Music Theory Museum Exhibit by Evangeline Loyd (Student)

Baroque Period: Johann Sebastian Bach

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 01:59:23 UTC

Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist. He is considered the Father of Music and is the creator of many masterpieces of church and instrumental music.

Baroque Period: "Brandenburg Concerto No.5, Third Movement"

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 02:28:55 UTC

Johann Sebastian Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto" is a set of 6 orchestral works. The Brandenburg Concerto pieces are considered some of the most important pieces of Baroque music. They are known for embracing instrumental music.

Musical Elements of No.5:

It is a fast and lively dance, with an allegro tempo.
The overall structure is in ternary form, or A-B-A with a 2/4 time signature.
There are no dynamics written, and it is up to the performer to play loud or soft.

Classical Music: Ludwig Van Beethoven

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 02:35:47 UTC

Beethoven was born in Germany and began a musical study with his father at 4 years old. He is known for being the bridge between Classical and Romantic music. Sadly, Beethoven lost his hearing later in life. His last symphony is titled the 9th.

Baroque Period

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 02:37:29 UTC

During the Baroque Period (1600-1750):

The form of music included prelude/toccata, fugue, cantata, concerto, oratorio, sonata, and opera.
Instrumental music was embraced as well as ornamentation. Some examples of ornamentation would be trills, grace notes, and turns.
Basso Continuo was also frequently used, which is the complete bass line played by the cello and where a keyboard player improvises on the chords.
The Top Three musicians of the Baroque Period were Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi.

Classical Period

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 02:37:51 UTC

During the Classical period, from 1750 to 1830:

simplicity, logic, and order were preferred
the music had a lighter, clearer texture and was less complex
the music was mainly Homophonic, with a variety of keys, melodies, rhythms, and dynamics
People started using the piano

Romantic Period

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 02:39:17 UTC

The Romantic Period was from 1815 to 1900. During this time, music emphasized:

intuition, imagination, feeling
nature
being more passionate and expressive

Romanticism as a movement:

emphasized the individual, the irrational, the imagination, and the personal
had a deepened appreciation for nature, emotion over reason, senses over intellect, self-reflection, an examination of personality and its moods, and creativity over rules and tradition.
emphasized national and ethic cultural origins

Romantic Period Music: Pyotor Ilyich Tchaikovsky

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 02:42:03 UTC

Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer who started music at 22 years old. He wrote symphonies, operas, ballets, instrumental chamber music, and songs. Some of his most famous songs include "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker", and "1812 Overture". Tchaikovsky wrote "1812 Overture" in honor of Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon.

20th Century Period

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 02:42:52 UTC

During this time, 20th century music experimented with atonality, which is composing music without a key. The types of music that were born in this era include:

Jazz music = a mix of African and European music traditions; used blues notes, improvisation, poly-rhythm, syncopation, call and response, and the swing note
Folk music= music origination in traditional popular culture and transmitted orally; this type of music is mostly found in American and British music.
Country music = origin is from folk music of the American working class who blended different songs together
Rock music= music centered on the electric guitar, using 4/4 time signatures with verse-chorus form, and stressing romantic love; it had its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock&roll, electric blues, and folk

20th Century Music: Elvis Presley

eloyd0 — 2025-05-28 02:44:31 UTC

Elvis Presley is known as the King of Rock and Roll. He popularized rockabilly, which is an untempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm blues. His first single, "Heartbreak Hotel" was a huge hit, and he continued to rise in the charts after that.

Classical Period: Beethoven's "The 9th"

eloyd0 — 2025-05-29 10:39:09 UTC

The symphony is in 4 movements. The first movement is in sonata form and portrays a stormy mood. The second movement is played in scherzo, the third played in restful adagio, and the last is played quietly in the beginning and ends in a loud finale.

"The 9th" is mostly known for it's "Ode to Joy" where it blends a human voice and the chorus together in the last movement.

This song holds significant symbolic weight in relation to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Romantic Period: Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake"

eloyd0 — 2025-05-29 10:53:50 UTC

Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" uses a large orchestra with a variety of instruments. The music has repeating themes and leitomifs that represent the characters and their situations. Each main character has their own associated key.

The tempo of the song varies quite a bit to portray the moods and events. The whole song is based around a melancholy minor chord.

20th Century Music: "Heartbreak Hotel"

eloyd0 — 2025-05-29 11:14:59 UTC

Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" is a blues-based rock-and-roll song.

It uses a 8-bar blues chord progression, a strophic form, and heavy resonance. The song is in the key of E, and it uses 4/4 time signature.

Throughout the song, Elvis Presley doesn't sing between phrases or words. He only sings after each phrase.

Classical Period: Beethoven and The Berlin Wall

eloyd0 — 2025-05-29 13:32:06 UTC

Beethoven's Symphony No.9 symbolized freedom and unity, specifically after the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. The central words of the chorus of the song was used as a rallying cry by Leonard Bernstein in a concert in West Berlin. The time of the concert coincided with regulations being lifted from the border, adding to the impact.

Romantic Period: Ballet

eloyd0 — 2025-05-29 13:47:45 UTC

Romantic ballet boomed in the early to mid-19th century, with the main hubs in Paris and London. Ballet's focus shifted from spectacle and entertainment to dramatic storytelling. This storytelling often used supernatural elements with a strong emphasis on female dancers.

The development of pointe work and the start of tutus allowed for a much wider range of movement and an angelic appearance.

Romantic ballet drew it's inspiration from the Romantic movement in art, literature, and music. It made sure to emphasize emotion, passion, and a sense of wonder.

20th Century: Comedy

eloyd0 — 2025-05-30 01:17:41 UTC

Music of the 20th Century influenced comedy. Parodies and and songs became a popular way of expressing yourself. Jazz, blues, and popular music were used as background music for comedic jokes. One example would be modern stand-up comedy, which relied on rhythmic patterning.

Source: https://www.honest-broker.com/p/how-musicians-invented-stand-up-comedy

Baroque Period: Architecture in the Philippines

eloyd0 — 2025-05-30 01:23:20 UTC

In the Philippines, many church buildings and religious buildings were built in a Baroque style. This was because the Spanish used to dominate the Philippines. Baroque architecture was grand, extravagant, and rich. This paralleled Baroque music, which was very ornamented and extravagant. Some examples of churches built in a Baroque style in the Philippines would be:

Quiapo Church
Sta. Cruz Church
Binondo Church
San Agustin Church
Source: https://ibuyatjuliemae.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/baroque-architecture-in-the-philippines/