Musician

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guy Pratt, a professional session musician, playing bass guitar

A musician (or instrumentalist) is a person who is talented[1] in making music or performing music creatively, or one who composes, conducts, or performs music (particularly instrumental music).[2]

Musicians can specialize in any musical style, and some musicians play in a variety of different styles. Examples of a musician's possible skills include conducting, singing, composing, arranging, and the orchestration of music.[3]

Medieval musicians
"A chantar m'er de so qu'eu no volria"
Written by Beatritz de Dia.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Further information: Medieval music

In the Middle Ages, instrumental musicians mostly improvised with soft ensembles inside and loud instruments outdoors. Many European musicians of this time catered to the Roman Catholic Church, providing arrangements structured around Gregorian chant structure and Masses from church texts.[4]

Notable musicians

Renaissance musicians
"Combattimento"
Written by Claudio Monteverdi.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Further information: Renaissance music

Renaissance musicians produced music that could be played during masses in churches and important chapels. Vocal pieces were in Latin—the language of church texts of the time—and typically were Church-polyphonic or "made up of several simultaneous melodies." By the end of the 16th century, however, patronage split among many areas: the Catholic Church, Protestant churches, royal courts, wealthy amateurs, and music printing—all provided income sources for composers.[5]

Notable musicians

Baroque musicians
"Hallelujah Chorus"
from George Frideric Handel's The Messiah.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Further information: Baroque music

The Baroque period (about 1600 to 1750) introduced heavy use of counterpoint and basso continuo characteristics. Vocal and instrumental “color” became more important compared to the Renaissance style of music, and emphasized much of the volume, texture and pace of each piece.[6]

Notable musicians

Classical musicians
"Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor"
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Further information: Classical music

Classical music was created by musicians who lived during a time of a rising middle class. Many middle-class inhabitants of France at the time lived under long-time absolute monarchies. Because of this, much of the music was performed in environments that were more constrained compared to the flourishing times of the Renaissance and Baroque eras.[7]

Notable musicians

Romantic musicians
"Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major- Andante con moto"
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Further information: Romantic music

The foundation of Romantic period music coincides with what is often called the age of revolutions, an age of upheavals in political, economic, social, and military traditions. This age included the initial transformations of the Industrial Revolution. A revolutionary energy was also at the core of Romanticism, which quite consciously set out to transform not only the theory and practice of poetry and art, but the common perception of the world. Some major Romantic Period precepts survive, and still affect modern culture.[8]

Notable musicians

Twentieth century
"3 Pieces for Clarinet Alone"
Composed by Igor Stravinsky, who also arranged The Rite of Spring
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Further information: 20th-century music

The world transitioned from 19th-century Romanticism to 20th century Modernism, bringing major musical changes. In 20th-century music, composers and musicians rejected the emotion-dominated Romantic period, and strove to represent the world the way they perceived it. Artists wrote to be "...objective, while objects existed on their own terms. While past eras concentrated on spirituality, Zila Khan being the foremost spiritual singer, this new period placed emphasis on physicality and things that were concrete."[9]

The advent of audio recording and mass media in the 20th century caused a boom all kinds of music—popular music, folk music, and all forms of classical music.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Musician". Oxford Dictionary. 
  2. ↑ "Musician". MacMillan Dictionary. 
  3. ↑ "Types of Musicians". About MusicSchools.com. 
  4. ↑ "IB Music Technology II Study Guide". IBO- International Bacccalaureate International. 
  5. ↑ "Music in the Renaissance". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
  6. ↑ "The Baroque Era". Oracle Education Foundation. 
  7. ↑ "Unit IV 1750–1914". West Forsyth HS History. 
  8. ↑ "Romanticism". Brooklyn College. 
  9. ↑ "The 20th Century". Fine Arts Society Radio. 
  10. ↑ Blanning, Tim "The Triumph of Music; The Rise of Composers, Musicians and Their Art" Harvard University Press 2008, ISBN 9780674057098


External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Musician
Look up musician in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Media related to Musicians at Wikimedia Commons

History of music
Composition
and theory
Education
and careers
Production and
performance
By sovereign states
Lists
  • Category
  • Portal
  • WikiProject
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.