History, Music, Culture

The Evolution of Music Periods

Differentiating between musical periods Medieval to Postmodern

Music, like people, is not static and changes over time. It is important to know about past musical eras and their history because it reminds us that the current sound of popular music is not permanent. It has been and will continue to change as our culture and technology evolves. In western music, there have been six and/or seven main music periods. This piece will characterize them and highlight the role of everyday people.

We will start with the Medieval period and move all the way up to modern times. When we think about popular music in 2020 it is essential that we put it in the context of western popular music. Of course, with globalization and the internationalization of popular music, the paradigm is bound to shift. Maybe the history of eastern popular music will dictate popular music’s sound in the 2100s. If reggaeton, afrobeat’s, or Latin trap continues to grow maybe Latin America’s rich musical history will dominate the popular music space for the next musical period. In the last section of this piece, I will give my predictions. As you read and discover new things about previous music periods, I encourage you to make your own predictions about the future of popular music.

Characteristics of a Period

Medieval (1150–1400)

The medieval period saw the birth of sacred monophonic music. This music was mainly sung by catholic monks and was made in tribute to God. Although Gregorian Chants were the most famous sound from this period the early stages of polyphonic music were also formed in the late part of this period. While large expressive vocalists were at the forefront of medieval music instruments played a key supportive and complementary role. Early versions of the flute and recorder would act more as a backing vocal to the vocals of a performer. Medieval music sounds transcendental. It is both delicate and powerful. The music sounds like it is in praise or appreciation of something greater, something grand. Medieval music is ultimately and intentionally humbling.

Much medieval music was heard in the church during Christian services like mass. The feudal system of Europe at the time disabled the opportunity for most people to hear this music. Therefore, liturgical music was mostly experienced by the noble and merchant classes. The music was grand and virtuosic because they would be sung in large gothic style churches like Notre Dame. Notre Dame soon became a symbol of the music made during this era. For instance, the Notre Dame Schools referred to Medieval Composers like Leonin and Perotin who worked on music near and around the sacred cathedral.

The Medieval period transitioned to the Renaissance period through a process of internationalization. As the British composers spread their faburden technique to the rest of Europe the polyphony style took on a life of its own. Furthermore, the Franco-Flemish School began to produce composers who would influence the sound of their native European countries. Not before long, the golden period of the renaissance era was in full effect.

Renaissance (1400–1600)

The evolution of monophony to polyphony added texture to the music of the Renaissance period. This music sounds like a luxury, as an extravagance. Imagine the music playing during a beautiful Venice boat ride. Melodies are blended more straightforwardly during this period. Chord progressions are smoothed out and modes are the basis for music, rather than monotonous tones and the occasional harmony. Compared to Baroque or Classical Music the Renaissance period still sounds simple but this period’s musical organization was complex for its time. For example, major and minor scales were developed during the latter half of the Renaissance period. With this structure, Renaissance music moved with the grace and control of a calm wave.

In the present day, the word “Renaissance” is synonymous with free-thought, progress, and reimagining the past. These concepts were born from the Renaissance period. This period was known for its political enlightenment, scientific discoveries, and economic prosperity. With an emerging middle class and important inventions like the printing, press music was shared more wildly. Ordinary people could recreate music from staff music rather than by ear or memory. While liturgical music was still the dominant style music schools opened the opportunity for laypeople to train in the musical arts. Churches then hired people from these schools to be instrumentalists, performers, and teachers.

The pathway from the Renaissance to the Baroque period was through a door in Count Giovanni de’ Bardi’s house. The famous composer and writer would host the most well-renowned artists and intellectuals of the time. The musicians concluded that they wanted to revive dramatic music from ancient Greece. These sessions also led to the monody and madrigal comedy. These are art forms that would eventually develop into operas. With more people learning and mastering music than ever before, the possibilities in the following music period were endless. Large cacophonous spaces like San Marco were the perfect setting for ambitious polychoral style music. Artists across Europe would push the boundaries of church music. Whether it was A Capella vocal music in Germany, Mexican-expired music in Spain, or Italian madrigal music the Baroque period was coming, and it would be the most influential musical period the continent had ever heard.

Baroque (1600–1750)

The Baroque period brought a lot of order to classical music. Major and minor keys were used to control and explain chromaticism and dissonance. The music sounds complex and intellectual. This may be why modern people listen to Baroque period music when they are studying. Baroque ensembles were large and unstandardized. One ensemble could have an unspecified number of keyboard instruments, chordal instruments in another section, and bass instruments all complementing one another. Thanks to artists like Johan Sebastian Bach Baroque music is known for its use of tonal counterpoint, sonata form, and basso continuo. Furthermore, musicians like Vivaldi actualized themes and variations in their music (listen to his violin concerto, “Four Seasons”). More than any other music period Baroque music truly concentrated the mind.

Thanks to the growing middle class during the Renaissance period public concerts become more commonplace during the Baroque period. However, during the early periods, it was much more common for ensembles and compositions to be performed in churches or in private venues for nobles. Opera and Oratorio were the first genres to be played for middle-class audiences more regularly. Baroque period music was rarely danced to, however, including dance suites, despite their name. Music was meant to be experienced. In other words, audiences were expected to let the music wash over them and bask in its brilliance and high-brow appeal.

The famed Austrian composer Franz Haydn once said, “if you want to know whether a melody is really beautiful, sing it without accompaniment”. Despite the high-brow glory of Baroque music audiences grew overwhelmed by its complexity. Artists began to return to simpler styled compositions. Ones with simpler melodies, less polyphony, and shorter phrases and notes. This transitional period is called the Galant period. In the retreat of Baroque’s far-reaching sonic experimentations, Classical music was waiting.

Classical (1750–1820)

The Classical period is the Baroque period, corrected. The textures are made smooth and clean by the rising popularity of the violin. The lead violist, now called the concertmaster, replaced the harpsichord as the main instrument in orchestras. Classical music has an elegance and melody to it that is far more structured than in previous eras. With the development of sonata’s and concerto’s instrumentation mastery became even more important. Since the music is less cluttered than in the Baroque period it does not take as much concentration to fully appreciate it. The piano officially replaced the fortepiano during this era. This may be the reason why the Classical period is the most recognizable to untrained ears. A lot of the song forms and instruments we understand as “classical” today were perfected during this period.

The middle class and the aristocracy had different experiences with Classical music. Due to high ticket prices and exclusive private shows, the middle-class generally experienced live music through public concerts. At these shows, they would hear sonatas and concertos. The upper-class could afford private shows in their homes and expensive public orchestral concerts. Even though there was a clear hierarchy in show accessibility the Classical period saw a drawdown from the grandiose Baroque era performances. Operas started to flourish during this period and were enjoyed by upper- and middle-class audiences alike. The comic opera is the most celebrated among them.

As we enter the middle of the 19th century in Europe the age of enlightenment was in full force. Intellectuals, both in the social and hard sciences questioned the harsh dogmas of the Catholic Church and the need for religion. Pivotal scientific journals like Nature were first issued during this time. Musicians reacted to the wave of reason that would question an individual’s purpose in the world. Instead of the natural simplicity and structure of Classical music, these musicians emphasized emotion and lyrical melody. They channeled their faith in the face of reason. They yearned for the past while scientists were obsessed about the future. Therefore, the Romantic period is a counter to the age of enlightenment and is a musical period of feelings, passion, and fervor.

Romantic (1820–1900)

You can feel the passion for Romantic period music. While the Classical period perfected the Opera the Romantic period generated the dramatic Grand Opera. The most well-known piece is Wagner’s “Ring Cycle”. Thanks to the emotional underpinnings of Romantic music musicians infused elements of national pride in their compositions. For example, Antonin Dvorak and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov made wonderful patriotic anthems. The colorful tones of the music superseded the structure. Therefore, more free form styles like nocturnes and fantasias were used and developed during this period. Think about the feeling the musician is trying to convey when listening to Romantic-era pieces.

British composer Edward Elgar once commented that there should be “no segregation of musical tastes” and that the “purpose was to write music that was to be heard”. Composers from around Europe and the western world were playing for more middle-class audiences as people could afford to attend concerts and festivals. Furthermore, public concerts and festivals became more popular at the time. The industrial revolutions led to the mass production of brass and woodwind instruments. Therefore, more people had access to instruments that could be used for orchestras and other musical groups.

As the 19th century was coming to an end, new composers were starting to look beyond music’s current limits. Where the Romantic period sought to add beauty and rage to the fabric of musical compositions, the Contemporary period questioned the compositions themselves. For instance, Gustav Mahler added personal emotional storylines to symphonies. This broke from the traditional four-movement symphony of the past. New artists like Strauss and Debussy were among many new composers at the time who reimagined the traditional categories of music.

20th — 21st century

Although classical music post-20th century is lawless there is some common thread amongst postmodern artists. For one, they distrust binary oppositions. They also tend to include fragmentations. These artists are more eccentric and prouder of it than generations past. High and low brow styles are not a concern for them. They adamantly break down those barriers. It is partly due to the influence of non-western cultures. For instance, Debussy was heavily influenced by Indonesian gamelan music (check out our piece on the genre here) as well as Vietnamese theatre. Therefore, the music during this period does not have a coherent sound. Be prepared for a fragmented pallet of unique classical styles. It is an exciting and liberating listening experience.

Classical music started to become a relic of the past as the middle class embraced new genres like Jazz, Blues, and Rock & Roll. Due to the large size of the middle-class chamber operas and orchestras were more accessible. However, classical music was now competing with more popular, easier-to-digest, music, and artists. Furthermore, while elite institutions like the Society for Private Musical Performances started to pop up across the globe other groups countered their rise with more public-friendly administration requirements and mission statements. These groups included the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt and Bang On A Can organization in America.

There are so many sub-genres that were born and movements that were created during the 20th century. The invention of the computer has been one of the most consequential technologies in modern music. Music-making and production have fully entered the hands of the individual. Through this invention genres like Computer Music and SoundCloud Rap have sprung in and out of the mainstream. Moreover, there have been Romantic-esque musicians who have had nostalgia as they made new music. The genre Historicism reflected that feeling. It is a revival movement that uses historical material’s technical and structures across a minimalistic sonic landscape.

How Will Music Continue to Grow?

The Impending Impact of Artificial Intelligence

There are paranoia and pessimism that is linked to the advent of A.I. in music-making. Popular musician Grimes once stated that she “feel(s) like we’re in the end of art, human art” and that “once there’s actually AGI they’re gonna be so much better at making art than us”. This of course sent the industry into a frenzy and several musicians and producers voiced their opinions on the impact A.I. would have on music-making. I think, like the moog synthesizer, and vocoder, A.I. will be used as a tool rather than a replacement in music-making. We have already heard glimpses of this on Holly Holden’s 2019 critically acclaimed project, Proto, where she worked with an A.I. version of herself to create unique melodies and sounds. Furthermore, A.I. adds a dissonant cold element to a very human and subjective form of art. As musicians in the Romantic period, I can see artists rejecting electronics all together to make more raw and unplugged music moving forward. Humans will knowingly disregard technology as they see it as a threat. We want to feel something, we want to feel connected to one another. Music is one of the best mediums to do that.

A Return of Liturgical Music

Liturgical music has evolved to some extent to modern Christian music. Unlike most genres, Christian music is identified through its lyrics and purpose, not its style and structure. Christian music festivals are popular around the world and rack in as many as 100,000 attendees. Some of these festivals include the Big Church Day Out Festival in England and New Zealand’s Parachute Music Festival. We are also witnessing a liturgical music revival through musicians like Chance, The Rapper, and Kanye West. West’s latest full-length project Jesus is King is a confident and loud Christian declaration. The church started losing influence across Europe in the 14th century, and secular music dominated the popular music space by the 18th century and has not looked back since. With trends in music heading toward liturgical music is some pockets of the industry it would not be surprising to see a liturgical music revival or resurgence in the upcoming century. As technology becomes more integrated into our lives people may respond to its existential conundrum with more faith music.

Streaming

Music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube Music have fragmented music structures even more. Individuals are influenced by more genres daily. Furthermore, it has significantly increased the accessibility of music to communities and groups that would not have otherwise listened to certain music. While this new democratization of music has brought exciting opportunities to indie artists and sped up the superstar process for budding musicians it has also led to streaming company wars and artists discontent. The album-equivalent units have led artists to rely on bundles, listener schemes, and shameless demands for overnight streaming (sorry Justin Bieber).

Music is in an exciting new place and could sound unidentifiable in a couple of decades. The mixture of cultures and melding of genres will most likely lead to new genre’s unimagined and unpredictable new stars. Ultimately, I see us moving towards a Romantic revival of sorts. Rooted in human experience and emotion. It would be a response to the power and dominance of technology in our personal and professional lives. Music may be our best path to greater connection, empathy, and compassion. Therefore, artists must be willing to stand up to the challenge.