Baroque and Classical Period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Baroque and Classical Period - Essay Example Baroque music refers to the musical style that took center stage in the 1600s and carried on to the 1700s having transitioned from the Renaissance era. According to Paton, et al., â€Å"The baroque period strived to create an overall balance between two parts that were not symmetrical† (1994, p. 4). It is during the baroque period that music tonality was formed due the increased use of harmony attributed to the realization that chords are better than notes. Tonality was as a result of advancements and extensive use of instruments far more than had been used before. In addition, tonality was facilitated by adoption of new and improved techniques of playing instruments. Although this was a great step in music, more needed to be done and it was not until later that perfection on the proper use of instruments was not attained. Baroque period also saw the establishment of opera and sonata among other great advancements in music. Opera was a less instrumental music which did not req uire use of polyphony and was normally done by a solo singer. Musical advancements led to transitioning from the baroque era to a better and improved era, the classical period. The classical period saw the employment of order and hierarchy in music in a bid to create music clarity. Therefore, simplicity was adopted and there were brighter contrasts and colors unlike in the baroque period. In addition, increased use of chords in music to enable melody to play over harmony led to shift from polyphony to homophony.