Contrast classical and rock music

Classical music refers to music rooted in western traditional music and encompasses a period roughly from 11th century to date. Classical music is essentially enlightened, natural, and simple. The purpose of adopting simpler, natural, slow moving harmony is to make the music easier for the public to appreciate and understand.
Despite the simplicity, the music maintains tonal harmony, which emphasizes melody and bass line. Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov is an example of a classical piece that was developed for the opera The tale of Tsar Saltan. A key feature of the music as is with other classical music is melody that is short and clearly defined with two or more contrasting themes. Others include regular, well-defined rhythm; homophonic texture; and a four-section symphony orchestra that comprises of woodwind, percussion, strings, and brass.
Classical music
The intention of the Flight of the Bumblebee, a major classical hit is to tell a story about a prince who is turned into a bee by a magic swan so that he can visit the Tsar without drawing attention. The music mimics the buzzing of the bee as it flies around the Tsar and away before being caught. The instruments used to create this effect include flute, violin, and groups of strings. The buzz is achieved by writing a series of notes that are similar and putting an accent a tiny bit higher on the next one. This is possible using a chromatic note pattern so that the pitches of the notes are very close to each other. Classical music allows composers to organize their thoughts in strict orders that take advantage of the evolving musical instruments. The main feature that makes classical music standout from other forms of music is that the musical pieces are written for their own sake, not for other purposes, such as dancing or special occasions (Classical music 9).
Stylistic elements of classical music include the dynamic use of volume levels, such as piano, forte, and graduations (crescendo and decrescendo). For the piano, this is possible by varying the pressure on the keys. Classical music comprises of melodies that are easy to remember. The catchy, memorable tunes have a folk flavor, which points to the possibility that the composers borrowed from popular folk tunes. The texture of the music is mostly homophonic. In homophonic texture, the melody line is obvious and the other notes lineup to ensure harmony. The rhythm has greater flexibility with differing rhythmic patterns. There is also a great variety in the rhythm because changes are either sudden or gradual. This is accompanied by pauses, changes between long and short notes, and syncopation (Classical music 13).
The defining element of the classical period during its inception was the piano. The piano opens up a world of music previously unavailable for previous musical eras. The piano is a percussion instrument that uses a mechanism to produce sound and a soundboard to amplify the sound. A major classical hit that feature the piano in all its glory is Mozarts Concentro for two pianos. Another instrument that forms part of the orchestra is the kettledrum. Other instrument forming part of the orchestra includes triangle, cymbals, and bass drum, which are collectively referred to as Turkish instruments. For the string family, the instruments that form part of the orchestra include the cello, violin, and viola. The harp redefined how these instruments played as part of the orchestra (Classical music 19).
Instruments in the woodwind family that form part of the orchestra include the clarinet. The clarinet is particularly remarkable because of its ability to facilitate the development of unique sound and tone quality. The French horn is also an integral part of the orchestra that has as many qualities as the clarinet. Also part of the brass family and an important part of many symphonies are the trombone. This instruments form the orchestra as it is today with the addition of some ethnic persuasion instruments, most notably the tuba (Classical music 21). In the piece Flight of the Bumblebee, there are various instruments used. They include the flute, violin, and group of strings. The key feature of in Flight of the Bumblebee and other classical music is a simple tune, strong music, which make the music easily recognizable by anyone. A common myth associated with classical music is that it is slow and boring; however, classical music is anything but boring. Classical music commands attention with the skillful use of rhythm and tempo. The music begins with a hook followed by a verse before climaxing into a chorus. Each piece is a musical experience, which sometimes features a bridge.
Conclusion
Classical music changed the course of music and entertainment forever by changing it from a reserve of the nobles to the peoples source of entertainment. Music was an unnecessary luxury for many during the time; however, the gratification experienced by those who listened to classical music made it a necessary part of life because it is an improvement to the sense of hearing. Classical music is far from boring and makes the saying that music is an international language a reality because composers are able to tell a story without uttering a word with the aid of the many instruments that form part of the orchestra.
Rock music
Introduction
Rock music is a fusion of black and white traditional music in the southern United States. The genre has elements of country, soul, jazz, and folk. Common elements in rock include the use of the 12-bar blue chord that relies on dominant, subdominant chords, and tonic for composition. The genre also relies heavily on the second and fourth backbeats. One famous rock music is rock you like a hurricane by the Scorpions. The song is part of their second album love at first sting released in 1984. A major influence on the development of rock is the instrumental setup of jazz bands during the Second World War. During the Second World War, bands were forced to downsize to ensure survival. Technological inventions of the 20th century also played a key role in the evolution of rock. Inventions such as an electric guitar, amplifier, and microphone enabled rock to develop into the high volume genre that is so recognizable today.
Rock music
Rock music has emerged as one of the most popular genre of music, especially with the teenagers and young adults of the modern age. Traditionally, the electric guitar dominates the music as it was invented during the 50s as rock was in its inception stages. There are two variations of the electric guitar in use in most rock music. The electric bass guitar supports the common electric guitar rand percussion from a combination of drums and cymbals. Although these three are the most common instruments, some rock music features other instruments, such as a piano, synthesizers, and a Hammond organ. Common rock bands comprise of two to five members with each member playing multi roles. The roles include that of a drummer, vocalist, and guitarist, which include lead, rhythm, or bass guitar. Occasionally there are roles involving playing other instruments, such as a piano (Covach 66).
Rock music has a 4/4 meter rhythm foundation that is unsyncopated. A snare drum hit repetitively on a two and four backbeats accompanies this. Most of the melodies in the genre are derived from older musical modes, which include minor and major modes. The music comprises a range of harmonies that range from arpeggio to fourth to fifth and cacophonous harmonic successions. Most of the music follows the verse-chorus structure that is common in blues music genre. Because of the genres history and its tendency to borrow from other genres, it is hard to bind it to rigid definitions, however, these are the most common characteristics. Rock does not limit the message of the songs to any specific theme; it deals with topics ranging from romantic to social concerns. Mostly white middle class male dominate the genre because it seems to articulate their concerns in its lyrics and style. It is also viewed as an appropriation of black music for the said audience (Covach 70).
Rock shares many characteristics with other types of music, especially pop. However, it is distanced from pop with an emphasis on theme and musicianship. Because of its ability to combine elements from other genres, rock is something more than other forms of music because it emphasizes skill with a sincere artistic expression. In the 21st century, the term rock is in use to refer to other forms of music, such as reggae, pop, and hip-hop. In a versus-chorus rock song, the focus of the song is on the chorus, however, there is usually a bridge to occasionally refresh the song and make versus appear new. The harmonic patterns of a song are combined to make the songs hook. The hook is part of a song that is meant to catch the ear and direct attention to the song (Covach 71). Most rock music is short usually taking two to four minutes at most. During the duration, the chorus is repeated several times.
Rock music has a characteristic sexual energy in its rhythm that makes it endure generational changes. The basic shuffle and backbeat makes the listen want to move his body. The basic form of the music originates from the blacks and seems to symbolize the breaking of the bondage and conventional standards. The music seems to have the ability to make the listeners shed their inhibitions as if possessed and induced to dance (covach 75).
Conclusion
Rock music is an extreme form of music that borrows from other music genres to create melodies that are popular with many in todays modern current. Its inception during the 50s is associated with black music; however, white male usually from the middle class dominates modern rock. Rock music deals with a range of topics but is most strongly associated with rebelling for social constrains and celebrating freedom and sexuality. Rock has an interesting history spanning several centuries and two continents. Originally, from Africa it evolved into jazz, which later fused with western forms of music to form the modern rock music. Technology advancements during the 20th century and the Second World War helped shape this form of music. Although the musics origins are in Africa and America, it is popular throughout the world. This is evident because of the song rock you like a hurricane by the Scorpions that was released in 1984. The scorpion is a German band.



 Works cited
Classical music. Unit 5, Classical Period (1750-1820), 2013. Web. 14 April 2014
Covach, John. Form in rock music: a primer, In engaging music: Essays in music analysis, ed. Deboran Stein, Oxford: Oxford university press, 1996.