Music is an art form consisting of sound and silence expressed through time. Elements of sound as used in music are pitch (including melody and harmony), rhythm (including tempo and meter), and sonic qualities of timbre, articulation, dynamics, and texture.
The use of music, in its creation, performance, significance and even its definition, varies according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions and performances to improvisational or aleatoric forms. For purposes of discussion and exploration of the topic, music is divided into genres and sub-genres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often unclear and/or controversial. Within "the arts", music can be classified as a performing art, a fine art, or an auditory art form.
Music may also involve generative forms in time through the construction of patterns and combinations of natural stimuli, principally sound. Music may be used for artistic or aesthetic, communicative, entertainment, ceremonial or religious purposes and by many composers purely as an academic instrument for study.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
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History of Music
Classical music, as we use it on this site, basically includes thousands
of years of time. This area basically describes the history of classical music.
When we speak of classical music, we are talking of the western influence.
We aren't talking about the ancient eastern music of the asian continent.
Classical music can be organized in a variety of ways. This section divides
music into six historical periods: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque,
Classical, Romantic and the Contemporary. Each period is briefly described.
and includes a list of important composers, some song files
provided by our generous sponsors, an option to buy some recordings,
and recommended recordings. Also, there is an organized layout which we used
to organize information on this site. We'd like to thank Classical Insites for
helping us acquire sound files and information of these periods. Most of the
information included in this site was from my notes after taking two years of
music theory in high school. To learn more about any of these time periods,
please contact a music theorist specializing in the specific time period
you would like to know about.