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Music, by definition, is an organized collection of sounds, incorporating such elements as rhythm, melody, texture and harmony. ... As a result, the music that existed during the Medieval period and the Renaissance is often thought of as coarse and unrefined due to the lack of a coherent musical theory which would have allowed all of these elements to be smoothly incorporated into one piece. It is not until the early Baroque era that music starts to become standardized and organized in such a way that these foundation elements can be incorporated stylistically into one complete piece. However, music does not achieve its complete refinement until the late Baroque era at the hands of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s work represents the transition from the disorganized music of the past to the coherent structure that underlies almost all modern music. Due to his immense impact on music theory, he is frequently called the “Father of Music. ...
On the surface, the title “Father of Music” would seem to suggest a composer who either originated all music, or one who drastically changed the representation of musical ideas. Therefore, it might come as a surprise to discover that “Bach did not step beyond the bounds of tradition set by his century. ... ” Bach not only stayed restricted by the stringent rules of the Baroque Era, he also drew much of his inspiration from music that had been composed centuries before. ... In the spirit of the Early Baroque theory of “Unity of Affect”, Bach often created pieces that expressed one specific emotion throughout all or most of the piece, and then proceeded to play with the expression of that emotion. Critic Marshall commented on the effect of the “Unity of Affect” concept on Bach’s compositions: “[it led] to a veritably breathtaking logic and consistency in the development of musical ideas that has never been surpassed or perhaps even equaled since.”
This attempt to express emotion through instrument and voice was a decided contrast to the conventions of most of pre-Baroque era music; much of the music of the Medieval period was religious in nature and was composed and performed primarily to evoke a sense of spiritual closeness to God. The music of the Renaissance was primarily, in addition to religious music, either love songs or dance pieces, neither one of which were intended to generate specific emotional responses in the listener. In fact, it would have been difficult in pre-Baroque era music to convey such emotion due to the lack of coherent music theory at the time. ... There can be no tension and tension relief portions in music of this nature; this was, of course, ideal for the purpose of the Gregorian chant, which was to provide a suitable, meditative background for worship, but it is not ideal for anything with greater affect. ...
In contrast, during the Early-Baroque period, major changes were made in music theory that allowed a single emotion or affection to dominate a piece.
Approximate Word count = 2449
Approximate Pages = 9.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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