8/10/2019 Musical Style Chart 1

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Style Comparison: Medieval - Renaissance - Baroque Classical

Period Harmony/Tonality Melody Rhythm Timbre/Dynamics Texture Form

Medieval

(450-1450)

Hildegard

Leonin Perotin

Machaut

Modal

No sense of

harmony until

organum 10th 4ths!5ths "rds are

dissonant

on#unct

Pi$otal!%a$e

&lo%ing

Limited range

Melismatic

'miguous! hythmic

Modes Hoc*et +sorhythm

No indication

No s,ecific

instrumental

music

Mono,honic

Poly,honic

(although

homorhythmic)

e.t dri$en

/tro,hic

(mass ,lainchant organum

canso motet)

Renaissance

(1450-100)

2es Pre3

Palestrina

Modal

arefully regulated

dissonances

"rds consonance

on#unct and

relati$ely

unarticulated

one ,ainting

ocally deri$ed

/mooth regular

flo%

Meter generally

unstressed

Primarily $ocal

Homogeneous

instrumental

families

2ynamics not

indicated

Poly,honic

imitati$e

2etermined y te.t

antus firmus

(mass motet madrigal

Lute song)

Baroque(100-1650)

Monte$erdi

i$aldi

78 /8 9ach

Handel

&unctional harmony

&ast to moderate

harmonic rhythm

/hort-range tonal

goals

Much se:uencing

(circle of 5ths)

ich harmonic

$ocaulary (lots of

6th chords)

/,inning out of

melodies

Moti$ically deri$ed

Much

ornamentation

Much dis#unct

motion ased on

triad

/ingle thematic

(moti$ic) idea ,er

ontinuous motion

%ith a rigid eat ormore irregularrecitati$e-li*emotion

learly articulated

meter

No distinction

et%eeneats 1 ; "

Hemiola at

cadences

imral contrast

(concerto ,rinci,le)

9asso continuo

normal

erraced dynamics

Harmonic

counter,oint

/o,rano-ass

,olarity

Melody ;

accom,animent

&amiliar style

+nstrumental and

$ocal forms

9inary and ternary

forms

(o,era oratoriosuite concert