	Home
	Piano lessons Singing lessons Organ lessons
	An accompanist An organist A conductor for a concert or show
	You want to sing in a choir
	Tips on memorising Tips for listening to music with understanding 1 (Vocabulary) 2 (Period) Tips for sight-singing Teaching notes on Associated Board Grade Songs Teaching Piano Sight-Reading Notes on Choral Works
	Other links for singers Other links for pianists Other links for organists Some light relief
	My compositions and arrangements
	Sat 1 July Student Concert Sat 7 July organ recital at Boston Stump Sun 9 July and more Training Children's Choir for performances of Jonathan Dove's Tobias and the Angel at Oundle Festival Thu 20 Dec conducting St Martin's Singers Concert at Stamford 2008 Sat 26 April conducting Vivaldi Gloria and other works at Stamford Recent past performances
	FERGUS BLACK Werrington PETERBOROUGH PE4 6LW Tel and FAX : 01733 704281 Mobile : 07843 058994 or send an e-mail :

Listening to Music with Understanding - 2 (Period)

From grade 5, students need to be able to 'place' music in terms of its period and in some cases country of origin. There are some pointers to this (note to pedants: I know this is really simplified. I know it doesn't include jazz, nationalism, expressionism and impressionism. But hey! it's a start :-> ):

	Baroque (Bach and Handel)	Classical (Mozart, Haydn, early Beethoven)	Romantic (19th century)	Modern (20th century)
Phrase length	regular (four-bar-phrases)	regular	irregular	irregular / fragmented
Range	Range tends to be confined to the limits of the human voice		at the end of the 19th century melodies began to be unsingable	extremes of the keyboard, sometimes in close proximity
Dynamics and Gradations of Tone	Dynamics tend to be confined between forte and piano. Dynamics are usually terraced, without gradations of tone.	Dynamics tend to be confined between forte and piano, there are gradations of tone.	The range of dynamics becomes more extended; sudden accents	extreme
Tempo Changes	Tends to be at one speed throughout	Tends to be at one speed throughout	wide use of rubato, and tempo changes
Mode / Tonality /	Tends to be tonic / dominant	Tends to be tonic / dominant	Wider range of chords based on different degrees of the scale. Faster harmonic rhythm.	Chords of the seventh and ninth.
Texture	Imitative counterpoint is typical of the Baroque period.		textures are usually thicker
Structural devices	The circle of fifths is baroque
Chromatic alterations of notes	rare	Chromatic alteration is rare (except for Mozart, who can be very chromatic)	Lots of chromatic alteration.	'Wrong notes'
Consonant/Dissonant	Consonant	Consonant	Consonant	Dissonant
Rhythmic Forms	Ground Bass is typical of the baroque. The movements of the Baroque Suite are also typical of the Baroque: Minuet Gavotte Gigue Allemande Courante Sarabande		Waltz	At the beginning of the 20th century there was a reaction against the expressive emotionalism of romantic music. So-called 'neo-classical' music apes real classical and baroque music, in terms of texture and rhythm including use of baroque suite forms: Gavotte Gigue Allemande Courante Sarabande Usually, however, there are clues that this is more modern: phrase lengths can be irregular, the range (of pitch) is usually wider, the harmony is peppered with 'wrong' notes.

back to
Piano le ssons
Singing lessons
Organ lessons

See also Listening to Music with Understanding - 1 (Vocabulary)