Evolution of Music: Part 1 by Dr. Jon K. Loessin Wharton County Junior College

Georgian Chants *The roots of the Georgian music can be found in the third millennium BC. This is confirmed by archaeological findings, such as three-hole pipe made of swan shin bone. In the ancient period 7 hole-pipes, lyres, bag-pipes, banduras, drums etc. were already in use. *Georgian sacred and secular music has a rich and complex history, relatively little of which is documented in any depth in English. Very strikingly, Georgian music uses an ancient system of polyphony, usually in three parts, and a unique tuning system conceived outside of what the western ear is used to. It makes a great use of parallel motion and dissonance (and usually ending in a unison pitch). Therefore, you are hearing tone pairings that speak a different musical vocabulary. Populus Sion

Gothic Era Music Gothic—A term often used to refer to the late middle ages (a.d. 1100-1450) Examples: Organum Viderunt omnes (abt. 1160) Roman de Fauvel (abt.1250)

Music of the Royal Courts: The Renaissance Period 13th-16 centuries Composers include Giovanni Palestrina and William Byrd

The Baroque Period: 17th Century --Birth of “modern” music for the era --Represented an awakening in musical composition --Sophistication and repetition of harmony through an aesthetic emotional method Composers include Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), and Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) MAJOR COMPOSITIONS: The Brandenburg Concertos; Concertos for Violin

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) MAJOR COMPOSITIONS: Messiah; Arrival of the Queen of Sheba; Love in Bath; Water Music

The Classical Period: 18th Century Composers included the great master composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791 Austria) and Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827 Germany)

Beethoven and Mozart Beethoven Compositions include: Symphony No. 5 and Für Elise Mozart’s works include: Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Turkish March

The Romantic Period: Dominated the 19th Century Divided into the early romantic, romantic, and late romantic periods, but dominated by the music of the German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Other Romantic Period Composers Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Frederik Chopin (1810-49) Johann Strauss II (1825-99) Johannes Brahms (1833-97) Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93) The 19th century also witnessed the Post-Romantic (like Gustav Mahler), Modern Romantic (like Sergei Rachmaninov) , and Expressionist composers (like Maurice Ravel)

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Ravel became famous for what some say is the most sensual and erotic musical composition of all time: Bolero It is so synonymous with Ravel it is usually referred to as Ravel’s Bolero