Similarities Between Classical Music And Romantic Period

The earliest human civilizations found a profound sense of passion through the arts. Different forms of art have allowed humans the ability to express their emotions and sense of individually. Examples of human art include: prehistoric finger paintings, drawings on cave walls, Greek architecture as exemplified through in the Parthenon, DaVinci’s Mona Lisa, and the iconic sculpture, Statue of David. Every period in time has shaped the way for the next to follow. The Musical arts have evolved through time, providing distinct periods in which most music followed specific patterns, methods or styles. The progression of music through time varied from slow changes over a few hundred years to rapid changes over the span of a few decades. Two distinct …show more content…
One of the main similarities between the two periods are the use of an orchestra; both periods developed the sound through the use of a stringed section as well as a winds section. The strings in these orchestras were self-contained and the wind instruments filled in the gaps. A Baroque orchestra’s wind section was smaller than the size of the Romantic orchestra that would follow and there were never more than two flutes, recorders, oboes, bassoons, horns, or trumpets and the percussion was limited. There were still harpsichords found in these orchestras as well. Orchestras of both time periods made use of homophonic melodies which added texture to the sound and layered multiple chords and underlying harmonies below the core melody, while still using the polyphonic sounds of its predecessor. As music progressed from the Baroque period to Romantic period, the orchestra added additional wind instruments, such as the piccolo, bass clarinet, tuba, and the percussion section expanded; certain instruments used in the Baroque period, such as the basset horn, were phased out of the winds …show more content…
The Canon is a technique that was found commonly in Baroque music. Compositions were composed of a layered melody that passes from section to section after a certain period of time. Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major is “…as simple as three violins, one cello, and eight bars of music repeated 28 times” (Spencer, 2012), additionally it includes a repetitious base line, which was typical of baroque music. As the name states, Pachelbel’s Canon is scored in the key of D major, a scale which includes two sharps, F♯ and C♯. D major is a key that is suited perfectly for violins and other stringed instruments. “[T]he canon is now one of the most well-known pieces of Baroque Music and arranged by musicians on all kinds of instruments” (Spencer, 2012). Cannon in D is a prominent piece played during weddings and receptions and although Pachelbel’s composition of included a woodwind section, listeners may find that they pinpoint more emphasis on the string section of the orchestra. The emphasis is on the rich lower harmonic notes from the basses and cellos while the melody is centered around the violins playing a much higher set of soprano notes. Cannon’s polyphonic melody is layered throughout as the musical idea moves repetitiously from section to section throughout the orchestra. The listener may also notice how the score