Classical music has influenced the lives of millions of people over the decades. According to research carried out in America by Deveaux, 36% percent of adults have claimed to love classical music (Stanely et al., 2007). Classical music composers make it their obligation to write music that is not only pleasurable to listen to but also relaxing at the same time. Research has also proven that classical music aids in helping people recall things or enhance their processing of information. It has a lasting effect on the human brain that helps in the cognitive development of infants and improves the computing skills of adults (Ainsley and Robert, 2005).Although classical music is not that popular anymore; nor is it played regularly or even at all on the radio, classical music is the backbone of all the music genres in the world. These genres, for example; rock music, country, rap, among others, most of the times use classical music pieces as references when making the beats to their songs.
It also plays a major role in the Box Office industry. Most of the soundtracks in these movies are classical music pieces, and it is hard to imagine how they would be like without classical music. It is for these reasons among others that classical music such as; opera, symphony, string quartet, concerto, and chamber music has been very popular since the 14 th century. I enjoy listening to classical music when doing chores around the house or when doing my school projects. For some reason, the music makes me feel creative and makes the ideas in my head flow seamlessly. This is why I chose classical music as the topic for my research paper. This paper, therefore, analyzes the history and cultural background of classical music, as well as the elements, the instruments used, and how classical music is performed.
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History and Cultural Background of Classical Music
Pinpointing the exact period when classical music was born is as elusive as pinpointing the exact time in history that dinosaurs became inexistent. The birth of classical music is therefore estimated to have begun in 1000AD (Berg and Rebecca, 2002). It was around this time that the idea of combining different voices to come up with a singular, unified melody came along. The church had a very great influence and inspiration on classical music. Most of the Christians songs were derived from the songs that the Greeks used to sing in synagogues. These songs had evolved from mere chanting to a plainsong or the Gregorian chant which is a melodic line which is usually sung without any accompaniment. The Gregorian chant lacked harmony and melody, and it was always a haphazard performance. This prompted a monk by the name Guido d’Arezzo who was also a musical theorist to introduce a stave of horizontal lines; whose purpose was to record the pitch (Berg and Rebecca, 2002). He also came up with the sol-fa system which names notes according to their position on the scale. This was the beginning of the evolution of classical music.
At the beginning of the 10 th century, composers of classical music started composing music polyphonically (more than one melody) to be sung in important religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas, among other major religious events (Gabrielsson et al., 2011). A famous composer by the name Leonin discovered that he could achieve the polyphony by slowing down the plainchant into a tenor and adding a rapid line with a high pitch called the organum. His polyphonic notes became a famous part of church services and the Gothic Cathedral in Paris. Just like that, classical music started evolving and growing into a more complex harmony evolving to motets, Gloria, Marenzio, all through to the Baroque era of classical music in the 17 th century, and more evolution eras up to date (Berg and Rebecca, 2002).
By the 15 th century, classical music had grown from the church into the secular scene. Composers stopped composing music solely meant for religious purposes and started making classical music that talked about love, heartbreaks, pain, and other things that affected the society. During this period, the composers heavily borrowed their harmony from the church style, but for secular music, they had more freedom to include whatever they wanted in their music; unlike before when every word in their song had to fit the music. Composers such as Josquin Desprez to incorporate more a range of expressions in his music such as humor, symbolism, etc. to make his music more interesting, and not as plain as the people were used to (Gabrielsson et al., 2011). Such music was played during events in palaces and great houses for the distinguished guests that were invited. By the 17 th century, this music gradually evolved into opera, concerto, sonata, and finally chamber music over the years.
Elements of Classical Music
Classical music has some elements that play a major role in ensuring that the music has form and produces a beautiful melody. Understanding these elements is crucial when it comes to listening to classical music, understanding, and enjoying it. This is because the elements blend in so well that they enliven our spirit and rejuvenate our minds (Ainsley and Robert, 2005). Understanding the elements of classical music is also crucial for a performer to nail the performance. Classical music may differ from one song to another, but most of these elements are common in each piece of classical music, and they play a significant role in making the music complete.
Rhythm
This is the uniform motion in which the music progresses and follows. The use of the rhythm in classical music ensures that the notes in the piece of music keep recurring at a particular point, as other new notes are created at a particular point in the music as well. The music then keeps on flowing employing this trend of recurring notes and intermittent new notes. This creates the rhythm of classical music and most music; beats are also used as a way of creating rhythm (Ainsley and Robert, 2005).
Harmony
Harmony is the element that adds quality and texture to classical music. This is achieved by tuning the chord an adding tension to it until the desired tension is obtained (Ainsley and Robert, 20005). Tuning helps in ensuring that the sound that the music produces is melodious and soothing. This in turns increases the general harmony of classical music.
Theme
Unlike other forms of music, the theme is a key element of classical music, and it has to be applied and expressed in the melody and the lyrics of the music. When creating classical music, the composer has to pick a particular theme that is going to be the backbone of the song (Ainsley and Robert, 2005).Usually, the theme is generated spontaneously through the lyrics, or by using the background to portray the theme. The theme is one of the most important elements of classical music.
Melody
Almost all classical music composer uses a particular melody when composing. The melody of classical music is what distinguishes it from other types of music. The lyrics in classical music is tuned in a particular way through which the song is sung (Ainsley and Robert, 2005).The song is then composed when the notes are arranged in a particular harmony. When the rhythm and pitch are combined, the resulting tune is called a melody, and it is responsible for making the music pleasing to our ears.
Instruments used in Classical Music
Orchestration or instrumentation is one of the key aspects of classical music. It involves the combination of instruments in a musical composition to make the music more pleasing to listen to. Classical music uses a combination of several instruments which may differ from one composer to another. The most common instruments used in classical music include; strings: harps, violins, double basses, etc. They also use brass, which include; trumpets, the tuba, horns, and trombones. Woodwind instruments such as piccolo, flutes, oboes, and clarinets are also used. Finally, percussion involves the use of four timpani completes the orchestration of classical music (Gabrielsson et al., 2011). It is, however, important to note that the instruments used differ from one composer to another.
Performance of Classical Music
Classical music is usually performed solo or by a group of performers in front of a big audience. Usually, the stage where the performers from is usually down below such that the audience watches from above. This meant to make the music and the sound of the performers rise for the audience to hear clearly and make the harmony seamless. Usually, the performance is done in a very high pitch as classical music plays in the backgrounds. The performers are usually dressed in classy vintage apparel like in the 17 th -18 th century. As they perform, they are expected to express their emotions through body language and facial expressions, to depict the mood of the music. In most cases, the audience does not participate in the performance like in other forms of music because the performer’s voice and performance is the highlight of classical music.
Conclusion
In summary, classical music is one of the best genres of music in the world unlike the rest because it combines most elements of music, and is keen on creating harmony and melody. However, its popularity keeps diminishing by the day because it lacks airtime, and is not popularized like the other types of music. Classical music is very interesting and listening to it has proven to make significant changes in people’s lives; especially in how they think and in improving their levels of creativity. I think that more people would love classical music as much as I do if they just gave it a chance.
References
Ainsley J. K., Robert. P. (2005). The ultimate encyclopedia of classical music . Carlton.
Berg, M., Rebecca. (2002). The history of classical music: from the baroque period to the modern period . Beautiful Feet Books.
Cowley k., Joy, P. R., and Elizabeth Hawthorne. (2009). Classical music . Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind.
Elements of classical chamber music . (2001). Supported Self-Study unit.
Gabrielsson A., Alf D., and Rod Bradbury. (2011). Strong experiences with music: music is much more than just music. Oxford University Press.
Stanely K., John V., et al. (2007). Classical music: the great composers and their masterworks. Octopus Press.
Turek H., Ralph J. D. (2006). The elements of music: Concepts and applications. McGraw-Hill.
