The history of Western music is divided into several periods

1. The first period is called ancient times and the Middle Ages. The so-called ancient times refer to the music of ancient Greece and ancient Rome in the history of Western music. It is a very important source of Western music, and the Middle Ages were also a very important period in the formation of Western culture. But it was very long, a period of nearly a thousand years or so.

2. The second period is called the Renaissance, mainly in the 15th and 16th centuries. Since the Renaissance, Western music has developed faster and faster.

3. The third period is called the Baroque period, which is the period when Bach lived. From this period onwards, Western society gradually transitioned from feudal society to capitalist society, and the entire music gradually evolved from ancient times to Modern transition.

4. The fourth period is called the classicism period, which is the period represented by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. This period is a peak in the entire history of Western music.

5. The fifth period is called the romantic period, which refers to the music of the 19th century. Music also developed greatly in the 19th century. Western music as a whole produced many composers and excellent works in the century. Chopin, Liszt, and Mahler, as well as Schumann and Mendelssohn, are all romantic composers.

6. The sixth period is 20th century modern music. This period continues to this day, because Western music also has many new and diverse genres of development during this period, which is very Colorful.

To sort out the knowledge points of Western music history

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Bilibili and WeChat also have information on music history. In fact, music history is relatively easy to learn, mainly memorizing the four periods of Western music history

The history of Western music is divided into seven stages:

1. Ancient Greek and Roman music period

2. Medieval music period

4 , Baroque period

5. Classical period

6. Romantic period

7. 20th century music

Western music history thinking Map pdf

The morphological characteristics of ancient Greek music

Melody and rhythm: Ancient Greek music is a musical art based on the trinity of poetry, music and dance. Among them, the status of poetry is much higher than that of music, so the melody and rhythm are affected by the cadence and long and short rhythm of the lyrics.

The so-called texture can be divided into three categories, namely monophonic texture, polyphonic texture and main tone texture. The musical art of ancient Greece and ancient Rome belonged to an extremely preliminary stage, so it was still a monophonic texture.

Modal system: The modes at this time are all named after the name of a tribe, with octave or double-octave syllables arranged from top to bottom, with the four-note column as the basic unit. According to ancient Greek music theorists, each mode has different ethical characteristics. For example, Aristotle believed that the Dorian mode is firm and manly, while the Phrygian mode can inspire enthusiasm. , the Lydian mode has a sentimental undertone. .

The main music genres of ancient Greece:

The heroic epics of Homer's era, religious worship music, Greek tragedy and comedy, solo lyric poetry, chorus and dance music in competitive games, Instrumental solo.

The most famous tragedy writer in the Greek classical period and his representative works.

The three major Greek tragedians: Aeschylus, is said to have written more than 80 plays, including "Prometheus Bound", "Persians", "Agamemnon" and other tragedies. 7; Sophocles, who wrote 123 plays in his lifetime, including 7 plays including "Ajax", "Antigone", and "Oedipus the King"; Euripides, It is said that he has written more than 90 tragedies, 19 of which are extant, including "Medea", "Hippolytus", and "The Trojan Women". His plays have an important influence on Roman and later European dramas. far-reaching impact.

Tragedy of Ancient Greece: Greek tragedy originated from religious worship rituals. It includes drama, poetry, music and stage performances. The music part is divided into chorus and solo singing, with instrumental accompaniment. The protagonist of tragedy is usually a heroic figure, with a dignified and tragic overall style and a noble spiritual temperament.

Representative figures of each period in the history of Western music

Periods: ancient music, medieval music, Renaissance, Baroque, classicism, romanticism, 20th century music .

1. Ancient Music

The history of Western art music begins with Christian music. At the beginning of the 4th century, with the decline of the Roman Empire, Christianity emerged as an emerging force within the empire. In 313, the Roman Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, granting Christians freedom of belief, and he himself was baptized into Christianity before his death. Christianity took advantage of the situation to build churches in various places and preached extensively. As a tool to spread beliefs, music is attached to religious rituals and has developed rapidly.

There is no representative figure.

2. Medieval Music

The secular music of the Middle Ages was mainly songs with dialect lyrics. The lyrics of secular songs are in rhyming verse, have a lively rhythm, and the tunes are ballad-like.

There is no representative figure.

3. Renaissance

The Renaissance period was about 1450-1600 AD. Based on the "new art" of the Middle Ages, it pursued the liberation of human nature and the inner emotions of people. expression and expression. At this time, musicians, driven by the humanistic trend of thought, developed and reformed polyphonic music, and vocal music and instrumental music gradually separated and developed independently.

Representative figures include Di Fei, Ruoskan, Bian Shua, Okegemu, etc.

4. Baroque

Baroque originally meant "weird". It referred to a gorgeously decorated architectural style in the 17th and 18th centuries, and later referred to an artistic style period. The music characteristics of the Baroque period are: the birth of opera and the development of instrumental music, the polyphonic style gradually shifted to the main tone style, the church mode was gradually replaced by the major and minor system, and the use of digital bass gave rise to the new concept of "harmonics" . A large number of new music genres have emerged, and the language of music is constantly being updated.

Representative figures: Frescobaldi, Buxtehude, Cooperan, etc.

5. Classicism

Classical music refers to the European mainstream music from 1730 to 1820, also known as the Vienna Classical School. Classical music inherits the development of Baroque music and is a music style or era in the history of European music.

Representative figures: Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, etc.

6. Romanticism

Since the 19th century, romantic factors in music have occupied an important position. In the history of music, these more than 100 years have been called the "Romanticism Period". After the baptism of the French Revolution, human value was fully affirmed. While self-expression in music was particularly popular, public concerts became an important form. In order to please the audience, musicians pursued superb skills, magnificent sound and rich Colorful style.

Representative figures: Intermezzos of Schumann and Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Balakirev, etc.

7. 20th Century Music

At the turn of the 19th century and the 20th century, post-romantic musicians pushed the ideals and language of romanticism to the extreme, inspiring the younger generation of composers. rebel.

Representative figures: Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, etc.

Baidu Encyclopedia--Western Music