WELCOME all music lovers, and specially to all who want to understand music so that they can also enjoy and ‘love' music. I very much appreciate this opportunity, through the Clare……. to share music information and knowledge with you. This is the first article of the series, and I hope as we progress from month to month, that I would be able to make you all more comfortable with the experience of music, by bringing it ‘ down' to your level of understanding, so that you will not have to ‘ climb a ladder' to understand and enjoy “ classical “ music!
Today, and going back thousands of years, music, in its various forms, and in different parts of the world, has been a part of the human race. WE cannot say exactly when and where music began, but we do know that a string instrument, called the Ravanastron, and dating back to more than 7,000 years ago, existed and is said to have belonged to a King or Raja of India .
Doesn’t it look very similar to our “ saw “ instrument ? Maybe it is the great-great-great ( x1,000 ) grandfather of our own “saw”…?
How about the “ cymbols” below, do they look familiar?
In those times they used hair from the horse’s tail ( long and strong) to make the strings and bows! We also know from historical references, drawings, carvings, statues and paintings that there were various other musical instruments during the times of the Pharohs, Romans, Greeks, Mongolians, and China. ( i.e. the lyre, horns, trumpets, and drums ). So there must have been music in some form during those periods, and probably related to special occasions, such as parades, marches, celebrations, festivals, royal entertainment or religious rites.
However, during those periods, there were no records of musical pieces or composers. But we know there must have been music because there were musical instruments! The earliest formal records or evidence of music with compositions and composers was during the period 450 - 1400 known as the Middle Ages period in Europe.
There are seven “ musical” periods, which reflect broad changes in society and culture in Europe and the original Soviet Union that influenced the way music was written, and performed. Europe and the Soviet Union in those days were considered the centre for arts which later extended to include the Americas during the 20th. Century after it was colonized by the Europeans. The periods, not only refer to the musical genre, but also to other artistic and creative forms of the “ Western “ arts and design, such as literature, painting, sculpture, and architecture since they were all influenced by the same social, economic, political and religious influences. The seven “ artistic “ periods are as follows
MIDDLES AGES
450 – 1400
RENAISSANCE
1400 –1600
BAROQUE
1600 - 1750
CLASSICAL
1750 - 1825
ROMANTIC
1825 – 1900
NATIONALISTIC
1820 - 1950
20TH. CENTURY
1900 - PRESENT
The MIDDLES AGES (450 - 1450)
It is said, jokingly, but with a lot of truth, that the oldest group of music composers were Anonymous! This is because there were no records of who the composer was, but only the music composition that remains as evidence that they existed sometime, somewhere…
In fact, the earliest “anonymous” western music were Christian religious chants, i.e. songs of prayers, known as “ Gregorian Chants “ was not written down as m music score/sheet until probably during 9th. century. Before that, it existed as an oral art, by memory and repetition, passed from one musician to another. Therefore, eventually by the time it was written down, it was probably different from what its original creators had first sung. However, these Gregorian Chants is considered one of the West's earliest sample of musical composition. They are called ‘ Gregorian’ because it was believed
Music was an integral part of Christian worship. The daily prayers provided innumerable texts, all set to music in the style of Gregorian Chant. The church served as an important patron of the arts, specifically of music. Throughout the period, the majority of composers were associated with and supported by the church. ( click sound sample )
Interestingly enough, one of the earliest composer was a German woman, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179),
who went to the trouble of having all the music that she had written compiled into manuscripts.
What about secular music ( non-religious music) ? The situation is the same. Much of the music did not survive because it was never written down. It was not until the 12th. century in the courts of France that music was written down in manuscripts. This was only because, the French aristocracy themselves, male and female, were the creators and performers of their music, and not surprisingly, since this was music about, for, and even by the rich and powerful, it was carefully collected and notated, often with short biographies of the composers. So it is not surprising that early composers were of French origin, only because they wanted to record their music and ‘ show-off” their names. But this gave us important information and reference regarding the early days of music. For instance, this composition by French Queen
Blanche.
Ironically, by the 16th. century, the composing music was seen as a ‘ common’ profession, and beneath the dignity of the nobility. Because of this, a nobleman or noblewoman would usually not have taken credit for his or her creations and it may be that some of the “ anonymous” music of this period is by aristocratic amateurs.
