- Early Medieval (300-1000)
Gregorian Chant – Salve Regina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2tza4nRYv4The composer is unknown. I can hear men’s voices, they are singing only in unison. Rhythm is free, I can hear that composer uses perfect consonances. - Romanesque (1000-1500)
Saint Nicholas – Novo Geniture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXIoUaYg1b0The composer is unknown. Genre of this piece is Liturgical Drama. I can hear some people singing. Could be men’s and women’s voices. Also some rhytmical and drone accompanying. I can hear perfect consonances as well. Rhythm is free. - Ars Antiqua (1150-1300)
Pérotin “Alleluia nativitas”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJxRDhejtwoThe composer of this motet is Perotin, believed to be French. Here is more about him, link to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9rotinI can hear three different male voices. And there was used triple rhythmic basis. Composer uses perfect consonances as well, those three different voices has kind of different singing lines, sometimes singers sing in unison, sometimes in two voices with drone and sometimes they have three different lines. Motet Alleluia Nativitas was used in both the Offices (small services held throughout the day) and the Ordinary of the Mass. - Ars Nova (1300-1400)
Francesco Landini – Cara mie donna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5y-T5K0pMAThe composer of this ballata is Francesco Landini. He was Italian composer, organist, singer, poet and instrument maker. He was one of the most famous and revered composers of the second half of the 14th century, and by far the most famous composer in Italy. Here is a link about the composer in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Landini - Early Renaissance (1400-1500)
Johannes Ockeghem: Qu’es mi vida, preguntais
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HqGSCoUxxkThe composer is Johannes Ockeghem, he was the most famous composer of the Franco-Flemish School in the last half of the 15th century. Here is a link more about this composer in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_OckeghemAnd here is a link to read more about the Franco-Flemish School in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Flemish_SchoolQu’es mi vida preguntays is three voices piece. Basicly I can hear women voice and two string instrument accompaniment. It could be a cello or viola. We can recognise that harmonic basis based on triads and rhythmic basis based on duple and triple tactus. - High Renaissance (1500-1600)
Claudio Monteverdi “Altri canti d’amor, tenero arciero” (Madrigal from Book VIII)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctci_zhGhvYThe composer is Claudio Monteverdi. He was italian composer, gambist, singer and Roman Catholic priest. Monteverdi lived on the transition from the Renaissance style of music to the Baroque period, and he often regarded as revolutionary. Here is more information about the composer in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_MonteverdiA madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. This madrigal was from The Fifth Madrigal Book. The Fifth Book of Madrigals shows the shift from the late Renaissance style of music to the early Baroque. I can hear some guitars, string orchestra, male and two female voices. In scale basis they still used modes, and they used to use triads, but you can hear some dissonances, maybe it was a beginning of the Baroque. Rhytmic basis was duple and triple tactus. - Baroque (1600-1750)
J. S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVJD3dL4diYThe composer is Johann Sebastian Bach. J. S. Bach was a German composer and musician. He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. It is worth to mention that J. S. Bach was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the nineteenth century. He is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. Here is a link about the composer in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_BachToccata and Fugue in D minor is a piece of organic music. Now this piece is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire and also one of the most challenging pieces in organ world. In this piece I can hear a lot of difference between earlier music periods. Everyone can recognise that scale basis now is based on diatonic tonality, major and minor. Rhythm basis now is more established and not that much free. From this time bar lines are consistent used. From this period music started to be more challenging for artists and audition.
More about this piece is in the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toccata_and_Fugue_in_D_minor,_BWV_565 - Rococo (1725-1775)
J. Ph. Rameau: Zéphire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob_uzEs4bagThe composer is Jean-Philippe Rameau. He was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. More about this composer in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Philippe_RameauZéphire is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau in the form of a one-act acte de ballet. I can hear it is written for a chamber orchestra with some baroque woodwind instruments (could be Flutes, Oboes and Bassoons) and some small rhythm group. Scale basis is still the same as in baroque, diatonic tonality major and minor. Harmonic basis is also the same, triads and rhythmical basis is duple and triple. As I can hear music is very bright and very light. Tempo is quite fast, so it gives lighting for piece. - Classicism (1750-1827)
Franz Schubert – Der Leiermann – Thomas Quasthoff / Daniel Barenboim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pze4NxCOjg0I also recommend to one movement of symphony by L. van Beethoven, you will see later why..L. van Beethoven – Symphony No. 7 mvt 2- Leonard Bernstein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J12zprD7V1kThe Composer of first piece is Franz Shubert. Shubert was an Austrian composer, he die really early, but he was really prolific, left for us over six hundred vocal works (mainly Lieder) seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large body of chamber and piano music. More about this composer you can read in Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_SchubertThe Composer of the second piece is Ludwig van Beethoven. L. van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. More information about this composer you can find here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven
Der Leiermann it’s a piece for vocal and piano. Here used also the same diantonic tonality, but here is one new thing. I can hear a semmetrical patterns in rhythmic basis. Piano is accompanying for vocal, most of the time they are talking with each other. Color of this song is dark, it look’s like sad or intimidating song.
Seventh Symphony, 2nd movement is a piece for symphony orchestra. Orchestra is much bigger than it was used in baroque orchestra, more woodwinds, more brass, more drums, more strings. I cal also hear symmetrical patterns in rhythmical basis. Piece is kind of dark and in tense. In the beginning I can hear strings melody, after that winds starts to accompany for strings. Later woodwinds has a theme and after that we could hear some brightness and lightness, but not too much. Beethoven doesn’t like to stay too long with brightness.
- Romanticism (1800-1900)
Frederic Chopin Etude in C sharp Op. 25 No. 7The composer of this piece is Frederick Chopin. He as a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era, who wrote primarily for the solo piano. More about this composer is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin
Etude in C sharp Op. 25 No.7 is a piece for piano solo. As I can hear it was used very romantic melodies, maybe more about the pain in love or something like that. I can hear increasing chromaticisms and seventh and ninth chords. Rhythm is duple-triple and I can hear some free rhythm in interpretations. - Impressionism (1880-1918)
Isaac Albeniz – Asturias
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEfFbuT3I6AManuel de Falla – Nights in Spanish Gardens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MS332sS7cAThe composer of the first piece is Isaac Albeniz. was a Spanish pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms. Many of his pieces such as Asturias (Leyenda), Granada, Sevilla, Cádiz, Córdoba, Cataluña, and the Tango in D are amongst the most important pieces for classical guitar. Here is more about this composer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Alb%C3%A9nizThe composer of the second piece is Manuel de Falla. He was a Spanish composer. With Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados he is one of Spain’s most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century. Here is more about this composer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_de_FallaAsturias is a piece for guitar. First of all it was prelude piece for piano, but later was transposed for guitar. And now mainly playd by guitar. In the piece I can hear some new things in this period like exotic scales or modality. Also I can hear some free rhythmic patterns. Piece is very exotic and very expressive. It has very hot and strong temperament.
Nights in Spanish Gardens is a piece for piano and orchestra. Compeser started to write this piece as a nocturne but later turned it to piece for a piano and orchestra. This is piece is also very expresive. I can hear some modalities and also exotic scales. In this piese also was used seventh, ninth and eleventh chords.
- Twentieth Century (1900- )
Witold Lutoslavski – Dance preludes for clarinet and piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqxxFmhDH-gVery bad recordings for clarinet and piano, but here is better quality recordings for clarinet and orchestra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iDgEk9HXrMThe composer of this piece is Witold Lutoslavski. He was a Polish composer and orchestral conductor. He was one of the major European composers of the 20th century, and one of the preeminent Polish musicians during his last three decades. Here you can find more information about composer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Lutos%C5%82awskiDance preludes for clarinet and piano is a piece for clarinet and piano. Also was arranged for clarinet and orchestra, piano and harp. It’s a five short pieces. I can hear some Motoric and non-symmetrical rhythmic basis. Also some extended tonality. - The New Music (1950- )
Michael Gordon – Rewriting Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-GsHSoR0QMMichael Gordon is an American composer. His music is associated with the genres of totalism and post-minimalism. Here is more about this composer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Gordon_(composer)Rewriting Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is a piece for symphony orchestra. It has very interesting history about why this piece was written. But everyone could find out by them selves on internet. As I heard composer uses simple melodies, fragments from each movement. And on this fragments he adds and develop some very dark and depressing color. He uses also very intensity in music which is hard to do for all piece, but somehow he makes it very well. I can hear some microtonal scale basis, some melody variation of pitch in time and also pitch continuum. Also he uses some evocative power of sound. Rhythm I would say is very complex, fragmented. This piece is amazing for me, and I hope you will also enjoy it!That’s it, I hope you enjoyed!
pcepulis 