from WIKI:
[...] This taste for structural clarity worked its way into the world of music, moving away from the layered polyphony of the Baroque period, towards a style where a melody over a subordinate harmony — a combination called homophony — was preferred. [2] This meant that the playing of chords, even if they interrupted the melodic smoothness of a single part, became a much more prevalent feature of music. This, in turn, made the tonal structure of works more audible.
Since polyphonic texture was no longer the main focus of music (excluding the development section) but rather a single melodic line with accompaniment, there was greater emphasis on notating that line for dynamics and phrasing. The simplification of texture made such instrumental detail more important, and also made the use of characteristic rhythms, such as attention-getting opening fanfares, the funeral march rhythm, or the minuet genre, more important in establishing and unifying the tone of a single movement.
Periods of European art music
Medieval (500–1400)
Renaissance (1400–1600)
Baroque (1600–1760)
Baroque (1600–1760)
Classical (1730–1820)
Romantic (1815–1910)
Contemporary (1975–present)
21st-century (2000–present)
Last edited by krahosk; 06-22-2010 at 10:49 AM.
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