Topic 3 of 6 · Form 5
History of Western music
Hymnody brought by missionaries; African composers combining European harmony with African rhythms, languages and call and response.
Notes for this topic 1 file, in order
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Periods and features
- Medieval (c. 500–1400): Gregorian chant, organum, modal music.
- Renaissance (c. 1400–1600): polyphony, sacred choral music (Palestrina), madrigals.
- Baroque (c. 1600–1750): basso continuo, terraced dynamics, ornamentation, fugue, concerto grosso, opera and oratorio (Bach, Handel, Vivaldi).
- Classical (c. 1750–1820): clarity, balanced phrases, sonata form, the symphony and string quartet (Haydn, Mozart, early Beethoven).
- Romantic (c. 1820–1900): expressive emotion, chromatic harmony, large orchestras, programme music, nationalism (Schubert, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Brahms).
- 20th century and contemporary: impressionism (Debussy), atonality and serialism (Schoenberg), neoclassicism (Stravinsky), minimalism (Reich, Glass), jazz influences, electronic music.
Influences on African church and choral music
Hymnody brought by missionaries; African composers combining European harmony with African rhythms, languages and call and response.
Listening skills
Identify period, instrumentation, texture and style features from recordings.
Exam tip: Learn three distinguishing features of each period – they are the basis of most listening questions.
Check yourself
- Name two features of Baroque music.
- Which period saw the development of the symphony and sonata form?
- What is minimalism?
Show answers
- Any two: basso continuo, terraced dynamics, ornamentation, polyphony/fugue, concerto grosso.
- The Classical period.
- A style built from short repeated patterns that change gradually over time.
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