- 24/01/2013
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Free essays
A composer is a person who writes music for various needs, such as for movies, radio, PC games, opera and other projects, which include music. This music is inscribed in certain symbols that are needed to perform it correctly.
The composer has to write music for a certain opera, movie, game or a radio broadcast. The piece will than be performed by a musician or by a band. Also the composer must make sure that the music he writes suits the project perfectly, as in the case of the movies, where the music should help to move the story without overpowering the scene and insulting the hearing of the audience. The music he writes might be classical, have lyrics and composed in various music styles, such as jazz, rock, country or pop .
In the Medieval period, which lasted from 476 A.D. to 1400 A.D., the European society was rigidly divided into the classes of nobility, peasants and clergy. All the segments of society felt the power of Roman Catholic Church. Thus, Rome was the center of Western Europe, because the Holy See was there, in Vatican. So, the predominant trend in music of that time was choral church music, accompanied by organ. The majority of composers were priests or members of lesser clergy.
Later on, the clerical music was put aside by a more “secular” sort – chamber music. Considering its name, it was ment to be played in a small room with a few musicians. For over 200 years, since its appearance in years of early Renaissance, it was considered “the music of friends” and was played by amateur musicians in their homes. Among most prominent composers of that period were: J. S. Bach, J. Haydn, A. Mozart and L. van Beethoven.
I chose to describe William Byrd and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart’s seven piano trios and two piano quartets were the first to apply the conversational principle to chamber music with piano. Mozart gives the strings an independent role, using them as a counter to the piano, and adding their individual voices to the conversation of chamber music. William Byrd was an outstanding English composer of the Renaissance period. He worked both in spheres of sacred and secular vocal music. In his 60 years he wrote more than 470 pieces of music of various sorts from psalms to consort songs.
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