September is Classical Music Month

September is Classical Music Month
By Robert Bruce

Classical Music Month recognizes the study and beauty of classical music. But what do we mean by “classical music”? Ask any number of people and you might get as many different answers. When I refer to classical music, I think of musical works by masters of their art that have in some way shaped the history of music, the development and evolution of many different genres within the classical canon throughout the ages. So let’s take a brief look at some of those periods.

The Middle Ages (c. 500 to 1400) was dominated by the church, and much of the music of the period is for voices with sacred texts, including Gregorian Chant, early polyphony (the combination of two or more voices), French organum, and the motets of Guillaume de Machaut. The “popular” music of the time (which we now consider “classical”) were the songs and dances of the troubadours and minnesingers.

The Renaissance (c. 1400 to 1600) was also dominated by sacred vocal music, of a complex polyphonic style. From three- and four-voice settings to the remarkable forty-voice motet Spem in alium by English composer Thomas Tallis, composers were experimenting with and expanding the sounds that combined human voices could make. Noteworthy composers of the period include Josquin des Prez, Giovanni da Palestrina, Orlando di Lasso, and William Byrd.

With the creation of opera, the new style of the Baroque Era (c. 1600 to 1750) came into being. This led to the idea of melodic writing with a simple bass line, with written out harmonies later added to fill out the textures. Owing to improvements in instrument-making, this was the period that saw the rise of instrumental music, from sonatas and keyboard works, to concertos and dance suites. Sacred music was still prevalent, but now included solo cantatas as well as polyphonic choral works. Masters of the baroque style include Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, and George Frideric Handel.

The Viennese Classical Period (1750 to 1820) saw simpler, leaner textures applied to music, and the foundation of the principal forms (symphony, sonata, string quartet) that composers would use for many years after. Melody was prime, and the introduction of variety and dynamics important. Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Mozart were the principal composers of the period, with Ludwig van Beethoven greatly expanding the established forms while adding a personal expression that led directly into the next period.

The Romantic Era (1820 to 1910) saw the creation of intensely expressive and emotional music, as well as the growth of the symphony orchestra with the addition of wind, brass, and percussion instruments. Program music (music that tells a story or is based on literature or visual arts) was created, and composers were valued for their individual voice and style. Miniatures for solo piano and songs were prevalent, and opera saw its heyday. Some of the most important composers of the age were Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms, Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

Romanticism had a long extension into the Twentieth Century, with music by composers such as Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, and Sergei Rachmaninov. American jazz influenced some composers, while the “expansion of the dissonance” found free reign in the compositions of Arnold Schoenberg and his followers. Among the towering composers of the century were Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Benjamin Britten.