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Music: Quarter 2, Wk.6 - Module 6B
Music: Quarter 2, Wk.6 - Module 6B
NOT
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Music 11
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What I Know...................................................................................................................................................iv
Lesson 1:
Relates Classical Music to other Art Forms and its History with the Era.............................
What I Need to Know.................................................................................................................
What’s New ...............................................................................................................................
What Is It........................................................................................................................................
What’s More .................................................................................................................................
What I Have Learned.................................................................................................................
What I Can Do..............................................................................................................................
II
Lesson Title of the Lesson
1 Relates Classical Music to other Art Forms and
its History with the Era
What’s New
In order to start a new lesson, an activity will be presented. Arrange the rambled
words accordingly.
History
Classical Era, also called “Age of Reason”, is the period from 1750-1820. The
cultural life was dominated by the aristocracy, as patrons of musicians and artists
generally influenced the arts. Significant changes in musical forms and styles were
made. In general, classical era is used in opposition to the ideas of popular
music and folk music. Popular and folk music both tend to feature works that are
immediately appealing and "understandable", even to people who have little musical
training or knowledge. This immediate appeal usually comes from an underlying
simplicity; folk and popular music’s often feature short or repetitive forms, driving
rhythms that encourage movement and dance, melodies and harmonies that are
comfortably within their traditions.
In the middle of the 18 th century, European began to move a new style in
architecture, literature, and the arts, known as classicism. It was also pushed forward
by changes in the economic order and in social structure. Instrumental music was
patronized primarily by the nobility. Important historical events that occurred in the
West during this era were the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, the
American declaration of Independence in 1776, and the American Revolution.
The term classical denotes conformity with the principles and characteristics
of ancient Greek and Roman literature art which were formal, elegant, simple, freed,
and dignified. The same characteristics may also describe the melodies of classical
music. Harmony and texture is homophonic in general. The dynamics of loud and
soft was clearly shown through the extensive use of crescendo and diminuendo. A
style of broken chord accompaniment called Alberti bass was practiced.
In the case of music, as in other arts, the term ‘classical’ indicates the
presence of an established or long-standing tradition. While the roots of classical
music extend back to Gregorian chant, three developments occurring in the
11th century are often regarded as marking the beginning of the classical tradition in
western music. These are the developments of polyphony, the principles of order,
and the establishment of musical pieces as compositions. The classical tradition is
centrally defined by European art music composed during the Common Practice
period, which encompasses Baroque, Classical, and Romantic music (roughly 1650-
1900). It also includes Medieval, Ars Nova, and Renaissance art music, as well as
non-European, 20th century, and contemporary art music that incorporates
compositional practices that are recognized as being well-established in western art
music. While the vast majority of compositions in Western art music unambiguously
fall under the category of ‘classical music’, one can argue that, though there will be
no decisive line, certain highly experimental or innovative pieces cannot be a part of
an established tradition of composition and thus should not be considered ‘classical’.
In contrast to the aesthetics of popular music, the aesthetics of classical music has
traditionally focused on aesthetic content that is strictly musical in nature, excluding
any additional content conveyed through words, actions, visual displays, or any other
non-musical elements. It has typically limited itself to inquiry into the aesthetic
content in musical works that is available from music alone, considered apart from
any non-musical elements. Although there are clearly topics of significant interest in
the additional aesthetic qualities of classical works that include non-musical
elements (whether these be semantic, poetic, dramatic, or dance-related), most
philosophers writing about classical music have been unwilling to venture into this
territory. The focus on music as such in the aesthetics of classical music is due to
the compelling philosophical questions generated by pure or ‘absolute’ music, the
complexity involved in considering music in combination with non-musical elements,
and a desire to understand the art of music apart from any aesthetic content
contributed from other sources. In keeping with the historical focus of the aesthetics
of classical music on music as such, this article restricts itself to discussion of
aesthetic content that is purely musical in nature and it does not address topics
involving the combination of music with other aesthetic elements.
Several features of classical music as an art form play a central role in
defining the areas of aesthetic inquiry that pertain to it. Three features in particular
deserve attention. These are the unique impact classical music has on our inner
experience, its temporal nature, and the central role played by the tradition of tonal
harmony, even after its “collapse” at the beginning of the 20 th century.
https://www.iep.utm.edu/aest-c-l/
In the historical tradition, classical music gradually expands its artistic
resources, from the practices of medieval polyphony, through the incorporation of
new elements in the Renaissance, to the achievement of a conception of music and
musical composition that is shared across Europe by the middle of the Baroque. The
subsequent development of classical music during the Common Practice period is
unique in the way that it preserves a strong continuity in compositional techniques
while at the same time evolving continually as an art form. The late works from this
period make use of the same basic musical materials (scales and chords) as the
early ones: the diatonic scales, triadic functional harmony, primary organization
around the dominant-tonic relationship, integration of vertical and horizontal
dimensions, and so on. Early works differ from later ones in countless ways, but the
fundamental musical materials and relationships do not change until the extended
chromaticism of late romantic music begins to dissolve a sense of the tonic
altogether. Later works differ from earlier ones primarily through creative innovations
that are compatible with existing tonal system made by particular composers and
through a gradual exploration and expansion of resources already implied in the
tonal system itself. This gradual expansion within the context of a continuous
tradition has significant implications for the expressive possibilities classical music
possesses as an art form, allowing for the emergence of a repertoire of expressive
compositional techniques that grows in effectiveness and scope as it progressively
develops the potential that is inherent in tonal harmony.
The diverse compositional approach developed in classical music in the early
part of the 20th century has questions for musical aesthetics. Many aesthetic
theories based on analysis of music of the Common Practice period do not apply to
compositions based on approaches divergent from those used by tonal harmony.
This difference in aesthetic content applies to theories of meaning, form, and
expressiveness. Most influential and contemporary philosophers of classical musical
aesthetics focus almost exclusively on tonal classical music (including music that
achieves a tonal center by means other than tonal harmony, as found in the music of
Stravinsky, Debussy, and Bartok). Given that many of these theoretical perspectives
do not apply to non-tonal music, the aesthetics of non-tonal classical music is an
area that is in need of further development by the discipline.
https://www.iep.utm.edu/aest-c-l/
Main characteristics
Classical (1750 - 1830) Music from the Classical period shifted away from the
Baroque period's emphasis on polyphonic texture and more towards a single melody
with accompaniment. This created music with less texture but with a more clearly
defined melody. Characteristics of Classical music include: single melody with
accompaniment, one voice carries the primary melody while another voice plays a
simpler line that supports the melody, larger variety of keys, melodies, rhythms, and
dynamics, more contrast in a piece, shorter, clearer melodies than in Baroque music,
more emphasis on instrumental music. The primary forms of compositions are:
sonata, trio, string quartet, symphony, and concerto.
Contemporary (1920- present): The most conspicuous differentiation between
classical music in the contemporary period and in previous periods is the shift in
tone. Whereas music from the common practice period was largely tonal, much
contemporary music is atonal. Contemporary classical music can be divided into:
20th-century Contemporary Classical Music: Varies greatly, no dominant style,
increased use of dissonance. And 21st-century Contemporary Classical Music: huge
variety in style, which include minimalism, experimentalism, contains a variety of
influences from world music to technology, and many classical composers have
written for film scores.
https://sites.google.com/site/classicalmusicinthe21stcentury/background/periods-of-
classical-music
The Importance of Classical Music in a Modern World
Follow-up Activities
Find words that relate to the classical period by filling up the boxes.
Process Questions
1. What is classical music?
2. Is classical music an ancient music? Why?
3. What are the characteristics of classical music?
4. Distinguish classical music to 21st century music.
5. How important classical music in this generation?
What I Can Do
Badiola MG., Vecino M., Duyan, D., Bongcawil A.,Mendoza J., Bustillo G., Pambuan
a., and Siobal L. Learner’s Material for Music and Arts Grade 9. First Edition
2014