General features:

• Use of harpsichord (only in Baroque period)

• Use of ornaments to decorate the melody (and sound complex)

• Terraced dynamics - either loud or quiet, no gradual changes

• Basso continuo - the bass line and chords to accompany a melody. The performer will sometimes improvise and decorate what they play.  

• Small orchestra (mostly strings, plus some wind) 

• Types of music: Suite, sonata, oratorio, chorales, trio sonata

Composers:

• Bach

• Handel, 

• Vivaldi 

General features:

• Slightly larger orchestra

• String quartets

• Piano introduced (harpsichord is out)

• Alberti bass

• Balanced, regular phrases

• Types of music: Symphony, solo sonata, solo concerto

Composers:

• Haydn

• Mozart

• Beethoven  

General features:

• Lyrical, expressive melodies

• Large orchestra

• Wider range of dynamics

• Richer harmonies and use of chromatic chords 

• Types of music: Programme music, Opera symphony 

Composers:

• Tchaikovsky

• Grieg

• Schumann

• Dvorak

• Brahms

• Verdi

• Wagner 

Chamber music was music for a small ensemble, originally played in a small room in someone’s home. 

Baroque: The trio sonata featured one or two soloists, plus basso continuo (which consisted of a low-pitched instrument such as a cello playing a bassline, with an instrument playing chords e.g. harpsichord). 

Classical: String quartets (two violins, a viola and a cello) were popular. They had four movements, with the 1st movement usually in sonata form. 

Romantic: Chamber music groups were more varied in the Romantic era, using a wider range of instruments (e.g. piano quintet, horn trio). Performances happened in larger concert halls as well as in small ‘chambers’ 

Musical numbers may include: 

• Solo: a song for one singer. 

• Duet: a song for two singers. 

• Trio: a song for three singers. 

• Ensemble: a song sung by a small group. 

• Chorus: a large group (usually the full company/cast). 

• Recitative: a vocal style that imitates the rhythms and accents of speech.

• Overture: an orchestral introduction to the show, which usually uses tunes from the show. 

The orchestra/band is used to accompany the voices and to underscore. 

Blues is a style of music originating from African American people singing work songs and sprirtuals, mixed with rhythmic features from their African culture.  

General Blues features:

• 12-bar structure

• ‘blue notes’

• Blues scale

• Generally has a mood of sadness

Jazz developed from Blues, with the migration of African Americans after the abolishment of slavery. New Orleans become the hub of jazz, before spreading across America and the world. 

General Jazz features:

• Syncopation

• Improvisation

• Interesting often complex harmonies.

• A jazz ensemble may contain: 

• Rhythm section - Drums, Bass (guitar or double bass), Piano/guitar

• ‘Horn section’ - Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone 

• Some groups use a wider range of instruments e.g. clarinet, violin.

Music written especially for the screen, including underscore and thematic music that engages with the storyline and characters.

General features:

• Use of orchestral instruments

• Modern instruments such as electric guitar

• Traditional instruments from across the world

• Leitmotif

A 20th-century genre, characterised by the subtle varied repetitions of simple melodic, rhythmic or harmonic ideas (or cells).

Click these links to find out more:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf0iF656B8k 

2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z99x6sg/revision/1 

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsKP_dpNlxg 

A genre of music that originated in the USA and the UK in the mid-1950s. 

It uses ideas and musical elements from many different styles.

General features:

• Lyrics

• Instruments: drums, bass guitar, electric guitar/keyboard, lead vocals, backing singers

• Song structure: verse/chorus

Originated in the USA as ‘rock and roll’ in the mid-1950s.

General features:

• Lyrics

• Instruments: drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, voice

• Song structure: 32 bar song form, verse/chorus

Soul music is a style of African American music. It developed from rhythm and blues in the USA in the 1950s and 60s. 

General features:

• gospel influence - intense vocals, call and response

• an emphasis on the rhythm section

• large horn sections (trumpets, saxophones and trombones)

Style of rap originating in 1980s, which added ‘scratching’ onto records.

General features:

• rapping

• use of samples

• use of programmed beats

• DJing

A style of music originating in the West Indies, popular in the 1970s. The music was assocaited with Rastafarianism (a religious movement worshipping Haile Selassie) and political themes in the lyrics.

General features:

• electric guitars and drums line-up

• amplified bass guitar riffs - short repeated patterns

• a rhythm in 4/4 with emphasis on the missing beat

• use of repeated offbeat quavers

• simple chord sequences

• Structure: verse/chorus form

Fusion of traditional Indian/Pakistani music with modern club dance music

General features:

• melodies are mostly conjunct, with use of microtones

• lots of melisma

• traditional chaal rhythm 

 Music in which two or more styles are blended (e.g. pop and Classical).

A type of song which tells a story (in rock or pop music, this is usually a love story).

General features:

• Slow tempo

• Sad/ romantic lyrics

• Use of melisma

• Instruments: voice, piano, strings