Evolution of Western Classical Music: Middle Ages to Baroque

Music of the Middle Ages

Middle Ages: Music of the Middle Ages was primarily religious. The music was performed at monasteries, churches, and castles. The exchange between these three musical worlds led to the birth of various forms of classical music of the era: the motet, the polyphonic Mass, the song, the madrigal, and the reform of the sixteenth century, the chorale.

From Gregorian Chant to Polyphony

From Gregorian chant to polyphony: After the fall of the Roman Empire, the only power in Europe was the Church. The Pope laid down the rules of the liturgy: this was expressed through songs in Latin, in which all the performers sang in unison, unaccompanied by any instrument. Pope Gregory I gave it the name: Gregorian chant. This song was the origin of all Western art music. It eventually covered Polyphony: a melody line superimposed on the normal one, then a second, possibly a third, and on an exceptional basis, a fourth. Some instruments accompanied them. This technique was later imitated by secular musicians.

The Renaissance Era

The Renaissance: The Mass for four voices and the motet remained dominant, replacing the polyphony and plainsong melodies introduced by secular musicians in sacred music. In Italy, where the madrigal and instrumental music developed, the instruments were refined. The main ones were:

• The lute
• The organ
• The virginal
• Viols
• Wind instruments

Baroque Opera and Instrumental Forms

Baroque Opera: Baroque music is so called by analogy with the other arts of the time (1650–1750). Italy was the cradle of new vocal music forms, and also produced instrumental music such as sonatas and concertos.

The Birth of Opera: A Performed History

The Opera: a history performed: The opera is a Baroque genre. It features the presence on the scene of singers who play characters. In the cantata, the singers (2 or 3) are reciters. Born in Italy in 1567, Claudio Monteverdi wrote madrigals. He wrote a script that tells the tragedy of Orpheus and Euridice. He composed music that is the point of reference for any opera production. Monteverdi was the first dramatic musician of his time. In 1637, the first public opera theater opened in Venice. Claudio Monteverdi composed two new operas, The Return of Ulysses and The Coronation of Poppea.

Purcell and the Opera in England

Purcell and the Opera in England: The English opera appeared with Henry Purcell (1659–1695). His first opera, Dido and Aeneas, was assigned to a school for girls. Purcell practiced in his operas an alternate gender mix of tragedy and comedy. He wrote other operas by mixing lyrics and singing. He also wrote a significant amount of instrumental music.

Vivaldi: The Master of the Concerto

Vivaldi, the master of the concert: Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) was born in Venice. He was a violinist and became one of the most outstanding virtuosos of his time. Ordained as a priest in 1703, he essentially devoted his time to a house of education for girls, composing works that the students played each week. The Four Seasons is one of the best-known works of classical music. He died in Vienna in 1741, in poverty, having made fortunes in Venice. He was forgotten for nearly a century, but today, he retains great popularity.