When it All Started: Classical Music. that classical music is just elevator music but it really is much more than that.

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1 1 When it All Started: Classical Music Classical music has been around for hundreds of years. A majority of people might think that classical music is just elevator music but it really is much more than that. Many people might like this music without even knowing it because it is commonly heard in television shows, movies, video game soundtracks, restaurants, you name it. In the online article, History of Classical Music, talks about the evolution of classical music traced as far back as the Medieval Era in the eleventh century. The music in this era was mostly religious such as Gregorian chant and plainsong which are written as one musical line and later developed into organum which are three lines. A Gregorian Chant is church music sung as a single vocal line in free rhythm and a restricted scale (plainsong) in a style developed for the Medieval Latin liturgy ( History of Classical ). After the Medieval Era came the Renaissance Era in the fifteenth century which consisted more of art music and madrigals. The instruments that were used in the Renaissance era were woodwinds and keyboards. Well known and most influential composers of their time: Dunstable, Ockeghem, Despres, and Dufay. This is also the period when instrumentals came in on its own especially keyboard music in dance movements. A song one might of heard back in the Renaissance era would be Quam Pulchra Es, by John Dunstable. This song sounds like a piece one might hear while they are in mass at a church. We move into the 1600s, the Baroque era where there were important advances in music. The idea of modern Orchestra was born alone with opera, concerto, sonata, and modern cantata. The period of important advances in music was the Baroque period. Instrument groups such as the old instruments were replaced with a bolder violin, viola, and a cello. An instrument called a harpsichord was invented which added a new variety to the music in this period. Composers

2 2 were also more focused on writing instrumental works for ensembles which became more popular. This music was most commonly played by parties and special occasions of the rich people. The most popular composers in this period were: Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel, Telemann, Rameau, Francois Couperin, Domenico Scarlatti, and Vivaldi ( History of Classical ). A well known song from a composer of this time period that is popularly heard to this day is Canon in D, by Johann Pachelbel. In an article, Canon in D: the facts mentions, It's as simple as three violin, one cello, and eight bars of music repeated 28 times. Johann Pachelbel's Canon has risen in popularity to become one of the best-known pieces of classical music ever written ( Pachelbel-Canon in D: the facts ). The balance and structure in classical music was at its best during in the Classical period according to an article called, Classical Era Music. According to this article, the classical period saw the introduction of a form which has dominated instrumental composition to the present day: sonata reform. With it came the development of the modern concerto, symphony, sonata, trio and quartet to a new peak of structural and expressive refinement. Another two main developments was the piano and further expansion of the Orchestra. The piano replaced the harpsichord since it sounded smoother and more realistic than the harpsichord. Since the woodwinds became more versatile they were able to join the orchestras ( Classical Era Music ). With all these developments the orchestras started to resemble more of what we hear and practice today in orchestras. Classical Era Music says, The Classical period is said to be the sound of delicate order gradually being taken over by emotion and indulgence. A well known song from this period is Symphony No. 9 Choral Finale by Ludwig Van Beethoven which is a song most people have heard at some point in time. As time went on and music was more successful, the sound became more emotional expressive

3 3 and excitement. Beethoven with his music introduces us to the next period in classical music: the Romantic period. The transition from Romantic era to classical era did not happen instantly because composers were experimenting with different instruments played and put together as well with the sizes of the orchestras. The man who helped the transition from classical to the romantic period was Beethoven which is one of the biggest reasons that he is well respected in his time to the present and will most likely be appreciated for his music in the future. Since orchestral structure was figured out, composers wanted to focus more on putting emotion into their music. According to an online article called, Get Into Classical, the most important composer in this period was Beethoven but the first composer to really take Romantic music to its extremes was Berlioz with his most famous piece, Symphonie Fantastique. An interesting fact about this piece by Berlioz is that Symphonie Fantastique is about a young artist falling hopelessly in love with a girl and obsesses over her perfection throughout three movements of the piece then pumping himself with opium and having visions of his own execution in the fourth. You hear the bit at the end, where it gets all peaceful for a second, and then there are two little thuds and a drumroll? Well that peaceful bit represents the girl, which is the protagonist's dying thought: the two thuds of the drop of a guillotine and the hero's head bouncing on the floor (Get Into Classical). The Real Taste This music brings life and emotion into almost anything. Without symphony orchestras to make the music soundtracks then everything wouldn't look as interesting as it does with the music. A well known piece appears in the movie V for Vendetta which is 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky which is how this piece became famous. I mention this song because I played it

4 4 while I was in orchestra and it was an interesting piece to play because it had an exciting explosive feel to the song. It literally has exploding sounds in the song although we did not include those exploding noises when my orchestra played it but still an exciting piece to play. A well known Orchestra is the London Symphony Orchestra who played original film scores such as: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter, Braveheart, and The Queen ( World's Best Symphony Orchestras ). Orchestras that play music for movies and video games make movies much more interesting. The soundtracks that are made by symphony orchestras make movies sound much more intense than not having any music at all. A personal favorite of mine is the music that comes from the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean. There is something about that movie's music that captures my ear. Credit of these wonderful soundtracks are given to Kalus Badelt and Hans Zimmer. I feel like the songs fit the pirate movie perfectly because there are times of peace then all of a sudden excitement. League of Legends is an online game created by the Riot Company who try their best to give people a fun experience in gaming. A well known song in online gaming is the music of League Of Legends and their theme songs to their game that is orchestrated by Riot. I am addicted to the League of Legends theme song because it makes me feel like its the soundtrack of my life because it is so intense. Just kidding but I like to pretend it is. This theme song goes from a calm state to an intense state and is overall put together magnificently and it would go great along with a movie about a war or a fight. Although credit is not given to the people who play in the orchestra, credit is given to Praeco and Duncan Watt in creating and orchestrating these creative pieces. In Inside the Design: The Music of League of Legends, ByronicHero interviews Praeco on the making of the music of League of Legends. In the interview, Praeco says, Music is one of the most powerful tools of all to capture a character or mood. For every

5 5 champion I always try to have at least one or two defining elements or instruments in the piece. I think that going into extremes is really important. If you take pieces like Draven or Diana, in these cases I tried to find a very unique element that people haven't heard before and that they're going to remember to remember when they listen to it (Hero). I agree with Praeco, when it comes to symphony music, going to the extremes is the way to go when it comes to making a song that is truly memorable. The theme music is played right before a game starts which adds motivation and intensity to the game. Right before the game starts the League of Legends theme song is playing as you prepare for a long ride of victory. I enjoyed many pieces I played in the high school orchestra although it would have been great to have the opportunity to play more advanced pieces. One of the pieces that I enjoyed playing with my orchestra was Allegro in D for Strings by Antonio Vivaldi who was a well known composer in the seventeenth century. I loved playing this song because it required different sides of the orchestra to listen and understand each other and work as a team to make the song sound like one whole piece. One of the most challenging pieces I played in high school was Hoedown from Rodeo by Aaron Copland who was a composer of the twentieth century. This song was challenging to play together as an orchestra because it was intense and we had to make sure that we were capturing the intensity and to demonstrate it in our playing. The most entertaining piece we played was the Star Wars Theme which we played along with the school band which was also quite memorable. The sound of our orchestra and their band forming a symphony orchestra was wonderful because all of the instruments worked beautifully together as a result of hard work and practice. This song was also really challenging to play because the sound difference is huge and we had to learn how to work with each other to hear every part of the piece. By sound difference I mean the orchestra tends to be much softer than band

6 6 instruments because band is naturally loud. Give It A Try: It Might Surprise You! I do not intend to tell people to only listen to orchestral symphonies but to make an attempt to listen to it while doing homework and trying to concentrate. I didn't always listen to orchestral music or any kind of music because I would always think that would distract me from doing my work as if I wasn't distracted already by my surroundings. I thought noise was a distraction since my music was hearing my baby brother yell while I was doing homework. All I wanted was silence but when I listen to this music it forces me to relax and to top it all off it goes over my brothers voice which is a great benefit when it comes to my concentration! Listening to orchestral symphonies is calm and it is much better than pure silence or in this case, a child yelling. While listening to this music while doing my homework I feel inspired and motivated to finish so I could be free from homework for the rest of the day. I am not saying this music will stop you from procrastinating because that would be a lie. It motivates you to keep going no matter what time of day it is. There has been a rise in popularity for certain kinds of music. A certain kind of music that is often heard by young people these days. This particular kind of music does not contain the best of word usage. That is what's also great about listening to any type of instrumental music. I am not specifying what type of music this is because there are many types that don't use the best word usage. Instrumental music does not provide the listener with foul language but an earful of peace and relaxation. One can listen to instrumental music and create their own words and imagination with it. There is no need for words because the melody is more than the ears can handle. Music that contains foul language is a bad influence for many children who are exposed to this kind of music daily and grow up to think that using this incorrect usage of words to be

7 7 normal. That is why it is symphony orchestra is something one should hear more often instead of music that has foul language and inappropriate slang usage. I think one should try listening to Classical music to get in touch with something different. One might be surprised of the music they might like. It might provide a quiet and peaceful getaway and concentration for anybody.

8 8 Works Cited "20 Best Symphony Orchestras in the World." About.com Classical Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr "Classical Era Music: A Beginner's Guide." Classic FM. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr Guide to the Eras." Get Into Classical. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr "Inside Design: The Music of League of Legends." League of Legends Community RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr "The World's Leading Classical Music Group." History of Classical Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr