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.

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.