Questions tagged [history]
For questions about how music has developed and changed over time or for questions about concepts and ideas of a historic period of music. Do not use just because the subject of the question is a historic figure or piece.
464
questions
8
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Has opera traditionally been enjoyed by aristocracy only or the masses too?
I was reading A History of Opera by Abbate and Parker. On page 19, they say
And although its financial basis has gradually broadened...opera in its primary form, theatrical form has typically been ...
- 2,767
8
votes
2
answers
37k
views
Why is the guitar tuned E A D G B E? [duplicate]
Why is the standard tuning for the guitar E A D G B E, from the lowest string to the highest?
The interval between strings is a perfect 4th, except for the interval between the G and B strings, ...
- 345
8
votes
3
answers
595
views
Physiological basis for note durations?
For some reason (probably read something like this a long time ago), I have it in my head that there was some sort of physiological basis for some note durations.
This may have been something like, a ...
- 17.8k
8
votes
2
answers
840
views
Historically informed performance - Tuning
I recently attended a performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto by Nicola Benedetti and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Marin Alsop. At the end, Nicola played an encore: a version of ...
- 4,243
8
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Where does the tradition of bowing after a performance come from?
Why do we bow after a performance? Where does this tradition come from? For how long has performers been doing this?
Maybe there is some sort of interesting anecdote about this.
- 14.9k
8
votes
1
answer
479
views
Did Rostropovich ever play his Humoresque himself?
"Humoresque" op.5 for cello and piano is the only piece composed by Mstislav Rostropovich himself.
Did he ever play Humoresque himself?
From some sources I know that he didn't, whereas other sources ...
- 183
8
votes
1
answer
660
views
What is the meaning of the "chiaroscuro" sound that was considered ideal in Classical and early-Romantic Italian opera?
Apparently, in Classical and early-Romantic Italian opera (the "bel canto" opera repertoire), the ideal kind of vocal colour was a so-called chiaroscuro sound. The chiaro- part translates as ...
- 275
8
votes
1
answer
1k
views
The History of Southern Gospel and Spirituals
I am interested in the history of Southern Gospels and Spirituals.
How did these styles begin? What are the history's behind them? Can you suggest an article concerning the history?
Are there ...
- 428
8
votes
1
answer
581
views
What is the history of the Augmented Second in World Music
In his book Gypsy Music, Bálint Sárosi states that the Augmented Second --- as found between the second and third, third and fourth, sixth and seventh in a lot of Gypsy as well as Indian and Middle ...
- 837
7
votes
6
answers
1k
views
Why is 'Narrative Music' not considered 'complete/absolute'?
I have recently become obsessed with HECTOR BERLIOZ. His Symphonie Fantastique is tremendous. This made me research him further when I was disturbed to find out the following:
...
- 2,686
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why did it take so long for keys with several accidentals to become common?
(I am referring mostly to the common practice period.) Before the advent of well temperament in the 1700s, moving very far from C was not done often because of the mean temperament causing out of tune ...
- 181
7
votes
1
answer
685
views
On The Origin of Dissonant Chords
Without relying upon French harmonic theory (Rameau for instance), can you explain how the emergence of “freely” (by freely, I refer to such harmonies not being the result non-harmonic tones, or ...
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is so special about the devil's interval (tritone)?
I'm interested in learning more of the Devil's interval: how it originated, some of its uses and what exactly about the interval of a diminished fifth makes it sound ominous?
- 14.9k
7
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why saxophone is so common in Jazz Music?
Since the invertor of the saxophone was from Belgium, how did the saxophone become so popular in jazz music? I mean, it was created by a European in the 1840's, it wasn't created by Americans at the ...
- 600
7
votes
4
answers
10k
views
What types of guitars are used for spanish music?
I am fascinated by Spanish guitar music, and I have started exploring it. I have heard classical music like Gypsy Kings, Taranta, Romance, etc.
Does anyone here know what types of guitars are used in ...
- 229
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Latin voice denotations in Renaissance vocal music
I see that in the original printings of renaissance vocal music, the voices are labeled with Latin words like cantus, triplex, medius, etc... Assuming that these words denote the ranges of their ...
- 331
7
votes
3
answers
3k
views
English Horn Etymology
Why is the English Horn called a horn when it is a woodwind instrument, basically a lower oboe?
When compared to other horns, such as the French Horn and the Flugelhorn, it seems to be a misnomer.
- 733
7
votes
2
answers
166
views
Original sources for note-increment dot
A dot after a note adds half of its duration. This is called a “dotted note”. I am interested in the history of the dot itself. How is it called, and what is its origin. I’m looking for earliest ...
- 183
7
votes
2
answers
233
views
Did Bach name his pieces?
I was listening "Brandenburg Concerto N° 4" and "Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C minor, BWV 1062", and wondered: aside from the catalog number (that came later), did Bach name his ...
- 173
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why did Liszt change/add so much to his piano transcription of Danse Macabre?
I'm interested to hear if anything is known about the reasons why Liszt decided to introduce some pretty significant changes/additions to the piano transcription of Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-...
- 557
7
votes
2
answers
536
views
Intended tempo of exercises in Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum
Fux uses whole notes for the cantus firmi in his book, so do others influenced by his work. But I find them almost unbearably slow within the usual tempo ranges.
I know that there must have been a ...
- 5,184
7
votes
1
answer
236
views
What is the minimum pedal keyboard compass needed to play ALL of J.S. Bach's pipe organ music?
Simple straightforward question: What is the minimum pedal keyboard range needed to play ALL of J.S. Bach's pipe organ music?
Optional ways to embellish the answer:
Did Bach ever write a piece for ...
- 1,309
7
votes
1
answer
220
views
Which came first: the dot or the tie?
In considering the question of the benefits of dots versus ties for extending note values, I got to wondering about the origins of those two notations.
Did one emerge before the other?
For what ...
- 88.1k
7
votes
1
answer
157
views
Dampers in 19c fortepianos
I recently listened to performances at the 1st International Chopin Competition of Period Instruments, and I noticed that the chords in the fortepianos used there (manufactured in the early 19th ...
- 173
7
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Influences of Mozart
Wikipedia article only mentions Hummel from Mozart's childhood but gives no further information.
I will appreciate if someone could shed more light here, in particular which composers have had an ...
user107
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What led to the historical predominance of the four-part harmony in Western Music?
Introductory music theory heavily empasizes analysis and writing of music with four-part harmony, putatively the basis for music at the beginning of the common practice. Why did four-part voice ...
- 171
7
votes
3
answers
3k
views
The Basso Continuo and the Jazz Rhythm Section
I've seen many musicologists compare the Basso Continuo of the Baroque Era to the Jazz Rhythm Section, an analogy which I think is valid and understandable. Here's one reference (of many) that I ...
- 6,833
7
votes
0
answers
111
views
How was mixolidian mode introduced in Northeastern Brazilian Music?
Northeastern region of Brazil has a great variety of traditional and folkloric music genres. The most well-known genre is forró, followed also by baião and xaxado.
These music genres are usually ...
6
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Why don't pianos use multiples of 12 for the number of keys?
In one of the answers of this question, some pianos with 44, 61, 76, and 88 keys are introduced. I just don't get it. Why notes are not following any formula? I mean, a piano with 63 keys means that ...
- 2,263
6
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Do the world-renowned classical composers ever seriously modify their compositions after their works got published by publishers?
Do the world-renowned classical composers ever seriously or in minor ways modify their music compositions after their works got published by publishers and after their works are already openly ...
- 921
6
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Outside of Equal Temperament, what decides the spelling of notes in a major scale?
I've been reading up on the history of temperament, and how enharmonic notes are more of a limitation of the modern piano (only one black key), and also mathematically they are the same if you use ...
- 453
6
votes
4
answers
3k
views
What is the name for a fluid transition between two tones? When did it first appear?
With instruments such as violins or trombones, it is possible to shift from one tone to another fluidly. What is this practice called? When has it first appeared in [Western] music?
- 354
6
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Absolute pitch - has it varied through the centuries?
At the moment, absolute pitch seems to be using 12et, with A=440 Hz. Would this have been the case, say, in the Baroque period, when A=quite a bit less than 440 Hz? With some orchestras using 442 Hz, ...
- 193k
6
votes
3
answers
824
views
When was music theory first studied?
Music has been around for a long time, but how about music theory? What was the first instance of a publication on music theory?
- 202
6
votes
3
answers
396
views
Did continuo players consider figured bass as "interval symbols" or "chord symbols"?
The "modern" idea of chords and their inversions being functionally equivalent is generally credited to Jean-Philippe Rameau's 1722 Treatise on Harmony. However, figured bass was already in ...
- 88.1k
6
votes
3
answers
421
views
Where did the term 'Tone' originate?
We use 'tone' and consequently 'semitone' a lot in music - in Western music, the semitone is the smallest possible difference between two notes. (Not including guitar bends etc!).
However, the word '...
- 193k
6
votes
2
answers
450
views
History of self-duets
The lockdowns associated with current coronavirus pandemic have sparked production of self-duets. The Austrian-German concert violinist Augustin Hadelich has released a lot of piano-violin self-duets ...
- 5,620
6
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why does "The 12 days of Christmas" change time signature so often?
As you can see from this picture, the song "the 12 days of Christmas changes back and forth between a 3/4 and a 4/4 time signature multiple times every verse. It isn't some sort of contemporary piece ...
- 1,047
6
votes
1
answer
390
views
Fux counterpoint: why is it in the modal system?
Assuming Fux's counterpoint was written in 1752, why are there some references to the modal system and none to tonality? I mean... 1752 is way beyond the end of modality! Composers already had the ...
- 993
6
votes
5
answers
6k
views
What are some examples influences from external cultures on the development of Western classical music?
So, I think it's largely safe to presume that the core of Western musical theory developed almost entirely within Europe -- Greece in its very early history, mainly Italy and also the Franco-Flemish ...
- 1,133
6
votes
2
answers
260
views
Nancarrow piano studies collections: why are they ordered that way?
The bulk of Conlon Nancarrow's musical output has been collected in the series Conlon Nancarrow: Studies for Player Piano (vol.s 1-5). My question is about the ordering of songs in this collection. ...
- 113
6
votes
2
answers
797
views
History of the baby grand piano
The first pianos were made in around 1700. Researching a little online, I've been able to find lots of info on the history of the piano. But when was the "baby grand" piano first created and/or ...
- 11.2k
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What clef was first?
Adding up to my previous question, what clef was first and why? I guess there should be answers somewhere out there but I can't find them.
- 3,842
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Where/When did the modern guitar originate?
I keep thinking of Greeks playing Lyres - there had to be a point where someone added strings and the modern shape...
JustnBeaver
6
votes
3
answers
256
views
Has such an anti-musical tune ever been composed?
The following part from chapter 84 of the Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality fanfic describes a tune that appears to be designed to be unnerving.
The humming started as a simple children's ...
- 169
6
votes
1
answer
183
views
What is the earliest use of the note F#?
I came across Richard Taruskin's transcription of Verbum Patris humanatur, a 12th century conductus in three parts, in The Oxford History of Western Music, Vol. I. In it, he uses a ficta # above some ...
- 241
6
votes
1
answer
770
views
What is rude jazz?
In a lecture supporting his new book Stomp and Shout, Northwest rock historian Peter Blecha mentioned a genre from the 1940s or 50s called rude jazz. I have never heard of this before, and it might be ...
- 61
6
votes
1
answer
514
views
What are the differences between different marching music traditions?
I've often heard of people talking about "prussian marches" or "british marches" in the context of a style of march. It seems that they could tell just by hearing a march as to what tradition it's ...
- 163
6
votes
4
answers
289
views
What is the etymology of word "chromatic" (= relating to color) in music?
Regarding "chromatic," I found on Wiktionary:
Latin chrōmaticus, from Ancient Greek χρωματικός (khrōmatikós, “relating to colour; one of the three types of tetrachord in Greek music”)
Then ...
- 161
6
votes
1
answer
243
views
was the first inversion of triads usual before Renaissance? where there any rules about doubling or not doubling root tone?
We have the music of Palestrina, Gallus, Lassus, Cavalieri, Lechner and others. Most chords are in root position. But some are not. In which period the first inversion of triads came up? Was it right ...
- 25.9k