Classical Music time period and its characteristic

Hi guys, today I'm a little bit curious about the history of music, especially about classical music. Music has so much changed for some time period. And even, every time period has their own characteristics. So now I will tell you what I've got from my curiosity. From what I read, music had been growing for a long time. We can classify it according to some time periods, they are:

1. Ancient History Period

Bone Flute
Source: Wikipedia

Music had already existed in ancient history, even prehistory. We can know that because there are artifacts that can explain about it. As an example, like the bone flute on the left. That flute was already about 41,000 years old, which means music was already exist for long ago. But the instrument in prehistoric era is not as good as in ancient history. Maybe they just used their own voice and then were looking for something which they can play and it can generates sound as counterpoint, or maybe they just used their voice alone. Only then in ancient history period (exactly before 500 AD), the instruments are better, even the harp is already exist in this time period. The music characteristic in this period is designated in basic notes and scales. Some of them may have been transmitted through oral or written systems. The music much grown especially in the populated regions that had their own culture, like in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome, even it became a religious ceremony in some culture. As an example, in Egypt, the ancient Egyptians credited their powerful gods Hathor with the invention of music.

2. Early Period

This is the music in the early period. It consists of two musical periods, they were Medieval Period and Renaissance Period.

The Medieval period includes music from after the fall of Rome to about 1400 AD. The music includes solely vocal music, such as the Gregorian chanting done by monks and choral music, solely instrumental music, and music that uses both voices and instruments. In this period, the music instruments are more variety. The instrument with string like lute, mandore, gittern and psaltery were begun to used. Even in this period, the violin-like instrument was already exist, one of it is Byzantine Lyra. The medieval music has various genres but we can generalize them to sacred music and secular music. The sacred music, such as liturgical genre, one of it is Gregorian chant. Gregorian chant was formed in monophonic style. The monophonic chant was the dominant form until about 1100 AD. Polyphonic (multi-voiced) music began to develop from monophonic chant during the high medieval era, becoming prevalent by the later 13th and early 14th century.

Hurdy-gurdy
Source : Wikipedia

The Renaissance Period was from 1400 to 1600. This period was characterized by greater use of instrumentation, multiple interweaving melodic lines, and the use of the first bass instruments. Social dancing became more widespread, so musical forms appropriate to accompanying dance began to standardize. Some Renaissance music main characteristics (Fuller) are, richer texture in four or more parts, blending rather than contrasting strands in the musical texture, harmony with a greater concern with the flow and progression of chords, and it based on modes. Some instruments that are used in Renaissance period are Viol, Lyre, Cornett, and Hurdy-gurdy. And also in this time period that the notation of music on a staff, a set of five horizontal lines in notation, and other elements of musical notation began to take shape.

3. Common Practice Period

In this period, music was growing to be more complex than before. And also in this period that the classical songs, that we usually heard, were composed. This period began from about 1600 to the middle of the 18th century. It consists of three periods, they were Baroque Period, Classical Period, and Romantic Period.

Baroque Period began from about 1600-1750 AD. It characterized by the use of complex tonal counterpoint and the use of a basso continuo, a music accompaniment using the bass tones to enhance the harmony of a song. During this period, composers and performers used more elaborate musical ornamentation (typically improvised by performers), made changes in musical notation, and developed new instrumental playing techniques. Baroque music expanded the size, range, and complexity of instrumental performance, and also established the mixed vocal/instrumental forms of opera, cantata and oratorio and the instrumental forms of the solo concerto and sonata as musical genres. Also, in this period, keyboard music played on the harpsichord and pipe organ became increasingly popular.

Harpsichord

Source : Wikipedia

Classical Period began from approximately 1750-1820 AD. It established many of the norms of basic forces required for an orchestra became somewhat standardized (although they would grow as the potential of a wider array of instruments was developed in the following centuries). Chamber music grew to include ensembles with as many as 8 to 10 performers for serenades. Opera continued to develop, with regional styles in Italy, France, and German-speaking lands. The opera buffa, a form of comic opera, rose in popularity. The symphony came into its own as a musical form, and the concerto was developed as a vehicle for displays of virtuoso playing skill. Orchestras no longer required a harpsichord (which had been part of the traditional continuo in the Baroque style), and were often led by the lead violinist (now called the concertmaster). Wind instruments became more refined in the Classical era. While double reeded instruments like the oboe and bassoon became somewhat standardized in the Baroque, the clarinet family of single reeds was not widely used until Mozart expanded its role in orchestral, chamber, and concerto settings.
composition, presentation, and style, and was also when the piano became the predominant keyboard instrument. The

Romantic Period began roughly from the late decade of the late 18th century. What I can say about romantic period is that the music of romantic period became more expressive and emotional than in than the other two early periods, also more freely to compose your own song. The obvious transition from Classical Period to Romantic Period is the famous Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 "Ode to Joy". Because at that symphony, Beethoven broke the some Classical Period strict rules. Other than that, some songs in this period also have a nationalistic purpose. As an example, like Chopin's music. Chopin was one of the first composers to incorporate nationalistic elements into his own compositions. Even it can boost the people of Poland's nationalism to fight for freedom. The family of instruments used, especially in orchestras, grew. A wider array of percussion instruments began to appear. Brass instruments took on larger roles, as the introduction of rotary valves made it possible for them to play a wider range of notes. The size of the orchestra (typically around 40 in the Classical era) grew to be over 100. Gustav Mahler's 1906 Symphony No. 8, for example, has been performed with over 150 instrumentalists and choirs of over 400.

Modern Music

This is the music in our era. The 20th century classical music is more freely and more sophisticated than before. It even can be created without the common instruments. Modernism (1890–1930) marked an era when many composers rejected certain values of the common practice period, such as traditional tonality, melody, instrumentation, and structure. The high-modern era saw the emergence of neo-classical and serial music. A few authorities have claimed high-modernism as the beginning of postmodern music from about 1930. Others have more or less equated postmodern music with the "contemporary music" composed from the late 20th century through to the early 21st century.

Ok, maybe just that which I can tell. Hope it can increase your insight about the history of classical music. Thanks for reading.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_music
http://www.rpfuller.com/gcse/music/renaissance.html