A Look at Classical Music
Classical music has its roots in western liturgical music and became codified in the years between 1550 and 1900. This western influence can be seen in the system of staff notation dating to about 16th Century Europe. This system prescribed the pitch, speed and rhythms of a performer and how the music set was to be executed. As a result of this exact execution, it left little room for improvisation or ornamentation. The term ‘classical music’ appeared in the 19th century, and it attempted to describe the period from Johann Bach to Beethoven, periods of two great composers. What characteristics make classical music distinguishable from other music genres?
One of the distinguishing characteristics is the variety of instruments that are used to produce varying tones and pitches in order to produce deep, rich sounds. Most composers wrote pieces for orchestras and various chamber music combinations. The human voice has also invented itself into the classical scene in what is called the Opera. Most classical music pieces use instruments that were invented before the 19th century. These include the piano, organ and harpsichord among many others. Classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries has seen the addition of the electric guitar, commonly associated with popular music and the use of digital techniques to produce synthesized computer generated sounds.
Another distinguishing characteristic of classical pieces is its technical execution. Classics can take the form of concertos, operas, symphonies, dance music among others. In addition, there is a fusion of affective or sentimental content and intellectual content. This is usually achieved by use of a musical motif that is repeated in altered form or in different contexts. This high technical achievement can be attributed to the high amount of schooling as well as private study that most successful classical musicians have undergone compared to ‘popular’ musicians. The only genre of music that matches this technical aspect of classical pieces is jazz music.
A classical music piece usually demands a thorough understanding of tonal and harmonic principles and familiarity with musical idioms inherent to a given period. Classical repertoires often exhibit high artistic complexity because of the varying use of phrasing elements, harmonization, texture and modulation. Even large-scale compositions like operas and symphonies have smaller units of phrases and movements in hierarchical order. Classical music today is often used as background music for movies, TV programs and in advertisements. As a result, while actual recorded sales may be low, its popularity is well indicated by its background use.
