The Onset And Development Of The French Rococo, Baroque Period Music

Rococo Music, as an important branch of late Baroque period, , is developed out of Baroque Music and foretells the coming of European Classical Music. Therefore, it is a transitional period in the history of Western music. Rococo Music finds its inspiration in decorative arts and generally refers to French music of the 18th century. Rococo Music is often characterized as being renewed, magnificent, elegant and sweet and in composing, composers often made use of decorative techniques and dissymmetry. Thus a new music form came into being in relation to and comparison with the complex forms and intricate patterns of Baroque music style.This paper consists of four chapters. Chapter one deals briefly with the development of Rococo Music---when it came into being and what it is, and clarifies the basic aspects of this music style with reference to entities from several foreign instrumental dictionaries.The second chapter is mainly about the background against which Rococo Music is developed and the representative musicians of that period. The writer of this paper unveils the specific reasons why Rococo Music could develop by analyzing the artistic and humanistic thoughts during that period of time. Two celebrated French musicians are discussed in this chapter, with the focus on their life experiences, for the purpose of achieving a panorama of this era.Chapter Three is an analysis of its embodiment in such areas as drama, keyboard and interior music, with the focus on keyboard field and makes pipe organ and harpsichord as typical examples, in the hope of telling the differences between Rococo Music and music of other periods.Chapter Four starts its analysis from aesthetic and music-historical perspectives and discusses the aesthetic differences between Rococo Music and Baroque music as well as its function at the time of Baroque music. Baroque music, under the influence of rationalistic philosophy has acquired such a style as being serious and solemn, while French Rococo Music focuses on the description of the music details, the use of decorative notes, chord skills and keynote function, which offers people a new aesthetic enjoyment.Although French Rococo Music does not last long, as a music form of unique style in the late Baroque period, it has asserted a strong influence on many noted musicians and composers, such as Haydn, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy and Ravel. French Rococo Music provides us with a new way to know more about music development.