Hello everyone! My name is Zac, and I have a passion for music that I want to share with you! From classical through jazz to rock, I’ve listened to it all! Throughout the term we’ll explore the diverse musical culture of today, and find some great music to listen to along the way. So, if you’ve ever wanted to expand your musical horizons, this is the right place to be!
To properly start our musical journey, we must travel back to the beginning, and look at the genre that has survived through the longest; instrumental music. As the name suggests, this is music with no lyrics, created only for instruments. It is important to first have an appreciation for this music, because it forms the basis for all of our modern day lives. The root that all songs are built from, the essential bread and butter of movies and games, incredibly beautiful to listen to on its own- our lives would be very different without instrumental music.
To fully appreciate this wide genre, we can look at it from many different views. We can listen to more classical instrumental music, from the times of Bach and Beethoven when orchestral music permeated the world, or observe a more modern day style,embedded in every form of media. However, no matter how we look at it, there is one essential thing to note about music: Music is a form of literacy. Every song tells a story. This is even truer for instrumental music, because the instruments tells the story to our emotions. Each person will interpret the music differently, creating freedom within the story, while still feeling a core connection with the piece. Keeping that in mind, let us delve into this complicated genre.
Classical
This has been the main form of music since the early 14th century. Technically, classical music refers specifically to pieces from 1750 to 1820, but is often erroneously used to refer to any piece composed by dead German farts or at least played on “classical” radio. This music is often composed for a full orchestra, giving it a very rich sound through the strings, brass, and woodwinds, but can also be composed for smaller groups or even a single instrument or voice, though the focus of this week’s article is on instrumental music. Classical music is usually the most complex style of music. Composing it is a constant balance between creating precision for conveying emotions or technical prowess, and leaving freedom for the piece to be interpreted by the audience.
Instead of just talking about classical music, we could better understand it by listening to Jupiter by Gustav Holst, a beautiful piece of art. By listening to it, we can see how classical music has this ability to speak to us through conveying only the most fundamental and powerful emotions within us. From joy to sadness, anger to fear, you’ll find every part of life woven into these classical chords.
Modern Instrumental
This is a much more current style, one that permeates our daily lives. It is used throughout the media to help empower certain emotions. The difference from classical is clear in Heart of Courage by Two Steps From Hell. Music like this is woven through the ages, creating emotionally powerful movies and games.
With modern media being so common in our lives, I would like to pose a challenge to all of you. First now think of your favorite game, movie, TV show, or any sort of media. Got it? Good. Now go and listen to its soundtrack on youtube. You will be amazed by it! In honor of the light brown team winning Frosh Week, I’m also going to suggest “The Black Gate Opens” from the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
I hope you can see how fundamental instrumental music is in our lives. There is a reason it has lasted hundreds of years and will last many more; it is because this genre speaks directly to our core being through the raw emotions of the instruments. Next week we’ll be diving into the complex world of Jazz music. Until then, keep your passion alive!
Leave a Reply