Adventures in Classical Music - Introduction and Rock and Roll History

A collection of vocabulary terms exploring the timeline of Western classical music from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, alongside the foundational elements and sources of Rock and Roll.

Middle Ages

A musical period that lasted up to approximately $1450$, during which the first system for recording music was developed in the church between $387$ – $455$.

Renaissance

The era following the Middle Ages characterized by the flowering of high renaissance polyphony, as seen in Johannes Ockeghem's l-Homme Armé Mass in $1451$.

Baroque Period

A musical period lasting from approximately $1600$ to $1750$ that saw an explosion of instrumental music and the work of composers like Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach.

Classical Period

The era following the Baroque period featuring composers such as Haydn and Mozart, known for works like the Marriage of Figaro ($1784$).

Romantic Period

A period beginning at around $1815$ that included composers such as Chopin and Tchaikovsky, following the transitional influence of Beethoven.

Impressionism

A movement that began in $1873$ and is associated with Claude Debussy and his work La Mer ($1905$).

Madrigal

A musical form referenced in the transition towards the Baroque period.

Monteverdi

An important figure in the development of classical music and the Baroque period, known for the $1632$ work Zefiro torna.

Beethoven

A transitional figure known for the Egmont Overture ($1810$) who helped move music from the classical period into the romantic period.

Style

A term used to describe different kinds of music, though the teacher warns that musical evolution is a gradual process rather than fixed 'time stamped' events.

Pop Music

One of the three sources of Rock and Roll, characterized by softness, smooth lyrical ballads, and trained singers like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Nat King Cole.

Country and Western Music

A source of Rock and Roll featuring prominent rhythms and specific instruments like the steel guitar and violin, but notably using no drums.

Steel Guitar

An instrument used in Country and Western music that originated from the Hawaiian slack keyed tradition known as kī hōɁlu.

Pange Lingua

A reference piece of church music created in $550$, representing the early written records stored by the Christian church.

Igor Stravinsky

A $20\text{th}$ century composer known for the work Rite of spring in $1913$.

Hank Williams

A famous country and western musician referenced for the song Your Cheatin’ Heart.