Romantic 1. Freedom of form and design. It was more personal and emotional. 2.

Song-like melodies (lyrical), as well as many chromatic harmonies and discord s. 3. Dramatic contrasts of dynamics and pitch. 4. Big orchestras, due mainly to brass and the invention of the valve. 5. Wide variety of pieces (i.e. songs up to five hour Wagner operas) 6. Programme music (music that tells a story) 7. Shape was brought to work through the use of recurring themes. 8. Great technical virtuosity. 9. Nationalism (a reaction against German influence) Blues : Music Style Blues is typically performed in 12-bar structure, with a standard harmonic progr ession in 4/4 or 2/4 time. Blues music is known for repetitious verses, with lyr ics typically ending on the last beat of the 10th-bar or the first beat of the 1 1th-bar. The final two bars of blues songs are usually reserved for the instrume ntalist break. The melody is generally played on the flattened third, fifth or s eventh notes, typically characterized as bent or blue notes. Walking bass lines and shuffling grooves are also typically found in blues music. Twelve-Bar Structure Twelve-bar structure (blues) is the basis of all blues music. A bar of music is the number of beats in the song that musicians keep their rhythm by making the m usic easier to follow, while greatly enhancing its sound to the listening audien ce. A single bar is usually divided into four beats; therefore, a 12-bar blues g enerally has 48 beats. The 12-bar structure is usually repeated three or four ti mes, and this segment comprises the verse. Lyrics Traditional blues verses consist of a single line that is repeated four times in AAB form. The initial phrase is sung on the first three lines and then a new st atement or resolution is sung on the last line of the verse. Most blues songs fe ature loose narratives with the vocalist recounting their personal woes or the h arsh realities of the world through gritty lyrics. Blues lyrics delve into topic s that include police brutality, oppression and poverty, lost love, infidelity, overt sexuality and redemption. Call and Response Blues music is also noted for its unique use of call and response. Call and resp onse was highly prevalent in the field shouts during slavery, though its origins can be traced further back to West African music. In blues, call and response l acks an accompanying harmony and is unbounded by the formality of any musical ar rangement. It is characterized by a highly emotional, simple solo chant of a phr ase that is then repeated back. The solo chant is sung and often repeated back o n the guitar, giving the song an emotionally charged atmosphere that is heighten ed by the repetition of the lyrics. Tone Colour: During the 20th century, tone colour has become a more important element of musi c then it was ever before. It has a major role: creating variety, continuity and mood. In modern music, noise-like and percussive sounds are often used and instruments are often played at the very top or the very bottom of their register. Uncommon playing techniques have become normal. Flutter-tongueing and other special tech niques are also employed to make 20th century music distinctive.

Percussion instruments rose in importance in the 20th century. 20th century comp osers are interested in unusual rhythms. Celestas, wood block and xylophone are a few. Composers sometimes made use of noise makers such as sirens and typewrite rs to add colour to the music. Piano is no longer used to provide the lyrical an d singing tone of the Romantic. They are now used for persussive or Jazz effect. Modern orchestral and chamber works often sound transparent. Individual tone col ours are heard clearly. To bring the individuality of the different melodic line s that are played simultaneously. The composer will also assign diffrent parts t o instruments of diffrent timbre in order to bring out their colours. In the 20th century, instruments are not place into strict groups. Usage of inst ruments are all up to the composer's whim. It may be as little as 1 person and i t may be as much as one thousand. Harmony: Consonance are no longer in use in the 20th century. Dissonance became very impo rtant an infact most of the piece is made up of dissonant chords. in the 20th ce ntury one would not get the final fufillment one expects. On the whole, 20th cen tury music sound fantasy like, distant and mystifying. Chord Structures: Chords are never as fundemental as it is in previous centuries. Polychords are c reated by placing one traditional chord over another. Fourth chords are also employed they are chords made up of notes that are a four th apart instead of the usual three. Tone cluster is also created. Chords are made up of notes who are semitones apar t it can be produced by striking on the piano a group of adjacent keys. Rhythm: The rhythmic vocabulary of the 20th century was exoanded with increased emphasis on irregularity and unpredictability. Meters can change every bar or so having an effect of imbalance. We may count:1-2-3-4-5, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4-5, 1-2-3 and so on. Polyrhythm may also be employed. It is similar to Brahm's cross rhythms with one voice playing 1-2, 1-2 and the other voice playing 1-2-3, 1-2-3. Melody: Melody is very elusive in the 20th century. Composers advocated atonality ( nonmelodic sort of composition ) and melodies that can be sung or hummed is very fe w. Classical : Classical music has a lighter, clearer texture than Baroque music and is less co mplex. It is mainly homophonic [3] melody above chordal accompaniment (but count erpoint is by no means forgotten, especially later in the period). Variety and contrast within a piece became more pronounced than before. Variety of keys, melodies, rhythms and dynamics (using crescendo, diminuendo and sforzan do), along with frequent changes of mood and timbre were more commonplace in the Classical period than they had been in the Baroque. Melodies tended to be short er than those of Baroque music, with clear-cut phrases and clearly marked cadenc

es. The orchestra increased in size and range; the harpsichord continuo fell out of use, and the woodwind became a self-contained section. As a solo instrument, the harpsichord was replaced by the piano (or fortepiano). Early piano music wa s light in texture, often with Alberti bass accompaniment, but it later became r icher, more sonorous and more powerful. Importance was given to instrumental music the main kinds were sonata, trio, strin g quartet, symphony, concerto, serenade and divertimento. Sonata form developed and became the most important form. It was used to build up the first movement o f most large-scale works, but also other movements and single pieces (such as ov ertures). Baroque : Unity of Mood: A baroque piece is famous for its doctrine of mood. What is happy will be happy throughout and what is sad continues to the end. Composers moulded the musical l anguage to fit moods and affections. Some definite rhythms and melodic patterns are used to define certain moods and expressions. The prime exception of this characteristics is an exception to this baroque prin ciple of the unity of mood. Drastic changes of emotions in the text may inspire corresponding changes in music. But even in such cases, the certain mood continu e for quite some time before it changes to another. Rhythm: Unity of mood in baroque is first conveyed by the continuity of rhythm. Rhythmic patterns heard at the beginning of the piece is reiterated many times throughou t the piece. This relentless drive compelled the music to push forward. This for ward motion is hardly ever interrupted. The beat are also far more distinct in b aroque music. Melody: Baroque music creates a feeling of continuity. An opening melody will be heard o ver and over again in the course of the piece. Even if the character of the piec e is constant, the passage is varied. Many baroque melodies are complex and elab orate. They are not easy to sing or play. Baroque melodies give and impression o f dynamic expansion rather than balance and symmetry. It gives a whole feeling o f a jumble yet a theme is distinctly heard. Terraced Dynamics: Paralleling the continuity of mood, the dynamics of the piece also stay constant for some period of time before it shifts to another level. When the dynamics sh ift, it is sudden like physically stepping of a step. Therefore, terraced dynami cs are a distinctive quality of baroque music. Gradual changes such as crescendo and decrescendos are unheard of this is partly due to the fact that the manuals of the keyboards instrument then were able to provide only the loud or the soft sound. They were not able to provide the in between sound. Texture: Late baroque music are often and predominantly polyphonic in texture : two more melodic lines compete for the listener s attention. Usually the soprano and the ba ss line is more important and imitation between various lines is very common. A melodic line that happen in one voice will happen in other voices as well. Howev er, this was not strict during Bach s and Handel s time short snatches of homophonic pieces may also occur.

Basso continuo and figure bass: In any baroque piece, it is common to see figures basses, little numbers at the bottom of the stave, it indicates the chords that the basso continuo player must play. The basso continuo consists of the cello and the harpsichord. Composers: Romantic - Chopin Classical - Mozart/Beethovan Baroque - Hanadal/Bach 20th Century - Gershwen