The musical education of today is the foundation for a lifetime of passion, inspiration and sensitivity to all forms of music. This course put these qualities into practice and provided me with the musical knowledge and inspiration to appreciate music. The study of the Renaissance Period, the Baroque Period and Classical Concertos and Sonata were of the most interest and value for me.
The Renaissance Period included better usage of notation and composition. It also included new musical genres and the development of old and new musical instruments from the medieval period. For me the most the most important reflection of changes in this period are reflected by the composers need to express secular artistic freedom and expression of passion and love in music. The idea that human emotions can be expressed in music just like poetry became more widespread in such musical genres as madrigals in the Renaissance period. These more secular leanings are important for many form of modern music that has broken away from religion although have roots in worship such as Jazz, Blues and Rock Music.
The use of harmony and melodies played together was the most exciting part of the Baroque period. Composers such as Carlo Gesualdo and Claudio Monteverdi provided music composition with more completion of harmony by using chords, chord progressions and the basso continuo. I believe that the Basso Continuo was a defining part of the period. Suddenly vocal and instrumental music had augmented bass lines with chord producing instruments such as the lute accompanied by bass instruments. This distinguished sound also influenced contemporary forms of music. The modern rock band will always have elements of harmonies from guitar and piano accompanied by bass instruments. This knowledge made me realise that listening to modern music harmonies gives an insight into musical history.
The concerto sonata form was also inspiring. The basic form of the concerto as fast, slow and then fast in three movements along with the forms of exposition, development and recapitulation was brilliant for developing key changes in music. The Sonata was a key element of many concertos and has been described as the plot of a play or a movie script. It helps to describe when the crucial plot points are and the kinds of material that should be used to connect music into a coherent and orderly whole (Piano Capriccioso). The complexity of Sonatas forces the listener to analyse the music and therefore the most important part of the Sonata for me was to develop sensitivity to what the music means. It has also influenced contemporary forms of music as Binary and Ternary forms that share the same characteristics of the Sonata and are often used in contemporary forms of music.
Overall the course has been very positive in developing a passion for music through the study of the madrigal in the Renaissance period. It has also developed my listening skills and more sensitivity to music analysis. An example of this would be looking at music composition like Sonatas. When looking at the use of harmony and the Basso Continuo from the Baroque Period, it has given me a better appreciation for the changes of music in different periods and that application to contemporary music.
Works Cited
“Sonata Form”. Piano Capriccioso. Pianocapriccioso.com. Web 9th December 2013
http://www.pianocapriccioso.com/sonataform.htm
