Style Comparison: Medieval - Renaissance - Baroque Classical

Period Harmony/Tonality Melody Rhythm Timbre/Dynamics Texture Form

Medieval
(450-1450)
Hildegard
Leonin
Perotin
Machaut
Modal
No sense of
harmony until
organum 10
th

4ths!5ths "rds are
dissonant
on#unct
Pi$otal!%a$e
&lo%ing
Limited range
Melismatic
'm(iguous!
)hythmic
Modes
Hoc*et
+sorhythm
No indication
No s,ecific
instrumental
music
Mono,honic
Poly,honic
(although
homorhythmic)
-e.t dri$en
/tro,hic
(mass0 ,lainchant0 organum0
canso0 motet)
Renaissance
(1450-1100)
2es Pre3
Palestrina
Modal
arefully regulated
dissonances
"rds consonance
on#unct and
relati$ely
unarticulated4
-one ,ainting
5ocally deri$ed
/mooth0 regular
flo%4
Meter generally
unstressed
Primarily $ocal
Homogeneous
instrumental
families
2ynamics not
indicated
Poly,honic0
imitati$e
2etermined (y te.t
antus firmus
(mass0 motet0 madrigal
Lute song)
Baroque
(1100-1650)
Monte$erdi
5i$aldi
78 /8 9ach
Handel
&unctional harmony
&ast to moderate
harmonic rhythm
/hort-range tonal
goals
Much se:uencing
(circle of 5ths)
)ich harmonic
$oca(ulary (lots of
6th chords)
/,inning out of
melodies
Moti$ically deri$ed
Much
ornamentation
Much dis#unct
motion (ased on
triad
/ingle thematic
(moti$ic) idea ,er
ontinuous motion
%ith a rigid (eat or
more irregular0
recitati$e-li*e
motion
learly articulated
meter
No distinction
(et%een (eats 1 ; "
Hemiola at
cadences
-im(ral contrast
(concerto ,rinci,le)
9asso continuo
normal
-erraced dynamics
Harmonic
counter,oint
/o,rano-(ass
,olarity
Melody ;
accom,animent
&amiliar style
+nstrumental and
$ocal forms
9inary and ternary
forms
(o,era0 oratorio0
suite0 concert<
grosso0 solo
concert<)
mo$ement
Classical
(1650-1=>0)
Haydn
Mo3art
9eetho$en
&unctional
harmony
/lo%er harmonic
rhythm
Long-range tonal
goals
Limited harmonic
$oca(ulary
Modal inflections
More (alanced
,hrases than
9aro:ue0 mar*ed (y
rests and cadences
antecedent!
conse:uent ,hrase
structure
ontrasting themes
of sim,le character
%ithin a single
mo$ement
Motion more $aried
than 9aro:ue %ith
considera(le
,auses8
-hemes $aried (y
rhythm
Primary accents on
first (eats of
measures
?sta(lishment of
modern orchestra
dominated (y
strings
2ecline of (asso
continuo
@raduated and
terraced dynamics
Melody ;
accom,animentA
'l(erti (ass
ounter,oint used
in thematic
de$elo,ment
Large-scale tonal
structures (sonata form0
rondo0 (inary0 ternary)
-hematic
de$elo,ment
(theme and
$ariations)
Style Comparison: Romantic - Impressionism - Modern - Post Modern
Period Harmony Melody Rhythm Timbre/Dynamics Texture Form
Romantic
(1=>0-1B00)
/chu(ert
/chumann
ho,in
9rahms
Cagner
&unctional and
linear harmony
Harmony as color
Harmonic rhythm
e$en slo%er than
lassical
-onal goals include
mediant
relationshi,s
?.,anded harmonic
$oca(ulary
Long0 lyrical!
,assionate melodies
%ith large
e.,ressi$e lea,s
?.,ressi$e use of
non-chord tones
Less-regular
,hrasing
@reater freedom of
,ulseA %ide range of
motion
-em,o )u(ato
ross rhythms0
hemiola0
synco,ation
-im(re is e:ually
im,ortant musical
,arameter
@reatly e.,anded
orchestra
5irtuoso soloists
Cide range of
dynamics
Meticulous
dynamic indications
Homo,honic
te.tures
Linear counter,oint
@reatly e.,anded
classical forms
Program music
Imressionism
(1=B0-1B15)
2e(ussy
)a$el
Non-functional
tertian harmony
%ith much use of
e.tended tertian
chords
Harmony for color
Planing
?.otic /calesA
%hole tone0
,entatonic0
octatonic
short melodic
fragments
&luidity of motion
Metric am(iguity
((lurring of (arline)
?.otic orchestration
/u(tle tim(ral
contrasts
/oloistic use of
instruments
Piano is im,ortant
means of e.,ression
Homo,honic
te.tures
/ectional forms
deri$ed from means
other than tonality
/ome use of
classical formal
models
Modern
(1B00-1B60)
/tra$ins*y
9arto*
/choen(erg
-rend to%ards
atonality0
,olytonality0 or
,andiatonicism
D?manci,ation of
dissonanceE
Harmony deri$ed
from serial
techni:ues
)edefinition of
functional tonality
in DNeo-classicismE
Fni:ue0 inno$ati$e
sonorities
?.treme ranges
2is#unct motion
'symmetrical
,hrase structure
Melodies deri$ed
from serial
techni:ues
)eturn to modality
and fol* material
?.tremes of ,ace
and motion
?.treme use of
synco,ation and
irregular accents
hanging and
additi$e meters
+ncreased
im,ortance of
,ercussion
?.treme tim(ral
contrasts
Fni:ue0 inno$ati$e
instrumentation and
tim(res
?.treme dynamic
contrasts
?.tremes of density
and trans,arency
/ound mass
ontra,untal
te.tures es,ecially
in serial ,ieces
&orms deri$ed from
,rogram
)eturn to traditional
,rocesses (e8g80
fugue) and formal
structures (classical
forms)
/ymmetrical
structures (e8g80 arch
form)
Fni:ue forms
determined (y
unusual means
(e8g80 te.ture0
tim(re)
Post Modern
(1B60-,resent)
)eich
@lass
'dams
)eturn to sim,le
diatonic harmony
+nfluence of ,o,ular
music
2iatonic melodies
DPhaseE music
Per,etual motion
/trong ,ulse
-raditional
orchestration
Po,ular and #a33
ensem(les
Homo,honic
Layers of acti$ity
Long0 gradually
e$ol$ing changes
define the formal
,arameters