... " when it is heard. It has as many incarnations as performers and performances, each one distinctly different. A responsible performer must intimately understand each piece he will perform, not only the notes on the page, but its historical background. Several things must be understood before one can perform a piece successfully. First, a performer must analyze the piece, determine its form and harmonic ... in memorization, the analysis will give the performer direction. By identifying the form and harmonic structure of a piece, a performer can find those moments of tension and release. ...

• Word Count: 1249
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... pieces and this brought about a change in musical dynamics. Instead of using the old terraced dynamics of the Baroque era, music now rose from loud to soft and vice versa in rising crescendos and falling decrescendos. The want for more of this eventually led to the widespread use of a new keyboard instrument, the piano, which was able to perform these dynamic changes simply by varying ... the pressure placed on the keys by the player. By the end of the Classical, nearly all composers were composing for the piano rather than the harpsichord, clavichord or organ. The Classical period was ...

• Word Count: 2641
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . In this era, instrumental technology developed and instruments were improved to have equal temperament, to play any key and a new key order system, which resulted in the compositions of keyboard music. The viol, which was the primary string instrument before this era was replaced with the violin, which was further modified to be used as a solo instrument. ... the Baroque era. It articulated a smoother, more synchronized form with flexibility in rhythm, contrast and mood to express more than one emotion. It introduced a balance of musical notes and melodies, which developed the piano th...

• Word Count: 927
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate