Periods of Music

Tested on:

• 1) Articulation
• 2) Character
• 3) Composer
• 4) Dynamics
• 5) Melody
• 6) Tempo
• 7) Texture
• 8) Tonality

Late Renaissance

• 1) Articulation:
• 2) Character:
• 3)Composer:
• Tallis
• Byrd
• Bull
• Gibbons
• Palestine
• 4) Dynamics: Rarely indicated
• 5) Melody: Range is small; because of the vocals + types of instruments used at the time
• 6) Tempo:
• No change
• No rit. or accer.
• Barline was not defined yet; pulse of polyphonic music is clear
• 7) Texture: Polyphonic, accompanied by keyboard or flute
• 8) Tonality: Modal/mixture of major, minor, or modes

Baroque Period

• 1. Articulation: Non-legato and legato
• 2. Character: Character and mood remains the same throughout the whole piece
• 3. Composer:
• JS Bach
• Handel
• Scarlatti
• Purcell
• Corelli
• Vivaldi
• 4. Dynamics: Terrace dynamics, f or p, cresc. or dim. are rarely found
• 5. Melody: Based on a subject, spun out over a considerable length, ornaments -- trills, mordents, etc
• 6. Tempo:
• Steady throughout
• No accel. or rit.
• 7. Texture: Both polyphonic + homophonic
• *Imitative polyphonic -- 1/2 melodic part imitate, with a clearly differentiated bass below.
• 8. Tonality: keys closely related to each other
• rarely modulates to remote keys

Classical Period

• 1. Articulation: Staccato and legato / slur and tenuto
• 2. Character:
• 3. Composer: Hadyn, Mozart, Early Beethoven, Schubert
• 4. Dynamics: Cresc. and Dim. are used often, rarely too violently
• 5. Melody:
• - Phrases are fairly short
• - sense of balance
• - more appoggiaturas, less trills and mordents
• 6. Texture: Usually homophonic -- dominant structure: melody; supported by chordal accompaniment
• 7. Tonality: Keys closely related to each other within short movements.

Romantic Period

• 1. Articulation:
• Staccato
• legato
• slur
• tenuto with accents
• 2. Character:
• 3. Composer:
• Schumann
• Chopin
• Tchaikovsky
• 4. Dynamics:
• Change frequently
• Cresc. and dim. are used a lot
• 5. Melody:
• Fairly long + highly expressive
• Less ornament than Baroque and Classical
• 6. Tempo + rhythm:
• pulse change frequently
• 7. Texture: Homophonic rather than polyphonic
• 8. Tonality: Frequent modulation, to quite remote keys sometimes.

20th Century

• 1. Articulation: A very wide range
• 2. Character: Character and mood often change in piece
• 3. Composer: Debussy, Stravinsky, Partok
• 4. Dynamics: Change frequently and greatly
• 5. Melody:
• Melodies use big leaps to create wide range of notes
• 6. Tempo and Rhythm: Use of syncopation + Pulse and time signature changes frequently
• 7. Texture: Extreme range --- homophonic + contrapuntal
• 8. Tonality: Atonal, key changes unexpectedly and frequently