As a cellist, I have been exposed to many different pieces ranging from Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Waltz No. 2” to Santana’s “Smooth”. While practicing, I noticed that music style has changed significantly over time. Currently, popular music sounds nothing like music of the classical era or romantic era. Looking back, music has changed many ways. Looking at pieces from composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Richard Wagner, you can see the shift in musical patterns.
Before the 1900, what we know as “classical music” was very popular. However, this era (spanning from roughly 1600 to 1910) can be broken down into 3 distinct periods, baroque, classical, and romantic. I intend to look at the details of each period and the reasons for the change in style. I’m also thinking if I should compare that overall era to more modern music from the 1950s on (rock, rap, disco, etc.). I could use some feedback on that.
My idea for analyzing the shift is looking at 3 distinctly different pieces of music from each period, I’m likely going to use some excerpts of G.F. Handel’s “Water Music”, Mozart’s “Symphony no 25”, and Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter, Bringer of Jolity”. I’ve personally played all of these pieces, so I am familiar with the sound and rhythm of each.
Food for thought:
Was it new technology that changed the composer’s ideas for music?
Did new materials for instrument construction change tone, thus changing what composers wanted in their music?
Did world events shape the music in any way?