Any survey of the music from the Western canon opens a wealth of information from each angle. From a chronological viewpoint, comparisons are drawn easily from other fields, such as art, philosophy, and science. If taking a geographical approach, certain areas will surface as hubs of major innovation and creativity. This study will take the former method, forging a path from ancient times to current day. The reader will be taken on a journey that explores significant contributions from musicians, particularly composers, and from several disciplines that also impacted that time period.
Scholars agree on the labeling of each time period, all included here: the Medieval Period, the Renaissance, the Baroque Period, the Classical Period, the Romantic Period, the Modern Period, and the Post-Modern Period. Chapters 2 – 8 correspond to a specific time period. Scholars also agree that specific dates for each time period are helpful to categorize stylistic characteristics but that absolute dates are impossible to determine. Ludwig von Beethoven, for example, was born during what are considered the years of the Classical Period and wrote music during that time. He also developed new musical characteristics that he incorporated later, in what are known as the years of the Romantic Period. Could he have written music typical of the Classical style late in his life, that is, during the Romantic Period? Yes, of course. In the same way that today’s film composer can write music for a film set in the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603) and begin a new score after that reflecting a 1950’s dance in America, composers throughout history dabbled in various styles and techniques. What reaches the history books, though, are only the works that became popular through performances, requests, and commissions from paying customers. For each time period, then, the reader will find popular composers and one or two of the many musical works that helped generate interest in their art.
In each chapter, the reader will find the goals for which the content was created, a list of key individuals of the period, an historical context, an overview of the music with audio examples and listening guides, a chapter summary, and, in a few cases, a glossary with new terminology. The key individuals chosen here made an immense impact on the world of music, but this should not be taken as an exhaustive list. A quick search in the Petrucci Music Library (imslp.org) for Baroque music, for example, produces nearly 25,000 different works by a multitude of different composers. Within the historical context, the reader will find interesting developments from other areas of life that impacted the music world. A musical overview provides the advances made with musical sounds. In some cases, new instruments were introduced. In others, stylistic traits blossomed and became standard practice during that period. The listening examples allow the reader to integrate musical terms with the corresponding sounds. A chapter summary reminds the reader of the changes from the previous period. Chapters 2-6 finish with a short glossary. Music is a foreign language in many ways, and the terminology often is new to those without a musical background. Most of the language used in music today still comes from those first several periods. The Italian word, andante, for example, is said to have come into use in the 1700s. To any musician even today, this term signifies “at a walking pace.”
It is the hope of this author that readers find the material easy to follow, fluid from one topic to the next, and filled with notable facts set in a readable story-like mode. In so finding, the reader may digest the necessary constructs to develop lifelong listening skills and glean a newfound passion for music from the Middle Ages through today that are still heard in concert halls, television programs, film scores, and yes, even cartoons.
