Classical music is a genre that includes compositions from around 500 A.D. all the way up to the present day. Classical music is typically broken down into 6 different eras or time periods. Though there is some overlap, the generally accepted time periods are:
- Medieval (500-1400)
- Renaissance (1400-1600)
- Baroque (1600-1760)
- Classical (1730-1820)
- Romantic (1815-1910) – sometimes further broken down into Late- / Post-Romantic (1850-1880) and Impressionist (1880-1910)
- 20th Century (1910-present) – sometimes further divided into Modern (1910-1975) and Contemporary (1975-present)
Some of the musical forms contained within the classical genre include: the
sonata,
symphony,
concerto,
chamber music,
solo vocal music, and
choral music. Classical music has also influenced many rock and metal bands to varying degrees, from progressive rock groups like Genesis, Yes, and ELP (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer) to heavy metal artists like Deep Purple, Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, Tony MacAlpine, and others.
Classical Music Reference websites -ClassicalNet – “The Internet’s Premier Classical Music Source”
-Classical Archives –The World Center for Classical Broadcasting – “The very finest in free online symphonic & orchestral streams”
-ClassTab – An excellent resource for finding classical guitar tablature.
Personal RecommendationsJohann Sebastian Bach
Ludwig van Beethoven
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Georg Philip Telemann
Some Guitarists / Instrumentalists of NoteAndrés SegoviaChristopher Parkening –
websiteJohn Williams -
websiteJulian Bream (guitar, lute)
Narciso Yepes (guitar, lute)
Ronn McFarlane (lute) –
websitePaul O’Dette (lute)
Itzhak Perlman (violin)
Yo-Yo Ma (cello)
Composers by Classical Period
RenaissanceDowland, John (1563-1626); England – wrote over 100 pieces for the
lute (the ancestor of the modern guitar)
Milano, Francesco Canova da (1497-1543); Italy
BaroqueBach, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750); Germany
Handel, George Frederic (1685-1759); Germany/England
Scarlatti, Domenico (1685-1757); Italy
Telemann, Georg Phillip (1681-1767); Germany.
Vivaldi, Antonio (1678-1741); Italy
ClassicalHaydn, Franz Joseph (1732-1809); Austria
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791); Austria
RomanticBeethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827); Germany
Carcassi, Matteo (1792-1853); Italy
Carulli, Ferdinando (1770-1841); Italy
Chopin, Frédéric François (1810-1849); Poland
Giuliani, Mauro (1781-1829); Italy
Liszt, Franz (1811-1886); Hungary
Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-1847); Germany
Paganini, Niccolò (1782-1840); Italy
Schubert, Franz Peter (1797-1828); Austria
Schumann, Robert Alexander (1810-1856); Germany
Sor, Fernando (1778-1839); Spain
Tárrega, Francisco (1852-1909); Spain
Late- / Post-RomanticAlbéniz, Isaac (1860-1909); Spain
Brahms, Johannes (1833-1897); Germany
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich (1840-1893); Russia
Wagner, Richard (1813-1883); Germany
ImpressionistDebussy, Achille-Claude (1860-1918); France
Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937); France
ModernSegovia, Andrés (1893-1987); Spain
Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959); Brazil
ContemporaryWilliams, John (1941- ); USA.