What Is Classical Music? The Pop Music Fan’s Guide

Let’s start with a couple disclaimers. First, we’re talking about Western classical music. So even though Asia and Africa account for about 75 percent of the world’s current population, we won’t be going there. Second, if you went to The Juilliard School, you’ll find this insultingly basic—you can review my piece on fantasy football instead. This overview is designed for the person who flips back and forth between Taylor Swift and BTS and actually brags about going to see them live. What is classical music? Here’s a superficial breakdown.

 

A Definition

Classical music is one of those things that you know when you hear but might have a tough time defining. It’s a general term that refers to a formal musical tradition that is set apart from popular, folk, and jazz music.

Composing and performing classical music typically involves formal training given the complexity of many of the pieces. In other words, technical expertise is a key part of the picture.

The term came into use in the 19th century and has shown lasting power ever since.

Of note is that classical music with a lowercase c is a broad term, whereas Classical music with an uppercase C refers to music from the Classical period, one of the specific eras on the classical music timeline (see below).

 

The Eras

As alluded to above, music historians tend to divide Western music into different eras. The concept, the dates, and the category titles are all up for debate. It’s also worth remembering that music has been around for a lot longer than indicated here. That said, what follows is one possible take, recognizing that there is some serious overlap between the time periods.

Medieval (500 – 1400)

In this era, composers began to keep a written record of music, which was closely tied to the Christian church. Generally speaking, it was mostly about the vocals. Think Gregorian chant.

Renaissance (1400 – 1600)

As is true for this historical era, the music was defined by innovation and exploration. Musical notation and distribution became more prominent, aided in part by the all-important printing press. Secular music became more of a thing, taking inspiration from science and art. And instrumental music began to climb the ranks in importance.

Baroque (1600 – 1750)

Instrumental music really came into its own, with the keyboard—harpsichord to be exact—entering the mix in a big way. The concept of an orchestra gained traction, and familiar musical forms like the concerto and opera came into existence. The secular scene blossomed, as did the idea of dramatic expression. Some of the big names from this era include Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Antonio Vivaldi. Here’s some harpsichord activity, courtesy Bach and performed by David Cates.

 

Classical (1750 – 1810)

This era was defined by stripping away some of the excess, leaving a cleaner sound along with well-defined, formal structures. The symphony took off as a musical form, and the fortepiano (the forerunner to the modern piano) overtook the harpsichord. The big names include true giants like Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven (often credited with ushering in the next era). You’ll definitely recognize this tune, courtesy Mozart.

 

Romantic (1810 – 1890)

This period gave birth to some majorly expressive content. Individuality, storytelling, and nationalism rose in prominence, leading to rather unique and distinct flavors. The piano as we know it became huge, and big names multiplied—Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss II, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky are just a few. You’ll be familiar with this piece by Strauss, a waltz that references the Danube River and has become almost like a national anthem in Austria. Fast forward to 1:33 if you want to cut to the chase.

 

Modern (1890 – 1950)

Composers began to push the limits and break the “rules” from a music theory standpoint. Modern themes of politics, war, etc. became commonplace. Again, a lot of big names were in the mix—Claude Debussy, George Gershwin, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Igor Stravinsky may ring a bell. You’ll know this jazz-influenced piece by Gershwin, performed by the Slovak National Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

Post-Modern/Contemporary (1950 – Present)

Experimentation has been pushed even further, with examples being electronic music and unconventional playing techniques. John Adams, George Crumb, and Philip Glass are some names that land in this category. Here’s a good representation (perhaps a little rough on the ears), courtesy Crumb.

 

 

What’s the Point?

You might be unimpressed, still thinking of the orchestra as that place with all the silver-haired people where you fall asleep after downing some wine. And that’s fair. But there’s more to the story. Stated another way, getting into the scene is not exactly like taking Latin in high school.

Many of today’s pop musicians have training in classical music, occasionally sampling some of it in their own work. Furthermore, the more iconic pieces continue to be used regularly in film and television. Finally, classical music is truly alive and well in the world of film scoring, where the music and the film are essentially inseparable. Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and Black Panther wouldn’t be nearly the same without the tunes.

 

So the next time you throw on some BTS, make it Beethoven-Tchaikovsky-Stravinsky! Or you can just stick to “Dynamite.”