Between c. 1700 and 1950, Western classical music evolved alongside profound political, social, and technological change, moving through four broad stylistic phases: Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, and Modernism. The Baroque era (c. 1700–1750) emphasized order, grandeur, and formal complexity, reflecting absolutist courts and religious institutions. Classicism (c. 1750–1825) emerged in the context of the Enlightenment, favoring balance, clarity, and proportion, mirroring contemporary ideals of reason, civic order, and emerging bourgeois culture in Europe under monarchies such as those of Joseph II (reign 1765–1790) and Napoleon Bonaparte (reign 1804–1814).
During the Romantic period (c. 1825–1900), composers increasingly rejected restraint in favor of emotional expression, nationalism, and individual creativity, shaped by the political upheavals of the Revolutions of 1848 and the formation of modern nation-states. Music became a vehicle for personal identity and collective memory, expanding orchestras and exploring new harmonic language. By the early 20th century, Modernism (c. 1900–1950) responded to industrialization, world wars, and social dislocation, particularly World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945), by challenging tonal tradition and redefining the very language of music.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2023, May 19). Western Classical Music, c. 1700-1950. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17445/western-classical-music-c-1700-1950/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Western Classical Music, c. 1700-1950." World History Encyclopedia, May 19, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17445/western-classical-music-c-1700-1950/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Western Classical Music, c. 1700-1950." World History Encyclopedia, 19 May 2023, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17445/western-classical-music-c-1700-1950/.
