GENRES OF MUSIC

What is ‘Genre of Music’?

 It is the musical techniques, the style, the cultural context, and the
content and the spirit of the themes.

What are the Genres of Music?

 Instrumental
 Baroque
 Classical
 Romantic
 Modern

1. INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
 It is a musical composition or recording without lyrics, or singing, although it
might include some inarticulate vocal input.

Examples:

 Wonderland by Night (Bert Kaempfert)

 Soul Finger (Bar-Kays)
 Nothing Else Matter (Apocalyptica)

2.BAROQUE MUSIC (1600-1750)

 It is very strict on tempo, articulation, basically on everything.
 Even single note must be played clearly
 Complex and highly tonal
 Baroque Music (1600-1750)
 It is often polyphonic (there are quite a few parts/voices) which kind of
explain why most keyboard instruments used then had many keyboards
 There is only one basic mood
 Baroque phrases tend to go on and on, somewhat continuous
 Baroque music tends to feature longer phrases with fewer cadences.

Examples:

 Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel

 The Four Seasons: Spring by Antonio Vivaldi
 Water Music: Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348 by George Frideric Handel
 Prelude I in C Major by Johann Sebastian Bach
 Concerto Grosso No. 10 in C Major, Op. 6 : II. Allemanda by Arcangelo
Corelli
3. CLASSICAL MUSIC (1730-1820)

 Not Pop
 Features Strings, Brass, Woodwinds, Voice and Percussion
 It is almost equally strict as Baroque in terms of tempo and dynamics
and everything
 It has simple melodies and sounds formal
 It is not polyphonic
 Mood changes often
 Keyboards have larger range of notes.
 Classical phrases tend to value symmetry and balance.
 Classical music tends to feature shorter but more regular phrases

Examples:

 Corelli Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

 Fur Elise by Ludwig Van Beethoven
 Trumpet Concerto in E Flat, 3rd Movement by Franz Joseph Haydn

4. ROMANTIC MUSIC (1815-1910)

 Music became more expressive and emotional, expanding to

encompass literary, artistic, and philosophical themes.
 It uses a lot of tempo rubato and in piano pieces, it uses much of the
sustaining pedal
 Unlike Baroque and Classical, Romantic Music has more freedom on
everything.

Examples:

 Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, Op 28 by Richard Strauss

 Scheherazade Op. 35 by Rimsky Korsakov
 Sleeping Beauty Waltz by Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky
 Orpheus, Symphonic Poem No. 4 by Franz Liszt
 Invitation to the Dance Op. 65 by Carl Maria Von Weber
 Three Romance for Oboe and Piano, Op. 94 by Robert Schumann
 A German Requiem, 1st Movement by Johannes Brahms
 Bridal Chorus by Richard Wagner
 Waltz in A Minor by Frederic Chopin

5. MODERN MUSIC (1850-1930)

 It is the breaking-down of all traditional aesthetic conventions, thereby
unleashing complete freedom in all aesthetic dimensions, including
melody, rhythm, and chord progression.
 Two kind of Music of the Pre-Modern World:

• FOLK MUSIC ―emerged naturally among cultures throughout the world. Folk
music generally features relatively simple structure/theory and has a relaxed,
informal quality.

• ART MUSIC ―was deliberately cultivated by small numbers of professional

composers. Art music generally features relatively complex structure/theory
has an elevated, formal quality.

Three branches of Modern Western Art Music:

• RADICAL MODERN MUSIC ―which encompasses all types that depart

extremely from traditional Western music. The primary member of this branch
is atonal music; another is music comprised of non-musical sounds

• MODERATE MODERN ―which departs less severely from tradition.

Moderate modern music features heavy chromaticism, yet retains a sense of
tonality, as well as other traditional conventions. The foremost moderate
modern composer is Igor Stravinsky, often considered the greatest composer
of the twentieth century. Stravinsky's most famous work is The Rite of Spring,
a ballet.

• MAJOR-MINOR TONAL ―(i.e. music that features major-minor tonality). In

terms of art music, this branch encompasses most film music and musicals;
additionally, it includes most popular music. Thus, in terms of sheer audience
size, major-minor tonality continues to dominate Western music.

Examples:

 Clair De Lune by Claude Debussy

 Peripetie by Arnold Schoenberg