Eras of western classical music

Hey guys, you might’ve wondered what classical music eras are and how they are different from each other. Well, there are roughly 6 eras or periods in the genre of western classical music. These are medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and post Great War/contemporary eras. Together, these eras have lasted from the 6th century till present date. Each era lasted for quite some time, ranging from around a couple of decades to a couple of centuries.

The medieval era

The first, and longest era of classical music. It started from the early 6th century till the 15th century. Most music composed in this era were religious in nature, being composed for the church but there were compositions of secular nature as well. Monophony, meaning the presence of only one tune, was prominent. The use of instruments was minimal and solo voice performances were preferred. Some famous composers of this era were Perotin, Hildegard of bingen and Leonin.

The Renaissance era

The second era, lasted from 1400 to 1600 and roughly coordinated with the general Renaissance period in Europe. The many rigid rules of medieval music were cast away. The much loved monophonic technique of the previous era was replaced with polyphony, meaning many tunes playing together in harmony. More instruments were introduced. The music tones and scales that are so popular today were developed in this era, to compose pieces in one particular key. Dissonances too, were added into the pieces. Popular composers included Willian Byrd, Claudio Monteverdi and Giovanni Gabrieli

The baroque era

The third era, lasting from 1600 to around 1750. This era popularized elaborate compositions with lots of ornamentation and complete bassline melodies by the cello. The piano became the default keyboard, replacing the harpsichord. Instruments were rapidly gaining popularity and new techniques were invented to bring out the best in each instrument. Religious music was composed for both, the church and the protestant organization. This era even brought about a change in architecture and art forms with its sophistication and grandness. There were many composers who contributed to the baroque music like Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel and Jean-Baptiste Lully.

The classical era

The fourth era, much confused with the entire genre of classical music, lasted from around 1730 to 1820. It replaced the opulent grandness and elaborate ornamentation with simplicity and elegance. This was also the era when classical music was made more accessible to the middle class, where it was once reserved only for the aristocracy and the church. Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn and Franz Schubert are the most famous classical era composers.

The romantic era

The fifth era, from around 1820 to 1900. Beethoven, Haydn and Paganini helped bring about this era, which heavily emphasized on expressing human emotions. Unlike the simplicity of the classical era, the romantic era favoured dramatic qualities, spirituality and a connection with nature. Whole pieces were composed for human emotions such as love, longing and patriotism and the side-lined instruments like the woodwinds and brass were given more importance. Storytelling through music, in the form of operas and ballets too gained popularity. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy, Felix Mendelssohn and Richard Wagner were prominent composers of this era.

The post Great War/ contemporary era

The last era, starting from when the two great world wars started till present day. Pieces became more nationality oriented and were often meant to be motivational for the soldiers. The pieces also made use of romantic elements to cover the damage and ruinous effect of wars. The 12 note system of today was developed in this era by Arnold Schoenberg. The intense dramatic expressions of the romantic era were replaced with a more serious and controlled style. A lot of composers and soloists took part in the wars and lost their lives or their livelihoods and this too, affected the composing style. For instance, Maurice Ravel composed a piece that could be played entirely with the left hand for a pianist who had lost his right hand in the war.

Minimalism is a largely used technique in contemporary classical music with some amount of dissonance and repetition.

Here are a few pieces which highlight the beautiful techniques developed in each era and the differences between each of them.

Medieval -alleluia nativitas by Perotin

La messe de nostre dam by Guillaume de Machaut

Renaissance - mass for 5 voices by William Byrd

Puer natus by Claudio Monteverdi

Baroque - The Bach Chaconne

Vivaldi concerto no 10 for 4 violins

Classical - Mozart requiem in

d minor

Serenade by Schubert

Romantic - Salut d'amor by Elgar

Dances for harp and orchestra by Debussy

Post great war/ contemporary- Shostakovich symphony 10

Ravel left hand piano concerto

Nuvole bianche by Ludovico Einaudi

Source: Masterclass.com