Art Essay, Research Paper
Baroque
Early music is based mainly on the music of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras.
Many people like to define Early Music as ending in 1750, with the death of J.S. Bach.
This is a handy date, but it misses the various stylistic changes taking place around that
time, i.e. the emergence of the gallant and pre-classical idioms in close proximity to the
final flowering of the baroque proper. To add even more confusion, this is also not
clear-cut. As with everything else, Baroque music ended gradually and sporadically, if we
are to say that it ended all. Perhaps the significant factor defining these eras as ?early
music? is that they do not have a continuous performance tradition. In other words, this
music ceased to be performed after its time had passed and needed to be revived in our
own era. This is not true of the ?classical? music of Mozart, Beethoven, et al. Which
possesses a continuous performance tradition. This means that, to some degree, it is this
revival which dominates EM (that is, early music as a movement), at least in spirit. Of
course, things are not clear-cut here either. For instance, late Baroque composers like
Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and etc. Were revived relatively early and therefore have a fairly
long performance tradition which is not dependent on the present early music movement.
Now we are seeing an increasingly large number of performances of Mozart, Beethoven,
and others in the content of early music; this further muddies the waters. There is the
question of pre-Medieval music. While early musicians would undoubtedly be happy to
claim it as their own, unfortunately there is very little surviving evidence about music from
earlier times. Indeed, there are no music manuscripts from Western Europe at all.
However, that doesn?t stop some people from trying to recreate what might have been
heard. Since music has also been a performance tradition, classical concerts represent
divergences from that tradition, based upon a new look at the original context of a
composition. New composers sometimes talk about capturing the ?original intentions? of
an early composer. Although like any essentially psychological object, these intentions can
never be thoroughly concrete. As such, that decision rests largely with the artistic intuition
of the modern performer, and should be judged on their own musical merits. Occurring
mainly because society today likes the different sound. In the case of pre-Baroque music,
there are really little choices but to attempt to recreate the sound world of the era, in order
to even approach the surviving compositions. Of course, that?s what many ?early music?
performers are doing, and they are consequently reviving a vast body of superlative music,
which had previously been effectively last to us. This is, probably, the core of ?early
music.? Music today has been influenced much by early music. From a broader
perspective, it is also a thoroughly modern idea that the ?composer?s intentions? should
matter more than what a performer chooses to do with the music in front of the composer.
In fact, it has been somewhat facetiously suggested that such an approach is not the
composer?s intention at all. Music is played very different, because people interpret things
differently, which is why music has changed so much over time. Early music was the start
of a great change in sounds. In the beginning, with early music we can tell that the ideas
were mainly from the composer. Over time, people realized that they can interpret music
in many different ways also. This was the first movement into new music, and I believe
that early music will be played for well past my lifetime. ?We live in a time of great
changes, a time of transformation between major eras. Looking into the unsettling, the
unfamiliar, the senselessness of a world taking a dramatic turn towards the unknown,
people get lost and confused. Their fear, their need for survival even, urges them to look
inside for something big, something dramatic, something inspiring, something that gives
them courage to face the unknown and the strength to shape it.? (Ewen, David, pg.40)
Along with a great change, there was Jazz. The start of the first real American music.
With the culture change from Early, classical music. Many things changed during this time,
but mainly was do to the changing in culture that influenced jazz. Some of the most
accomplished musicians of our time have devoted themselves to a lifelong study of Jazz or
classical music, and few exceptional musicians have actually mastered both. A comparison
of classical Jazz music will yield some interesting results and could also lead to an
appreciation of the abilities needed to perform or compose there kinds of music. The
music called classical, found in stores and performed regularly by symphonies around the
world, spans a length of time from 1600 up to the present. This time frame includes the
Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and contemporary periods. The classical
period of music actually spans a time from of 1750 to 1800; thus, the term Classical is a
misnomer and could more correctly be changed to Early Music or European Art Music.
European because most of the major composers up till the 20th century were European.
Vivaldi was Italian, Bach was German, Mozart and Beethoven were Austrian; they are
some of the more prominent composers. Until the twentieth century with Gershwin and a
few others did we find American composers writing this kind of art music. For the sake of
convention, we can refer to Early Music as Classical music. Jazz is a distinctively
American form of music, and its history occupies a much smaller span of time. Its origins
are found in the early 1900s as some dance band leaders in the southern U.S. began
playing music that combined ragtime and blues. Early exponents of this dance music were
Jelly Roll Martin (a blues player) and Scott Joplin (ragtime). The terms of ?jazz? and ?jazz
band? first surfaced in the year 1900. Some say this occurred in New Orleans, although
similar music was played at the same time in other places. The most prominent exponents
of this early music, called Dixieland Jazz, included Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet.
After World War I, Jazz music had evolved and was aided by the development of the
recording industry. The small dance band ensemble grew into the larger orchestra known
as the ?Big Band.? The music of the Big Bands became known as ?Swing.? Two of the
more famous Swing band leaders were Tommy Dorsey and Harry James. In the late 40s
and through the 50s, a different kind of Jazz became popular. This music, played by a very
small ensemble, was much more sophisticated and complex. Its rich harmonic changes
and melodic counterpoint were not conducive to dance. It became known as “Bop,” with
Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie being the early proponents. In the last twenty years
there has been a combination of Jazz with popular music of the US and Latin America.
This modern Jazz music has been called “Fusion.” Present day exponents include Pat
Metheny and Chic Corea. There has also been a return to the sound of Bop in the last ten
years by such musicians as trumpeter Winton Marsalis and his brother Branford, a
saxophonist. Let’s focus on the instrumentation of the two kinds of music. In Classical
music, both large orchestras and small ensembles are used. Generally, the greatest and
most prominent compositions are for the larger symphony orchestra. The largest part of
the orchestra is the string section consisting of violins, violas, cellos and string basses.
These instruments were invented very early in medieval times but really matured into their
present form during the late 18th century. The wind instruments, comprised of brass and
woodwinds, took longer to mature. The brass section in particular did not posses the
ability to play chromatically (in all keys) until the advent of valves which allowed the
length of the instrument to be changed while playing. This occurred around the middle to
late 19th century. Consequently, the brass instruments are less prominent in the music of
Bach, Mozart and Beethoven along with their contemporaries. Late 19th and early 20th
century composers make use of a very large orchestra with all the fully developed wind
instruments. Some of the master composers of this time were: Wagner,
Rimskey-Korsakov, Ravel and Stravinsky. Currently, composers also make use of the full
orchestra but with the addition of increasingly larger percussion sections that add many
unique and unheard of sounds than in earlier music. While all these changes were
happening, many other situations changed the aspect of music to the tragedy around them.
World War II also influenced song, about Love and happiness, which was a major start in
rock music, which will be brought up later. Early Jazz music was played in small
ensembles making use of clarinet, tuba, cornet, baritone, drums, and piano. Dixieland
groups of New Orleans had similar instrumentation. During the Swing era, larger groups
were employed to achieve more of an orchestral sound. The Big Bands of the this era
were predominantly wind orchestras containing alto and tenor sax sections, trumpet and
trombone sections, along with piano and drums. When Bop music arrived, the alto
saxophone and trumpet were the preferred instruments of the major soloists who were
backed up by piano, string bass and drums. With the advent of Fusion, electric instruments
such as the electric guitar and keyboard synthesizer became prominent. How has each of
these kinds of music been transmitted to later generations of musicians? Early in the
evolution of classical music, a system of notation was gradually developed which for the
most part remained stable from the Renaissance on. This gave the composer control over
how his compositions were to be played. Throughout the history of Jazz, however,
notation was more like a rough sketch. This was because the syncopated rhythms of
ragtime and the melodic riffs of the blues were not easily notated. Also, early Jazz
musicians were not formally trained; they usually learned by ear. Some songs were
transcribed and written down, but not in precise ways. Jazz music became more of a
passed on tradition that a musician learned through interaction with other players. In a
similar way, the modern Jazz musician must rely on previous recordings to get a feel for
the style and technique that he desires to learn from. But in classical music, one composer
can learn from an older composer by looking at and analyzing the music that the previous
composer wrote down. Likewise, classical musicians can master the parts they must play
by practicing the music that has been written or published beforehand. These two
approaches to passing on tradition are both valid. However, without the recording
medium Jazz music might have developed much differently than it has. The major element
that keeps a musical group together is also an interesting contrast. In Classical music, the
conductor uses a baton and plays the orchestra as if it were his instrument; he looks at a
complete score of all the events happening in the composition and interprets these events
based on his knowledge and intuition of what the composer intended. Jazz groups rarely
utilize conductors. The swing era employed them for the sake of keeping the larger sized
group together but other jazz styles did not and do not to this day. The drummer of the
Jazz ensemble provides the beat that keeps the group together but even he is interacting
with the other soloists as the song is performed. Perhaps the most interesting point of
comparison between the two types of music is in improvisation. Improvisation is the
ability to play and compose spontaneously “on the spot” (Christy Max) while the music is
playing. This has been an important element of Jazz from its inception. Although
improvisation was less prominent during the swing era, it regained importance with Bop
and onward. Early Jazz was improvised, using ragtime and blues as a loose structure. In
the swing era, an arranger arranged popular songs and soloists played improvisations over
the repeating sections in order to lengthen the song for dancing. With the advent of Bop,
improvisation assumed great importance. The musicians memorized the chord changes to
a song, along with the melody, but then played very loosely and in the end substituted new
chords along with greatly embellishing the original melody to the point of being
unrecognizable. These factors, along with the ability to interact with each other, became
important and remains so in the Fusion music of today. In Classical music, modern
listeners are mostly unaware of the fact that many of the great composers of the past were
not only excellent performers but also great improvisers. Starting with J.S. Bach
(1685-1750), the greatest composer of the Baroque era, he in fact made his living through
his great skill as an improviser. It was common for the Lutheran Church organist of his
day be able to improvise on choral melodies and Bach was considered one of the greatest
at this. There are written accounts of other composers? improvisational abilities including
Mozart (1756-1791), Beethoven (1770-1829), and Franz Liszt (1811-1886). Yet, as time
went on, improvising gave way to the composer’s desire to exert complete control over his
music. By the late 19th century, improvising was rare and not used at all in public
performances of classical music. We can say that Jazz and Classical music represent two
approaches to Art Music. The Classical composer or performer has a long and rich body
of music in written form that he uses to learn from while the Jazz musician uses a body of
recorded music to learn. Because of it’s small size, the modern Jazz ensemble allows loose
interaction while the symphony orchestra’s large size and diversity of instruments provides
many different sounds and wide dynamic range. In classical music the composer strives for
control; he uses printed music to guide and direct the musicians through the conductor. In
Jazz music, the songs are loosely composed, thus forming a basis for individual expression
within an ensemble, which is growing in our society. When you go to hear a symphony,
you hear an orchestra conducted by the conductor playing a composition. When you go to
a Jazz club you hear a small jazz ensemble interacting and improvising a song. They take
different paths to reach their final form but give a person equal opportunities to appreciate
the creative output of each. Along with new ideas and changes in music, rock bands were
the new way to protest against society. Among all of the rock groups, one will be
remembered for their voices and the songs of power that was a ?revolution? in the
changing of music. The Beatles were very in tune with the world around them and were
greatly influenced by many ideas, cultures, and religions. In turn, their innovations and
music influenced the world, even today. Early in their career, The Beatles were strongly
influenced by American music. They especially idolized artists such as Bill Haley (?Rock
Around the Clock Tonite?), Buddy Holly (?Peggy Sue?), and many Rhythm and Blues
artists such as Willie Dixon. It?s clear in The Beatles evolution that these roots were a
strong influence on the music that The Beatles created. With this combination of styles
and origins, the music that The Beatles played and composed was a revolution in itself,
something that hadn?t been thought of before. Some precise examples of these
earth-shattering compositions are the #1 hit ?Please, Please, Me?, and also a #1 hit ?She
Loves You?.. These early Beatles tunes were instrumental in crafting their own musical
style. As The Beatles matured, they began to be more perceptive to events all throughout
the world and their tremendous popularity was growing day by day. The exponential
growth rate of fans was so large that The Beatles were the first rock group permitted to
play in, not to mention sell out the London Palladium, a grand achievement. The
Palladium, until then, was a very exclusive and elegant concert hall usually reserved for the
likes of the London Symphony Orchestra. Although selling out the Palladium was quite a
feat, the 15 million viewers that watched the concert on the BBC was an even greater one.
This was the first time in England that a rock group had established so much credibility
that The Beatles were invited to play at a Royal Command Performance for the Queen.
The influences of traditional British society, although already evident in their choice of
attire, began to permeate their music. For example, ?Yesterday? began as a heavy rock
tune, but the poetic influences of Brits such as William Shakespeare turned it into the love
ballad it is today. Another good example of the London influence on The Beatles in
?Yesterday? is the string quartet from the London Symphony Orchestra that plays the
melody. This was indicative of the influence that The Beatles had on the English music,
social, and political scenes, as well as the ways in which traditional English society
influenced The Beatles. 1966 began a new Beatles trend full of psychedelic drugs. Their
recent release of Revolver marked the beginning of this new trend. Revolver was strongly
influenced by American Professor Timothy Leary. Leary was an exceptional influence on
The Beatles, especially John Lennon. Dr. Leary popularized the hallucinogen LSD, and
was a major American proponent of peace and free will. Interestingly enough, when
Timothy Leary decided that he was going to run for governor of California, in order to
have the influence needed to truly make peace in the world, John wrote ?Come Together?
for Leary?s campaign. Leary also sang ?Give Peace A Chance? with John and Yoko Ono.
The strong drug influences are evident particularly in ?Strawberry Fields Forever?(written
by John Lennon), in phrases such as ?Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about? and
?Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.? These key phrases are
obvious descriptions of their recent experimentation with LSD. Songs describing John?s
trips are great in number on the Magical Mystery Tour album that was released in 1967.
Examples of these are ?Penny Lane? and ?I Am the Walrus?.. ?Penny Lane? deals with
John?s interpretation of a trip while crossing Penny Lane, and while in the park on Penny
Lane. ?I Am the Walrus? is one of the first true examples of Paul?s drug use and identifies
with his fantasy of being a walrus. Drugs had a strong influence on The Beatles, and their
musical interpretations caused by drugs helped to influence drug culture in the world, not
just among their fans, but among many youths. Another Beatles innovation was the
utilization of Indian instruments in their music. They began to implement use of the sitar
and tabla in many songs, especially on the White Album, which was released in 1968, a
year coinciding with a Beatles visit to India. Cultures and people influenced these changes
in music. I chose to expand on the Beatles because they are the absolute best example of
how rock music is different than Classical, but they were just due to changes in time.
Meditation and finding oneself also became an important part of Beatles life. This Hindu
and Buddhist ritual appealed to the band because it helped them to write better songs. This
led to the downfall of The Beatles as they began to argue over songs and styles; their
excursions within themselves had backfired and turned them against each other. The
Beatles were the most influential rock group in all of history, but they couldn?t have had
such a great effect on the world without their many inspirations. They seemed to take the
best of different cultures and combine them in their music to create a diverse and
interesting sound. Without The Beatles, the world would be a much different place today.
Over time we can tell that music changed for many reasons. I am sure that there are many
other groups, other than the examples above that influenced the change in music. From
Early music, to Modern Rock and Jazz there is a major difference in the sound, but it is
still influenced by classical music.