Some were released decades after they were first written
Classical music enjoys a worldwide following, with millions familiar with the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and other composers responsible for producing some of the greatest music of the Western world. But in what exactly is classical music rooted, how did it evolve, and who are the individuals responsible for its most daring and radical innovations?
Compose yourself and tune in for key moments that rocked the classical music world.
The hymn survives from antiquity, especially from Egyptian and Greek cultures, but is familiar to speakers of English in the context of Christianity. Originally modeled on the Book of Psalms and other poetic passages (commonly referred to as "canticles") in the Scriptures, hymnody developed in the Middle Ages in the form of Gregorian chant or 'plainsong.' In the 16th century, the faithful were encouraged to sing together in congregations, which in turn led to the establishment of a select pool of composers writing hymns that expressed the religious feelings of ordinary people.
The word carol is derived from the Old French word carole, a circle dance accompanied by singers. A festive song but not necessarily connected with church worship, the carol was very popular as a dance song from the 1150s to the 1350s. As pieces of Renaissance music composed during the 15th and 16th centuries, carols were increasingly the result of musical texts translated from Latin and presented as songs for Christmas. Carols enjoyed a revival in the 19th century when they began to be written and adapted by eminent composers, among them Henry John Gauntlett (1805–1876), who wrote 'Once in Royal David's City.'
Musical notation in the music of Western civilization first appeared by the 9th century in the form of little mnemonic markings, called neumes, above the text of the chant that was sung in church by the clergy. Pictured in the top half of the image is a lament written on the death of Charlemagne in 814. In the lower half is the 11th-century score seen as a 'translation' using notation.
One of the earliest composers of classical music was a woman, a German Benedictine abbess called Hildegard of Bingen. A polymath who was also active as a writer, philosopher, mystic, and visionary, Hildegard is one of the best-known composers of sacred monophony, and one of the few known composers to have written both the music and the words.
In music, polyphony is the simultaneous combination of two or more tones or melodic lines as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, or monophony. The earliest practical example of a piece of polyphonic music dates back to the 10th century and a short chant dedicated to Boniface, patron saint of Germany.
The invention of the printing press in 1440 by German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1400–1468) had an enormous impact on the distribution of information around Europe. The printing press, by virtue of the volume of copies of musical scores, enabled composers to share their music with more people than ever before.
As the seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation, German priest, author, and hymnwriter Martin Luther is responsible in part for the replacement of complex Latin mass gatherings in religious services with simple hymns and choral tunes. By writing hymns in the vernacular, Luther made sacred music easily accessible to the public, not solely in the church.
The history of ballet begins around 1500 in Italy. The first formal 'court ballet' ever recognized was 'Ballet des Polonais,' commissioned by Catherine de' Medici and staged in Paris in 1573 to honor the Polish ambassador. Ballet would give rise to some of classical music's most famous pieces, including Tchaikovsky's 'Sleeping Beauty' and Delibes' 'Coppélia.'
Until women were allowed to sing in church and thus take over the role, the only way for men to maintain a pure treble voice into adulthood was by way of castration. These singers, or castrati, first appeared in Italy in the mid-16th century. One of the most famous was Farinelli (1705–1782), who made his name in opera.
Italian composer and singer Jacopo Peri (1561–1633) is often called the inventor of opera. He established the genre in 1597 with 'Dafne.' He also composed the first opera to have survived to the present day, 'Euridice' (1600). From these humble origins came some of the world's biggest operatic hits.
The advent of the Baroque musical style around 1580, and which lasted until 1750, forms a major portion of the "classical music" canon. The period brought with it new musical styles, new instruments, and new performance spaces. The works of George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) and Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) are considered the pinnacle of the Baroque period.
Handel was a superstar in England and in fact settled in London in 1712 and eventually became a naturalized British subject in 1727. One of his four coronation anthems, 'Zadok the Priest,' has been performed at every British coronation since 1727. Fittingly, Handel was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Italian Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) was a virtuoso violinist whose best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as the 'Four Seasons.' He is regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers.
Symphonies emerged from Italy's Neapolitan School, founded by Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725), as overtures for operas around the 1700s. The word "symphony" comes from sinfonia: derived from the Greek syn meaning "together" and phonê meaning "voice, or sound." The birth of the symphony marked a milestone in the history of classical music.
Italian musical instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731) is credited with inventing the piano, around 1700. The instrument would provide inspiration behind some of the greatest works of the classical music cannon.
The musical instruments credited to master Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari are among the finest ever made. He is especially associated with the violin. A Stradivarius today is one of the most prestigious of all musical instruments, and an extremely valuable collector's item.
On August 3, 1778, Teatro alla Scala in Milan was inaugurated. La Scala is the world's most famous opera house and has hosted hundreds of premieres, including Giuseppe Verdi's three most famous operas, 'Nabucco,' 'Otello,' and 'Falstaff.'
The Classical period was an era of classical music between roughly 1730 and 1820 that built on the order and efficiency of the Baroque era. The harpsichord was replaced as the main keyboard instrument by the piano, and soon everybody was humming to tunes composed by Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), Franz Schubert (1797–1828), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1891), among others.
If one classical music piece epitomizes the genre's Romantic period, it's Ludwig van Beethoven's 'Symphony No. 3.' Known in German as the 'Eroica,' it is widely considered a landmark in the transition between the Classical and the Romantic era. The works of Beethoven (1770–1827), who famously went deaf in his later years, remain mainstays of the classical music repertoire.
French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz had an enormous influence on the development of classical music. Much of his reputation is based on his radical approach to musical expression, a style exemplified in 1830's 'Symphonie fantastique,' an autobiographical musical love-letter, a portion of which was very likely composed under the influence of opium.
Hungarian Franz Liszt was a wizard on the keyboard. Indeed, he was the first to give complete recitals as a pianist. Credited with inventing the symphonic poem for orchestra, Liszt was the rock star of his day and looked the part, his long flowing hair often tossed widely as he played. In fact, he elicited from his fans a level of hysteria that became known as "Lisztomania."
On February 6, 1813, a group of 30 music professionals formed the Philharmonic Society of London to "encourage an appreciation by the public in the art of music." The society's aim was to promote the classical music concert to a wider audience. The first outing was on March 8, 1813, performing symphonies by Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Before the use of the baton, orchestral ensembles were conducted from the harpsichord or the first violin lead. Later, composers hit the ground in time with the music using a long staff. That all changed in 1820 when use of the baton started to gain in popularity, and with it the quality of the classical music concert experience.
The 19th-century art movement known as Impressionism, whose standard bearers included Claude Monet, in turn influenced a host of classical music composers, notably Claude Debussy (1862–1918) (pictured) and Maurice Ravel (1875–1937). Debussy's 'Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune' is considered a turning point in the history of Western art music.
In the late 1800s, German-American inventor Emile Berliner (1851–1929) created the gramophone. His invention allowed a wider audience to indulge in the delights of classical music in the comfort of their own home, and without the need to go to a concert.
The 20th century was a time of great experimentation, and serialism (or 12-tone music) was a revolution in composition. In effect composing by numbers, its exponents included Austrian-American composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) and the great Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Igor Stravinsky, whose 'The Rite of Spring' (1913) transformed the way in which subsequent composers thought about rhythmic structure.
'L'Assassinat du duc de Guise' (1908), which translates into English as 'The Assassination of the Duke of Guise,' is one of the first motion pictures to feature an original film score, composed by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921). Classical music was suddenly provided with a whole new platform and this composition marks one of the most important moments in the history of film music.
Another French composer and pianist, Erik Satie coined the term 'furniture music'—background music originally played by live performers in café-cabarets and similar venues. Satie is famous for his 'Gymnopédies,' three piano compositions regarded as an important precursor to modern ambient music.
Walt Disney's 'Fantasia' consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music variously composed by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Dukas, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Mussorgsky, and Schubert. While not a huge commercial success upon its initial release, 'Fantasia' has since been recognized as one of the most innovative uses of classical music in the 20th century.
On July 7, 1990 in Rome, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti began their collaboration as the Three Tenors. The trio performed on the eve of the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final, with Pavarotti popularizing Puccini's 'Nessun dorma' beyond the opera world after the piece was chosen as the tournament's soundtrack. The Three Tenors operatic group remain one of the most successful crossovers from classical music into the popular music genre.
Sources: (BBC) (University of Cambridge) (Classic FM)
See also: Pop songs inspired by classical music
Key moments that rocked the classical music world
The journey of classical music is fascinating...
MUSIC Music history
Classical music enjoys a worldwide following, with millions familiar with the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and other composers responsible for producing some of the greatest music of the Western world. But in what exactly is classical music rooted, how did it evolve, and who are the individuals responsible for its most daring and radical innovations?
Compose yourself and tune in for key moments that rocked the classical music world.