Chant (čǽnt) music features repetitive sounds either sung or played on instruments. This music tends to use only one or two pitches that get repeated throughout the piece. Chants can be simple and repeat a melody, or they can be complex and feature lots of repeating phrases. Gregorian chant may be the most popular type […]

Choral (kɔ́rəl) music is, simply put, music written for a musical group of singers to perform. Choir size can vary, depending on the size of the written piece of music. A group can be as small as twelve, or as large as a thousand. Music such as this has been around since the early Medieval […]

Classical Crossover (klǽsɪkəl krɔ́sòvər) music is a term used to describe music that has “crossed over” the record charts from one genre of music to another. Classical crossover music can describe, for example, music that occupies a place on the charts of both classical music and popular music. Pachelbel’s work “Canon in D” is an […]

High Classical (háy klǽsɪkəl) is a term that describes a period of European music between the late 18th century and the early-mid-19th century. These pieces of music are typically operas and symphonies, written by famous composers such as Mozart and Bach. This music is emotionally restrained, compared to the previous musical periods such as the […]

Impressionist (ɪ̀mprɛ́šənəst) music was a part of the artistic impressionist movement, which occurred in art and literature as well as music from the end of the 19th century through the start of the 20th century. All forms of impressionism emphasized suggesting a scene, evoking a feeling or creating an atmosphere rather than depicting a scene […]

Minimalism (mɪnəməlɪzəm) refers to a style of music that emphasizes economy of sounds. Minimalist music generally does not follow the typical organization of songs and pieces into verse, chorus and bridge sections but instead flows through various harmonic patterns throughout a song and is often repetitive. This style of music can also have more periods […]

The Medieval (mədívəl) period of music started around the fall of of the Roman empire (1000 A.D.) and extended until around the late 1500s. This style of music is defined by the use of voices. The most famous style of music that came from this era of music is called the Gregorian Chant. Not all […]

Modern Composition (mádərn kàmpəzɪ́šən) refers to contemporary music composed for orchestra or for strings, brass or piano. These types of compositions are often played in churches, halls and other large spaces that help the musicians to create a resonant sound. The style is contemporary fused with classical, and it may overlap genres and fit into […]

Orchestral Music (ɔrkɛ́strəl myúzɪk) refers to music composed for and played by an orchestra. This type of music features elements of sound from many instruments including those in the string family as well as the woodwinds, percussion and brass. Large orchestras may also be called symphonic orchestras, and can have around 100 players. Small orchestras […]