Renaissance and Baroque Music
The renaissance period of music evolution was built on plainchant. Music instruments were rare phenomena, and thus music was mainly sung plainly. The available musical instruments did not offer specific selection choice. Therefore, music was composed without a particular instrument in mind. Besides, any available musical instrument could be used to perform the music at hand. The Gregorian Chant has been dated around the renaissance period and is a similar genre to the pop music of the western countries.
Lack of printing and documentation services in the renaissance would have been detrimental in the keeping of vital information. The development of the Gregorian Chant is, for example, explained through a legend since proper documentation is not found. According to the legend, the chant was whispered to the then Catholic Pope, Gregory by a dove. Since no documentation on the genre is available, the legend has stood as the only viable documentation of the Gregorian Chant. Moreover, the chant was sung as a single voice without the accompaniment of harmony or musical instruments.
Pop music has been drawing from renaissance music for a long time. Although most people may view the attempt by pop musicians as going behind the history, the main goal of drawing from history is to recognize the origin of music. “The Second Coming” by Just Blaze represents a mixture of hip hop and a plainchant. The song contains a musical beat and an unaccompanied melody as well. Therefore, the song has both characters of the renaissance music and classical music. The main difference between pop music and the Gregorian Chant is that hip hop may mix genres to show appreciation. However, the two music sections are similar in that no choice of instruments and harmony is compulsory.
Baroque Music
One characteristic of Baroque was the combination of drama and music. The Oratorio and Opera are specific genres that came up during the Baroque period. One of the most common Oratorios is the Oedipus Rex by Igor Stravinsky (McKay, 389). Generally, Oedipus Rex is an Oratorio Opera and combines both drama and music in its lines. The uniqueness of Oratorios and operas is built on the use of melody, rhythm, and harmony. Ideally, the emotions and message conveyed by an oratorio come up if the rhythm gives a melody related to the emotions.
The use of a melody in the Oedipus Rex was strategic in creating the emotions needed by the reader. A chorus was sung when the Theban elders were standing in a group to portray a period of sadness. Moreover, the use of functional harmony plays a crucial role in propelling the music forward without losing the melody. Also, the rhythm is kept to ensure that the message does not change in the course of the presentation. Generally, The Oedipus Rex applies a well-defined combination of harmony, rhythm, and melody to ensure a smooth flow of information and maintenance of the desired emotions.
Work Cited
McKay, N. “Stravinsky’s opera in a postmodern age: an intermedial semiotic reading.” (2018): 387-402.