I chose to listen to is George Frideric Handel’s piece “Messiah.” I use to sing this piece every year as a closing act in high school in my choir class, so I am familiar with this piece as it is a very wonderful work to listen to. As the time period was described in the textbook this piece did fit the description as there was an accompaniment of the orchestra. Since the textbook mentioned the increasing use of different instruments in this period that really stood out since you are able to hear the violin and other instruments with vocalist behind them. Overall, this was an interesting period to learn more about and expand my knowledge.

The Medieval period took place in 430 ca through 1430 following the history of Europe, starting from the collapse of the Roman empire to the start of the Renaissance. During this time period, Western notations was introduced, mostly used for composing music. In addition to this, a practice of writing the same melodies that sound at the same time was introduced more specifically called polyphony. Reading and learning about this musical era made me realize, this was the start of music. The Medieval period was a time where music was just taking place and curiosity filled the air. When I think of the Medieval times I think of knights in shining armor, and fairytale like princes and princesses living in brick castles. The textbook describes this time periods music as just a single free flowing line with a vocal line. They were just introduced with adding poetry into their music, so it was a start of something new for them.

The composer I decided to pick was named Perotin (1200), and I listened to his song Beata Viscera. This piece was very beautiful in a way where I really felt like I was physically living in the Medieval era. The song sounded like it could be the background music for the movie Narnia because it was so fitting and a bit spooky in a way. I think the way the textbook described this genre of music was spot on because there weren’t many instruments or other sounds heard in this piece. It really was just one string of music and a vocal line. Although there wasn’t much that went to create this piece, this song gave me the chills and goosebumps. However, when I thought of music from the medieval era, I thought more of a dancing and upbeat genre of music. This is because when I pictured the medieval era I pictured knights on horses jousting and celebrating with a cup of beer, at a pub dancing. Except, this piece by Perotin sounded like a church affiliated type of music, and definitely not a song you would dance to.