Compare and Contrast the Baroque Music and Jazz Essay Example For Students

Compare and Contrast the Baroque Music and Jazz Essay Compare and Contrast the Baroque Music and Jazz BY outwitted The Baroque period spanned from 1600 to 1750. The baroque period can be divided into three parts: early (1600-1640), middle and late (1680-1750). Although today most people recognize the latest part as the baroque music, the earliest part was one of the most revolutionary phases in music history. The early baroque composers rejected the polyphony texture of the late Renaissance music and favored homophobic texture. They also focused on harmony rather than the complexity of melodic lines. The growth of figured bass and counterpoint represents the development of harmony. However, by the late baroque period, polyphonic texture returned to favor. Famous Baroque composers: Johann Sebastian Bach Popular work: Air on a G String George Frederic Handel Popular work: The Messiah Antonio Vivaldi Popular work: The Four Seasons It is difficult to define Jazz music, as there are many different styles and movements. A brief definition of Jazz would be: American music that originated in New Orleans around 1900 and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, improvisatory, virtuosic solos, melodic freedom, and a harmonic idiom ranging from simple diatonic through chromatics to atonality. But this does not tell everything about Jazz. Jazz developed from Ragtime around 1900 and about 20 different styles were born since then. Examples are swing, bebop, boss nova, free Jazz and soul Jazz. Famous Jazz musicians: Luis Armstrong Chuck Imagine Charles Minus Jon Chlorate Mary Lou Williams Miles Davis Nat King Cole The main characteristic of this piece is unity of melody. This piece begins with Joyful elodea, which contains arpeggio and arch shape melody. Its mood of Joyfulness remains throughout the piece. Base chords are mostly based on chords l, IV and V. At bar 9, a melody changes a little but the mood doesnt change. The rhythmic patterns of the beginning of this piece are repeated throughout. There are frequent uses of imitation in the melody. For example, from bar 9 after the perfect cadence, imitation begins as descending 4th. Melodic sequence also often occurs in the piece. Bar 6 is one of example of sequences contained. Melodic phrases are repeated one tone higher pitches. Another main characteristic of this piece is polyphonic texture, as more than 3 independent melodic lines are sounded together consistently. From bar 14, there is imitation again. The harmony is based on a circle of fifths. Each motive figure is decorated with triplet. In the melody line, the first figure starts with F, the next one starts with B and the next one starts with E and so on. Similarly, the chords of bass line go through cycle of fifth. Therefore, both melody line (flute and violin) and base line (cambial) are in circle of fifth. This makes the melodic like sound dutiful and natural. This movement is in Reiteration form: one short section keeping returning, often creating tutu-solo-tutu-solo pattern. This movement opens with the reiteration, which consists of 1/16th notes. After the reiteration, there is short solo section, where the flute and violin imitate each other. This piece is performed in 12-bar structure in 4/4 time. This piece begins with piano solo in E major. In the beginning of this piece, we can see the chords progression: I-I-I I-V-V l. This chords progression is repeated throughout this piece with a constant Hitachi pulse. Call and response is frequently used in this piece. We can see the example of call and response between voice and other instruments at 0:46. There is also call and response between main vocal and female chorus in 2:29. Musical Review EssayThis gives the performers a feeling of freedom while playing. In Jazz, improvisation is more important than in baroque music and is more abound. Not only the bass line, but also melody and rhythm can be improvised. Many baroque and Jazz composers repeat the same melodic or rhythmic idea in one piece. In Bachs concerto v, for example, there are 1/16th notes constantly throughout ND the same melodic ideas are repeated. This is same for Jazz music. For example, in a Jazz piece Whatd I say, there are frequent uses of swing rhythm and the same melodies are repeated throughout. Unity of mood describes both baroque music and Jazz. If a piece of music opens with dark and slow melody its darkness remains throughout the piece. The unity of mood is created by continuous rhythm and melody. The chords of a lot of baroque and Jazz songs are mostly based on l, IV and V. For example, the chords structure of the first 8 bars in Bachs concerto v is I I V- I l. The twelve notes progression, which many Jazz musicians use, is I I-I-IV- IV- I-I V- V- I and is very similar to the one used in concerto. Difference in time and culture also makes difference in music. We can find several differences between baroque music and Jazz. First, we can see that their styles are very distinguishable. Jazz musicians have more feeling of freedom while performing as they can improvise in many ways while baroque musicians can only improvise in bass lines and they mostly play what is written on the score sheet. There is also difference in musical form and structure. The baroque composers tend to follow the certain forms such as retooled form while Jazz composers favor minimum forms that allow maximum flexibility. In addition, the main concept or purpose of Baroque music and Jazz are different. Jazzs primary purpose was to entertain the people in bars, while baroque composers primarily worked to provide music for dance and church services. Early baroque composers rejected the complex polyphony of the late Renaissance and favored homophobic texture that maximizes harmony. But Jazz composers favored the complexity of melody. Melody in Jazz is often complicated and usually official to sing or play while melody in early baroque music is less complicated and easy to remember. In addition, the uses of instruments in the two periods are different. Despite that baroque music is mostly based on string groups, Jazz music is based upon brass and woodwind instruments. Although style, time, and history are different, there are some similarities between baroque music and Jazz. There are similarities in rhythm, melody, and texture. Music from the two different periods sound different, however, when we look at the two closely we see that they share musical technical similarities.