Landmarks in Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Landmarks in Music - Essay Example Music is an expressive type of art form, which can be used to express our emotions, talents and our imagination. Music has evolved over time to its current modern day renditions, but if we are to select the most important pieces, to place in a time capsule, then I would have to select music from the baroque and classical periods. Music from Baroque and Classic periods forms a basis in a critical part of our history when we began to view music in a different light. During these periods, music became more of an art form, than just passive entertainment. Here are the 6 most important songs from the both periods and why they qualify to be put in the time capsule. Baroque music was composed with the intention of arousing the emotions of listeners. This era of music lasted for 150 years, between the years 1600-1750 (Schulenbert, 2001). This stage of musical development saw the emergence of non-religious vocal music, orchestral music and operas. Composers from this period, often faced many financial challenges, and most of them could only earn a living from music if they were under the patronage of a religious institution or a political figure. This patronage would then dictate the content of their compositions, but none the less composers were still able to come up with very memorable and time honored compositions. Baroque period compositions can be broken down into two distinct groups: vocal (opera, oratorio and cantata) and instrumental (sonata, concerto and suite). My pick for the most influential songs from the baroque period are: The Four Seasons: Spring url: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/sofia-chamber-orchestra/album/antonio-vivaldi-the- four-seasons By: Antonio Vivaldi Four Seasons, as a whole, is often considered the boldest or bravest of program music from the Baroque era. Each concerto is comprised of three distinct movements; one middle movement in a slow tempo and too fast outer movements. Antonio Vivaldi wrote the sonnets, to denote the movements of the four seasons (Schulenbert, 2001). It is also has a great influence in the era as early concertos did not have a standard form, but the success of Vivaldi’s â€Å"Four Seasons† led other composers to mimic his style over time, which led a standard form used to play concertos. Of the four movements, winter is the most technically complicated and also more accurate in depicting nature like imitations of nature, the very inspiration of the sound. It is also very solid even if you break it down into several parts. Each part is creates its own dissonance that may be adapted and reinterpreted as a separate sound. Messiah: The Overture url: http://www.rh apsody.com/artist/george-frideric-handel/album/handels-messiah by: Handel This oratorio was originally intended as a thought provoking work for eastern and lent, but due to its popularity, later became a common part of Christmas festivities that has lasted over many generations. George Frederic Handel, a German born composer, was gifted in playing music from an early age. Handel’s â€Å"Messiah† employs a unique technique dubbed text painting. This technique tries to mimic the lines of the text, to the musical notes (Schulenbert, 2001). â€Å"Messiah† is broken down into three parts, which follows the meaning of the text while still maintaining its opera-like qualities. Handel’s â€Å"Messiah† helped to popularize the oratorio; a musical form that highlighted the performance of solo artists. The Overtures one of only two movements that is purely instrumental. By Handel’s time, the overture was a common, if not standard opening, of an opera a nd was actually meant to welcome the king in an opera. Handel, however, made this one considerably darker by playing it in E minor. It helped assist in the desperate need of the world for a Messiah. Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello: Suite No. 1 url: http://www.rhapsody.com/search?query=Six+Suites+of+Unaccompanied+Cello by: Johann Sebastian Bach These suites were based on a set of instrumental compositions, which were similar