MUSIC HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MUSIC HISTORY - Essay Example , freedom in intonation and inflection and a combination of style depending on the artist and the audience and the historical orientations, regarding social class and music preference. Medieval Music is the first style known to music historians and was found in the early 12th Century as secular music. Most music notes originated from Church music, giving it religious basis. They had rigid rules regarding rhythm and melody. The style is majorly a simple vocal and little instrumentation exists. Hildegard von Bingen is one of the musicians known from the medieval period; despite no record history, existing that may give details regarding the nature of the compositions of the medieval music. Renaissance is another style of music that took over after the medieval music. It originated from 1400 to 1600. The style had its origin in the sacred and secular vocals of the early musicians of the medieval days. The music had more freedom regarding harmony and rhythm. The composers were good choral writers, few instruments existed, and their vocals played a big role over the words. The instrument is played most of the time, words are few, and this makes it sound boring to the listener. The late stage had more harmony with strong sensation for each. The choral compositions enjoyed variety such as acapella anthems with many variations and dance movements. These made the music richer and more entertaining. Thomas Tallis and Josquin de Prez are musicians of this genre who enthralled the audiences although the music was still undergoing development. Baroque style of Music came after the Renaissance style and was common from 1600 to 1750, and is where the modern orchestra was born, along with operas, choruses, and recitals. Baroque music is heavily recitative in style especially opera and basso continuo. The soft string instruments were replaced by a violin, viola and cello. This was advancement in the music instruments. The instruments played a great role in the song as words are