27 January 2013
Baroque Vs. Modern Pop The Western music known today has its roots in the musical practices found in Europe and the Middle East over twenty centuries ago. These musical practices, in turn, have their roots in ancient Greek and Roman practices which are detailed in musical and philosophical treatises of the time. Greek civilization, with its political structures, its architectural and musical attainments, and its great achievements in philosophy and poetry, has influenced European culture and in turn American culture (Hansen, 2012).
I have taken two excerpts of music, Marin Marais (1656-1728) - Pièces a Une
Viole du Premier Livre (1686) and a Pop group name R.E.M and there last concert at the BBC. I have chosen R.E.M because their music is based off of the Baroque era with a modern day flare. After listen to both pieces, I was touched by the Baroque era music. I enjoyed both concerts, but I think I enjoyed the Pop concert more than the Baroque concert. The Pop concert of course had more rhythm and the difference in instruments made a difference to me. The drums where the biggest difference, had my foot tapping and my head bobbing, and the Baroque concert had me in a state of relaxation and peace of mind. The music differs from one another through the type of instruments used. The Baroque music used piano and chello unlike the modern day music using acoustic instruments and percussions. They even used electric guitars. I think the biggest difference was the singing; I stated previously that the drums were the biggest difference but the singing was definitely the biggest difference. The Baroque had no singing in the entire concert. The music was similar in the instruments told a story even though the Baroque music did not have words it still told a story, you could almost imagine or maybe even visualize the story being told and at your own words to the music. The Pop music of course had words but even then if you remove the
Cited: Bethanie Hansen, Cathy Silverman, and David Whitehouse, Music Appreciation, 2012. Website (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poCRFiaoCLA) Website (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaYVa1r0nlA)