Classical music encompasses a musical tradition that came into maturity during the Renaissance, but can be traced back as far as the 5th century. The discipline is varied, and the composers and theoreticians who comprise classical music's rich history are some of the most brilliant musical minds the world has ever known. The influence of classical musicians can be seen in every branch of modern Western music, from Bach's fugues in jazz to Stockhausen's experiments in sound spatialization in pop.
Beginnings
Classical music can be traced back to ancient Greece. The great philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras invented the first known system of musical notation. Pythagoras hypothesized that the relationship between musical notes could be expressed as mathematical equations. Early Christian liturgical music inherited this tradition of musical notation and later evolved into classical music.
Renaissance
The exact date of origin of Renaissance music is hotly debated, though many music historians place its inception in the 15th century. Renaissance music enabled the expansion of harmonic ideas, or concepts about how voices and notes interact with one another. For the first time composers began to primarily work in major and minor scales, a polar shift away from the ancient modes that dominated early liturgical music. The major and minor scale system is still used in contemporary music study and notation.
Baroque
The baroque style originated in the early 17th century. During the period in which baroque style was dominant, the modern classical orchestra was formed. Baroque style is complex and melodically ornate. Performing baroque compositions is notoriously difficult. A commonly heard baroque progression is a simple, repeating phrase which grows in complexity each time it is repeated. Many baroque composers wrote operas. Bach is one of the most well-known composers in the baroque style.
Romantic
The 19th century is considered a golden age of classical music. The Romantic Movement in classical movement coincided with romantic tendencies in literature and philosophy. Greater emphasis was placed on emotional expression. Composers considered the emotional context of a poem before the structural. The Romantic era saw musical complexity increase drastically. Richard Wagner's Ring cycle is an example of the epic opera that was coming into style at this time, as well as nationalistic ideas about music.
Modern
Modern classical music encompasses a wide array of tastes and disciplines. The German composer Stockhausen experimented with electronic music, and John Cage became notorious for writing compositions that consisted of a single sustained note. Modern classical music explores the technical and philosophical tenets of the classical canon and expands or comments on them using modern techniques and ideas about music, philosophy and society.
