MUS 048 Chapter 8: The Rise of Instrumental Music
26 Sep 2017
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Document Summary
Development of instrumental music -music without words and doesn"t depend on them - counts as one of most far-reaching contributions of composers in early. Can trace instrumental music to three main sources. First of sources reaches back to middle ages. In baroque, dance receive special impetus from opera, the genre that fascinated people. Opera is firmly linked to ballet, frequent and sometimes elaborate dance episodes. Modest example in final chorus of dido and aeneas. Musicians, especially in france, center of ballet would put together sets of dances selected from operas or ballets. Dance suites - groups of dances - could then be played by orchestra and enjoyed apart from stage performance. Composers wrote many dances and suites for harpsichord. Type of stylized dance, written in style or form of dance music but intended for listening than dancing, for mental pleasure. As long as instruments have existed surely players ready to show them off - and audience ready to applaud.
