Influence of Classical Period and 20th Century on the Art of Music - Essay Example

?Examining Moonlight and A Hard Day’s Night: The Influence of the ical Period and 20th Century to the Art of Music Introduction Products of arts, whether it be visual, musical, or poetic, are greatly influenced by the particular periods of time from when they are made. Aside from its artistic value, paintings, sculptures, music, and alike are used by artists as a medium of expression to describe the events, issues, as well as existing societal trends that characterize the particular periods in the history. These result to the key features that are observed in artworks that are from the same era, and the differences between artworks from two different generations. As diversity is anticipated, this paper will subject into analysis two different works of art by artists from two distinct points of time in the history of music. Specifically, this analytical paper will address one of the most-acclaimed artist of the Classical-era, Ludwig van Beethoven, and his work “Moonlight” (1801), or originally known as Sonata in C-sharp Minor (“Sonata quasi una Fantasia), and The Beatles’ -- a rock band from the twentieth century art music -- “A Hard Day’s Night” which was composed by the band leader John Lennon in 1964. Several technical aspects of the songs will be examined. This will include “rhythm, texture, patterns of consonance and dissonance, form and so on” (Cook, 1987, p. 295). Additionally, the songs will also be analyzed in terms of aesthetic conditions. Its relationship to the “cosmic order” and its relevance to the period of time, the story behind and its musicality are likewise to be discussed and associate these to the songs’ technical elements to determine the variance in the light of the songs’ era of composition. The Classical Period and the 20th Century Art Music: An Overview As the chosen songs are purposely taken from two distinct periods in the timeline of music history, it is imperative to have an overview of the key developments that surfaced during the periods of time wherein Beethoven and The Beatles separately existed despite the fact that they remain as influential elements in the music industry today. These artists endured in the Classical Period and the 20th Century Art Music era, respectively. The overview of the era will include definition of key socio-political, economic and technological developments that have -- in one way or another -- influenced the characteristics of the works of art, especially music, which existed during the time. The period-specific features will also be distinguished with a comparison to the other eras, if held necessary. The Classical Period and Its Influence in Music. The Classical period pertains to one of the shortest eras in the history that ranges from 1750 to 1830. Although there exists a phrase “Classical music” which is considered as one of the musical genres that appears to be existent until the present day, it must be noted that the Classical period is the era that lies in the timeline between the Baroque and the Romantic periods, names of periods in the history not only of music but of art in general. One of the most prominent events that characterize the second half of the 18th and the early 19th centuries was the rise of Industrialization. Unlike the early years of the first half of 18th century by which farming was practiced by majority of the population, the beginning of the second half of the century opened for an economic revolution that paved way to the economical development in the countries around the world, especially in the United Kingdom (UK) and most of the countries in the European region where several types of arts have initially flourished. Although tagged as Classical period in Arts history, sociologists have termed this as the era of Industrial Revolution (Bairoch, 1998, p. 19). Development in the use of technology in the workplaces, construction of structures, the sprout of new industries as a source of income naturally followed, especially in the United Kingdom. However, as the economic sector improved through increased production as a result of industrialization, the economy itself was not able to cope up the same way due to the considerable surge of population growth (Voth, 2000, p. 264). Nevertheless, the emergence of capitalism was also noted; this introduced more social and economic developments in the British community. People got educated, earned and invested more, and gained their own social and political positions in the society while monarchism continued to prevail (“The Industrialization Revolution,” n.d.). The structures of homes and other buildings also reflected the development in the social, political, and economical status of the society notably in the UK but also almost all over Europe. The people’s mode of dressing also emulated the culture of sophistication that distinguishes the era from the agrarian past and the modern present. Elegance and formality were observed in all the aspects of living (Bye, 1989, p. 59). The 20th Century. Although the advent of Industrialization occurred in the period of 1750 to 1830, or the Classical period in the arts of Music, the 20th century society bears more benefit from it. Development in terms of technological advancements has become more common that the society practically have leaned on it to accomplish activities of daily living (Bye, 1989, p. 87). Radios and televisions, along with other gadgets and appliances have also frequented. If the older generations were required to go to theaters and amusement parks to be entertained, the 20th century society, especially those who lived in the second half of the era, need only to stay inside the house and flip the switch to hear a song or watch shows and movies. Dressing up in formal dresses had also already been put to history. Jeans and shirts were the prevalent dress code as the last half of the 20th century came about. Moreover, and unlike the Classical period, the modernity that came with the era also paved way for the more contemporary laws, principles, practices, and beliefs. Discoveries in the different fields of science were thought to be the source of these drastic changes. Social ideologies of equality were made more evident, and social and political movements have been fueled to push equal rights among people of different social and economic statuses, and others. Feminist ideals have also led the female gender to explore the world without much limitation as before; women started to enter the workforce, gained the right to vote, and even owned a seat in the government bodies. This, for many, was a product of liberalism; a philosophy that disputes monarchism as it promotes “equal moral worth of persons and to the tolerance of diverse points of view on how lives should be lived” (Kernohan, 1998, p. 1). Socialization occurred commonly in places where people of even different statuses meet up; an unlikely occurrence during the Classical period wherein people of high societies only mingle with people of the same social and economic levels as theirs. Along with these, economy boosted to unprecedented levels. As a result, the number of tall buildings and more concrete structures of homes and other establishments and industries increased in steadily astonishing state. Changes in arts were also noted. On the other hand, social studies agree that these societal, political, and technological developments have affected the moral and ethical culture of the society (Hancock, et al., 2000). The Classical period and the 20th Century Style of Music: An Analysis of Beethoven and The Beatles Since the social, political, technological and other features of the involved periods of time are already known, analysis and comparison is then permitted to determine the influence of the existing social trends to the pattern and style of music that existed in each era. To efficiently do so, the technical features (e.g., rhythm, texture, melody, structure, etc.) of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” sonata and The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night,” their aesthetic value, and other relevant characteristics will be considered. Technicality and Aesthetics. Evidently, the chosen songs belong to different genre: the one being a classic; while the other belongs to the rock music genre. Classical music, according to Kenney (2008, p. 5), is a type of music that has been prevalent in Europe and was primarily used in liturgical masses and other religious activities; whereas, rock music is a genre that combines country music and rhythm and blues style. Like many other music in the Classical period, Beethoven’s “Moonlight” sonata was played with a solo piano only; with notable absence of vocals and other instrumentation. As noted in Hoffer (2010, p. 160), solo sonatas such as the Moonlight are most often played with piano. However, examples of sonatas played with other instruments such as the violin, cello, and other wind instruments were also composed by equally popular figures like Haydn and Mozart (Rosenbaum, 1988, p. 14). “Adagio of Hob. 46 in A-flat major” and “Sonata in A minor K. 310” are the two's most famous sonata pieces, respectively. On the other hand, The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” is a concrete example to the diversity between the Classical period and the 20th century music. Obviously, along with the lyrics, the song was played by a number of instruments; mainly, the electronic guitar, bass, and the drums. Other known artists during the times were Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and The Who who were not only famous in the UK or Europe, but in the whole world. Like The Beatles, each of these artists played their songs with multiple instruments. In another context, there is also an apparent difference between the melody and rhythm of the two songs. Beethoven’s piece has a regular and simple, recurring, long intervals of musical beats with only a few distinguishable exchanges of high and low notes. It is in consonant state. The Beatles’ song, on the other hand, has a pattern of fast, irregular and upbeat rhythm with shorter intervals but melodious music; hence, is complex. The Harvard Dictionary of Music describes this model of music as unstable (Randel, 2003, p. 209). The musical scores of both songs [see Appendix A] serve evidence to this. The same orders and stylistics in the play of notes and rhythm is likewise observed in some other products of music from the two eras. Mozart’s “Requiem” and The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” can bear witness to the contrast of the use of rhythm and melody among the artists of these two periods of time separated by centuries. Lastly, the use of electronic instruments and gadgets to enhance the sound and musicality add to the complexity of the contemporary music of the 20th century, one of attributes of the modern-era music that was absent in the Classical period in the history of Music in addition to its use of experimental mix of different instrumental sounds at once. Nevertheless, artistry or aesthetic value is still persistent in both songs although not in comparable levels due to their basic differences. The Influence of the Eras. Certainly, the sophistication of the Classical period music may be primarily due to the demand of formality and elegance among and from the society. Just as it has been emphasized, Industrialization improved the lives of many Europeans and other populations in the rest of the world. With this, they employed sophistication in their everyday living; and probably, the simplicity of Beethoven’s and other Classical period musicians’ music appealed to the eye of sophistication. The formal structure of the musical artists suited the formal structure of the society in that period. Nonetheless, the song of The Beatles also emulated the changes in the contemporary society as compared to the Classical period in music. The developments in technology heralded for the creation of new instruments and gadgets that have led to the complexity of the modern music and artistry. The advancements of the social and political beliefs of liberalism, in contradiction to monarchism of the other era, have also presumably resulted to these drastic variations in the musical stylistics and patterns used and applied by modern artists like The Beatles. The incorporation of ideas through lyrical representations, too, reflects how everyday living and dealings are made as inspirations by the modern musical artists like them. Finally, the variance of the audience between the two considerably epitomized the diversity of the eras when it comes to music. While people of the higher end of the society dressed up in their beautiful suits and gowns, and mingled with other members of the social group to watch and listen to Beethoven and the elegance of his music during the Classical period, contemporary music reaches a wider coverage of audience. As more and more people relate to the songs of the modern musical artists, technology also does not anymore necessitate them to dress up, go somewhere and spend just to hear the music of their favorite artists. Conclusions As research and actual evaluation of the songs were done, it is with no doubt concluded that there really is a common pattern that dominates the music styles of the artists of the same era. Likewise, as music -- with or without lyrics -- does not only tell the people about the time from when they are made; their patterns directly reflect social, political, and economical trends of the era just as what both “Moonlight” and “A Hard Day’s Night” tell us. References Bairoch, P., 1998. International industrialization levels from 1750-1980. In: P. O'Brien, Ed. Industrialization: critical perspectives on the world economy. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 3-35. Bye, L. D., 1989. You can teach yourself about music. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Cook, N., 1987. A guide to musical analysis. Oxford, New York: Oxford UP. Hancock, P., et al., 2000. The body, culture, and society: an introduction. Ballmoor, Buckingham: Open UP. Hoffer, C., 2010. Music listening today. Boston, MA: Schirmer Cengage. Kenney, K.L., 2008. Cool rock music: create & appreciate what makes music great. Edina, Minnesota: ABDO Publishing. Kernohan, A., 1998. Liberalism, equality, and cultural oppression. New York, NY: Cambridge UP. Randel, D.M., 2003. The Harvard dictionary of music. 4th Ed. Consonance and dissonance. USA: President and Fellows of Harvard College. Rosenbaum, S.P., 1988. Performance practices in classic piano music. USA: Indiana UP. The industrial revolution, n.d. [Online] Available at: http://industrialrevolution.sea.ca/causes.html [Accessed 20 January 2011]. Voth, H., 2000. Time and work in England 1750-1830. Oxford, New York: Oxford UP. AppendixA Figure 1-4. Musical score of John Lennon’s A Hard Day’s Night, recorded performed by the Beatles in 1964. Figure 5. Musical score of Ludwig van Beethoven. Read More