05.20.08
Musical Hairy Tales
If one had
a musical ear, distinguishing composers and musical eras would be facile, but
when you begin explaining these things to the un-musically inclined, it could
be excruciating. You have to go through
the different qualities of sound, texture, consonance, dissonance, harmonic
action, movement, arrival, and phrase structure. Unless the person is really interested in staying
awake for all that, expounding in detail would be futile. So out of the desire to be able to give
non-musicians a background of composers and musical periods sans the
overwhelming technicalities, I say – judging by each era’s most prominent
figures, by their hair, you shall know them. Observe keenly for a comb through music history.
450 -1450 There isn’t
much medieval evidence but let’s begin with Guillaume de Machaut. The texture is relatively equal, incidental
cadences, few leading tones, light definition of tonal center, little sense of
harmonic progression, some variation in manner of movement, mild accentuation
by length, gentle and clear points of arrival.
1450 – 1600
The
Renaissance brings us to William Byrd. We now have a richer and fuller sound –
or hair, with moderate strength. The
principal texture remains, appearance of strong cadences at 
phrase endings, and
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
demonstrates considerable difference in manner and style and well-defined “caesuras”-
if you know what I mean.
1600 – 1750 The ever grand Baroque. There is an evident increase in amount and intensity, much stronger
and more pervasive cadential action and compact harmonic flow. Johann Sebastian Bach, Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi, Georg Philipp Telemann, George Frideric Handel and many others are obvious examples.
1750 – 1825 In the
Classical period, we may observe a
clearer dynamic range and much contrast between light and full, and a
well-defined structure in all forms and types. Dissonance is used for harmonic
tension and dramatic emphasis. Note Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
1825 – 1900 By
Beethoven, we shall distinguish the transition between the Classical and
Romantic. There is a greater saturation
of dissonance that makes rich sounds - or strands, and represents instability. Noticeable increases in
fullness, richness, denseness, and striking contrasts are present. After Beethoven, and
deeper into the Romantic period, we are still able to find the retention of
classic cadence feeling with tendency toward deceptive and elided resolutions,
rapid elusive shifts of tonal center, harmonic color, and weakened harmonic
drives.
1900 – 2000 Maurice Ravel, Aaron Copland,
Erik Satie, Claude Debussy… extremes of transparency with cross-rhythms and imbalances.
