Musical Styles

Chamber music

• Instrumental music played by small ensemble.

• most well known form - string quartet

Blues

• Style of folk music

• developed by Afro-Americans in 20th century

Jazz

• American music developed from ragtime and blues

• Characterised by syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble, improvisation

• Often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre

Musical Theatre

Theatrical performance that combines song, spoken dialogue, acting, dance

Film Music

Music used in film to accompany the action and create atmosphere

Pop

• Ever evolving

• Music of general appeal

• Doesn’t have a particular sound or style

• Term found in 1950s to describe music young people like

Rock

• Form of pop music

• = rock and roll + pop

• Evolved mid to late 1960s

• Typical instruments = electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit

Reggae

• Form of pop music that originated in Jamaica

• = calypso + rhythm and blues

• Strongly accentuated offbeat

• Bob Marley was the first internationally known reggae musician

Western classical tradition

Music from 1600-1910, includes Baroque, Classical and Romantic

Baroque

• Genre of western classical tradition

• 1600-1750

• Use of counterpoint, polyphony, drama, elaborate ornamentation

• big composers: Bach, Handel, Vivaldi

Classical

• Genre of western classical tradition

• 1750-1830

• Forms like symphony, Concerto, Sonata

• big composers: Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn

Romantic

• Genre of western classical tradition

• 1800-1920

• most innovative (new/original) in music history

• characterised by lyrical melodies, rich harmonies and emotive expression

• big composers: Chopin, Brahms, Tchaikovsky