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Classical music in Europe

Classical music is a broad term for music that carries the legacy of many centuries. Classical music in Europe encompasses the music culture of many centuries in Europe. It is as old as the rich historical past of Europe. Classical music in Europe comprises of the following periods of music:

Early Period
Baroque Period
Classical Period
Romantic Period
Modern Period

Each of the above said periods is characterized by unique style and graced by great composers of the period.

When we delve deep into the growth of classical music in Europe we see that it can be traced to the origin of Christian music and the era of the ancient Greeks. It is said that the European classical music theory is based on tones and scales developed by Aristoxenus and Pythagoras and interestingly, both of them were Greeks. Early Music as mentioned earlier refers to the period prior to 1600's that is the medieval and the renaissance period.

Singing carols during Christmas contributes to the rich tradition of music in Europe. The word 'carol' was derived from 'Choraulein', a Greek dance that was accompanied by flute music playing in the background. Music developed in the renaissance period and sheet music became popular and gradually music turned out to be a core part of education.

No discussion on Classical music in Europe can be continued without the mention of the great music composer Giovanni Palestrina. The Baroque period popularized orchestra and with it classical music in Europe blossomed. Music became ornate and elaborate; rich textured melodies were experimented upon. Some famous music compositions of this period are Antonio Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", Pachelebel's "Canon In D", Handel's "Water Music", and John Sebastian Bach's "Toccata and Fugue In D Minor."

The Classical Period in the history of European music covers the seventy years from 1750 to 1820 but it was the era of Mozart and Beethoven, two superb composers of the period. Public concerts raised awareness about music in people. It was the age when epic symphony and concerto became popular. Orchestra was in its full swing as is evident from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

Romantic Period in European music that was developing reached its height at this period. The playing of instruments became easier with developments in brass and woodwinds; it added a new dimension to the range of sound and texture. The twentieth century or the Modern Period in European music discarded the old music conventions and experimented greatly. 'Twelve tome system' and 'music concrete' are surely the milestones of this period. The uniqueness of classical music in Europe lies in the fact that it is characterized by the staff notation system.