Write a general overview of each of the 6 main musical periods as discussed in class. You should cover the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Classical, the Romantic, & the Modern/present-day. This overview can include discussion of musical elements, but should focus on the ways society was impacted by music. You can refer to anything we’ve talked about in video lectures, anything you discovered during your Video Discussion assignments, any information from the textbook. You’re also free to do external research here if you feel so inclined. However, should you use knowledge or ideas from a source outside of this course, it should be clearly cited within your paper.
For this option, you should keep the following questions in mind as you build your paper:
- How did music function in society? (Was it used for worship? Entertainment? Storytelling? Record-keeping? WHY was there music during each period?)
- How did audiences relate to music? (Was music available to all people? Was music performed publicly or privately?)
- How did performers relate to music? (Was performing a viable option to pay the bills? Were performers virtuosic or amateur? Hobbyists or professionals?)
- How did composers relate to music? (Did composers work for rich families, the church, or themselves? Did composing music pay the bills?)