History of Classical Music

Over the past 4-5 centuries the portrayal of music has dramatically changed in many different ways. This page focuses on the 4.5 periods since 1685, as described on the home page. Welcome to classical music history in a nutshell. Let's zoom 338 years into the past.

The first period is known as the Baroque period, and it is recognized to have lasted for pretty much the life of J.S. Bach, from his birth in 1685 to his death in 1750. The Baroque period is characterized by its heavy use of motifs and static but sudden dynamic changes... (Add more later)

Strings, the clavichord, and the harpsichord were very popular instruments in this era.

Notable composers include George Frideric Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach, and others.

The second period is the Classical period. Known for greater ranges of dynamics and more creativity than Baroque...

As a keyboard instrument the harpsichord was largely replaced by the fortepiano, now often known just as the piano. This allowed for more dynamic... well, dynamics, instead of the statically changing dynamics of the Baroque period. This in turn led to more emotional expression at the keyboard. Many types of concertos, often being comprised of a solo instrument player over an ensemble, also began to appear.

Notable composers include Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and others. Characterized with more freedom of time, key, Many well-known pieces come from this period, such as Fur Elise.

After that was the Romantic period, probably my favorite of the periods personally. Known for much more grandieur, much more emotion (Not that there wasn't as much in previous periods, this one just took it to another level) and the music was also much more individualistic. There was also more chromaticism, which is the use of notes that are not within a key.

Notable composers include Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Mendelssohn and many others.

Then came what I call "The half period." The Impressionist period is characterized by its watercolor-like feel. If you can imagine fluttery, pastelly music, that is this period. Notable composers include Claude Debussy (Not to be confused with Claude Monet, an impressionist painter. I mean seriously, what is up with Claudes and the impressionist period?) and Maurice Ravel.

Contemporary Period... The modern period. Everything went out the window, music is now Turing complete. Write a piece in the phrygian mode and 13/8, except every 3 measures it's 15/8 just to piss everyone off (If you don't know what that means, that's the point of contemporary music). This period draws a lot from non-classical music as well, such as electronic, rock, pop, and other genres. Notable composers include John Cage, Phillip Glass, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and others.