Contemporary Period

Why do musical styles change? The "evolution" of music is at least partly
shaped by the influence one composer has on another. These influences
are not always positive, however. Sometimes composers react against
the music of their recent past (even though they might admire it) and move
in what seems to be the opposite direction. For example, the simplified
style of the early Classical period was almost certainly a reaction to the
extreme intricacies of the late Baroque.
The late Romantic period featured its own extremes: sprawling
symphonies and tone-poems overflowing with music that seemed to
stretch harmony and melody to their limits. It is certainly possible to view
some early 20th century music as an extension of the late Romantic style,
but a great deal of it can also be interpreted as a reaction against that
style.
20th century music is a series of "isms" and "neo-isms." The primal energy
of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring has been called neo-Primitivism. The
intensely emotional tone of Schönberg's early music has been labeled
Expressionism. The return to clearly structured forms and textures has
been dubbed neo-Classicism. These terms have been employed in an
attempt to organize the diversity of styles running through the 20th
century.
Nationalism continued to be a strong musical influence in the first half of
the century. The study of folk songs enriched the music of numerous
composers, such as Ralph Vaughan Williams (England), Bela Bartok
(Hungary), Heitor Villa Lobos (Brazil) and Aaron Copland (USA). Jazz
and popular musical styles have also been tremendously influential on
"classical" composers from both the United States and Europe.
Technology has played a increasingly important role in the development of
20th century music. Composers have used recording tape as a
compositional tool (such as Steve Reich's Violin Phase). Electronically
generated sounds have been used both on their own and in combination
with traditional instruments. More recently, computer technology has been
used in a variety of ways, including manipulating the performance of
instruments in real time.

Medieval

When we explore Medieval music, we are dealing with the longest and most distant period of musical history. Saint Gregory is credited with organizing the huge repertory of chant that developed during the first centuries of the Christian church, hence the term Gregorian chant. He was pope from 590 to 604, and the Medieval era continued into the 1400s, so this period consists of almost a millennium's worth of music.
One of the principal difficulties in studying Medieval music is that a system for notating music developed only gradually. The first examples of musical notation date from around 900. For several centuries, notation only indicated what pitch (or note) to sing. The system for notating rhythm started in the 12th or 13th century.
Gregorian chant is monophonic, meaning music that consists of only one melodic line without accompaniment. The beauty of chant lies in the serene, undulating shapes of its melody. We do not know who wrote the melodies of Gregorian chant. Like folk melodies, the music probably mutated as it was passed down through generations and eventually reached its notated form.
Polyphony, music where two or more melodic lines are heard simultaneously, did not exist (or was not notated) until the 11th century. Unlike chant, polyphony required the participation of a composer to combine the melodic lines in a pleasing manner. Although most Medieval polyphonic music is anonymous--the names of the composers were either lost or never written down at all--there are composers whose work was so important that their names were preserved along with their music.

Renaissance Period 1400-1600 A.D.

In the mid-1500s, a prominent bishop commented that music composed
for the church should reflect the meaning of the words so that the listeners
would be moved to piety. This concept seems like a no-brainer today,
but it was a fairly new idea at the time. To suggest that Medieval
composers had no desire to write "expressive" music would be unfair.
But, it was the rediscovery of ancient Greek ideals in the Renaissance that
inspired many musicians to explore the eloquent possibilities of their art.
The increased value of individualism in the Renaissance is reflected by the
changing role of the composer in society. Unlike most of their Medieval
predecessors, the great masters of the Renaissance were revered in their
own lifetimes. The technique of printing music, while slow to evolve,
helped in the preservation and distribution of music and musical ideas.
Sacred music was still predominant, though secular music became more
prevalent and more sophisticated. The repertory of instrumental music
also began to expand significantly. New instruments were invented,
including the clavichord and virginal (both keyboard instruments) and
many existing instruments were improved.
Masses and motets were the primary forms of sacred vocal polyphony.
Secular vocal forms included motets, madrigals and songs (generally
accompanied by lute or a small instrumental ensemble or "consort").
Instrumental pieces were usually short polyphonic works or music for
dancing.
Compared with the Medieval style, Renaissance polyphony was lush and
sonorous. The era between Josquin Desprez and Palestrina is known as
"the golden age of polyphony." Imitation--where one melodic line shares,
or imitates the same musical theme as a previous melodic line--became an
important polyphonic technique. Imitation was one method composers
used to make complex music more easily comprehensible and give the
listener a sense of structure. Imitative polyphony can be heard in the
masses and motets of composers from Josquin onward and is featured in
instrumental music by Byrd, Gibbons, and the Gabriellis.

Romantic period

Just as the word "Classical"conjures up certain images, Romantic is at
least as evocative. Whether we thinkof those romance novels with the
tawdry covers, or the paintings ofDelacroix, Romanticism implies fantasy,
spontaneity and sensuality.
The Classicalperiod focused on structuralclarity and emotional restraint.
Classical music was expressive, butnot so passionate that it could
overwhelm a work's equilibrium. Beethovenwho was in some ways
responsible for igniting the flameof romanticism, always struggled
(sometimes unsuccessfully) to maintainthat balance. Many composers of
the Romantic period followed Beethoven'smodel and found their own
balance between emotional intensityand Classicalform. Others reveled in
the new atmosphere of artistic freedomand created music whose
structurewas designed to support its emotional surges. Musical
story-telling became important, andnot just in opera,but in "pure"
instrumentalmusic as well. The tone-poem is a particularly Romantic
invention, as it was an orchestralwork whose structurewas entirely
dependent on the scene being depictedor the story being told.
Colorwas another important feature of Romantic music. New instruments
were added to the orchestraand composersexperimented with ways to
get new sounds from existing instruments.A large palette of musical
colorswas necessary to depict the exotic scenes that became so popular.
Exoticism was something of a 19thcentury obsession. Russian composers
wrote music depicting Spanish landscapes(Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's
Capriccio Espagnol, for example) andGerman composers wrote music
depicting Scottish landscapes (Mendelssohn'sScottish Symphony).
Operaswere set in exotic locales (Verdi's Aïda is set in Ancient Egypt).
In addition to seeking out the sightsand sounds of other places,
composersbegan exploring the music of their native countries.
Nationalism became a driving forcein the late Romantic period and
composers wanted their music to expresstheir cultural identity. This
desire was particularly intense inRussia and Eastern Europe, where
elementsof folk music were incorporated into symphonies, tone-poems
and other "Classical"forms.
The Romantic period was the heydayof the virtuoso. Exceptionally gifted
performers--and particularly pianists,violinists, and singers--became
enormously popular. Liszt, the greatHungarian pianist/composer,
reportedly played with such passionand intensity that women in the
audience would faint. Since, likeLiszt, most composers were also
virtuoso performers, it was inevitablethat the music they wrote would be
extremely challenging to play.
The Romantic period witnessed an unprecedentedglorification of the
artist--whether musician, poet orpainter--that has had a powerful impact
on our own culture.

sejarah music rock

Sejarah musik rock memiliki asal yang beragam. Di awal tahun 1950an orang berdebat mengenai akar dari musik rock and roll ini. Musik rock pada dasarnya dieksplor dan dikembangkan oleh banyak orang namun demikian akar musik rock yang paling kuat adalah pada musik blues dan rhythm. Blues dan rhythm lalu memproduski sebuah lagu yang oleh beberapa orang diklaim sebagai lagu rock and roll pertama berjudul 'Rocket '88' oleh Jackie Brenston.
Dengan berjalannya waktu, black musik yang dianggap sebagai musik 'ras' ini mulai disukai. Pendengar kulit putih juga mendengarkan lagu-lagu R&B dan membeli rekamanan 'ras' ini. Masuknya black music ke telinga audience mainstream mempopulerkan Motown, label rekaman khusus untuk black music yang menjadi bagian terbesar musik pop tahun 1960an. Namun demikian, kebanyakan pendengar kulit putih hanya mendengarkan black music bila lagu-lagu tersebut dinyanyikan ulang oleh penyanyi kulit putih.
Di akhir tahun 1950an dan awal tahun 1960an kebanayakn pendengar muda mendengarkan campuran dari musik rock and roll, pop dan R&B. Rock bagaimanapun masih dilihat sebagai jenis musik sendiri sampai akhir tahun 1960an dengan adanya Motown, The Beatles, Rolling Stones dan aliran rock keras seperti Led Zeppelin dan Jimi HendrixSejarah musik rock memiliki asal yang beragam. Di awal tahun 1950an orang berdebat mengenai akar dari musik rock and roll ini. Musik rock pada dasarnya dieksplor dan dikembangkan oleh banyak orang namun demikian akar musik rock yang paling kuat adalah pada musik blues dan rhythm. Blues dan rhythm lalu memproduski sebuah lagu yang oleh beberapa orang diklaim sebagai lagu rock and roll pertama berjudul 'Rocket '88' oleh Jackie Brenston. Dengan berjalannya waktu, black musik yang dianggap sebagai musik 'ras' ini mulai disukai. Pendengar kulit putih juga mendengarkan lagu-lagu R&B dan membeli rekamanan 'ras' ini. Masuknya black music ke telinga audience mainstream mempopulerkan Motown, label rekaman khusus untuk black music yang menjadi bagian terbesar musik pop tahun 1960an. Namun demikian, kebanyakan pendengar kulit putih hanya mendengarkan black music bila lagu-lagu tersebut dinyanyikan ulang oleh penyanyi kulit putih. Di akhir tahun 1950an dan awal tahun 1960an kebanayakn pendengar muda mendengarkan campuran dari musik rock and roll, pop dan R&B. Rock bagaimanapun masih dilihat sebagai jenis musik sendiri sampai akhir tahun 1960an dengan adanya Motown, The Beatles, Rolling Stones dan aliran rock keras seperti Led Zeppelin dan Jimi Hendrix